It’s a good time to be a Fairchild: Andale senior becomes third D1 athlete in family
Life in the Fairchild family is as busy as it’s ever been, but also better than it’s ever been.
In the fall, the family is driving to wherever Mason Fairchild, a budding tight end on the bowl-bound KU football team, is playing that Saturday.
In the spring, they try to make it to as many track and field meets to support Katelyn Fairchild, who was a second team All-American in the javelin in her freshman year at Texas A&M.
And during the week, the family is attending the sporting events for whatever is in season for Andale senior McKenzie Fairchild, the youngest of seven siblings who is an all-state player in volleyball and basketball but just so happens to also be the No. 1 high school javelin thrower in the country.
“It’s a hectic life and sometimes you’re like, ‘Gosh, I hope the week slows down,’ but I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” said Tim Fairchild, the father who helped raise seven college athletes with his wife, Tina. “This is what we pushed for all those years, and it really does keep you young. And we enjoy it. I don’t know what else we would be doing with our time.”
It’s a good time to be a Fairchild: Mason has caught five touchdowns this season and is in the midst of a breakout season with the Jayhawks, Katelyn is pushing to be a first team All-American this season in javelin, and McKenzie just signed her letter of intent to also throw javelin at Texas A&M next season.
It came just days after McKenzie, who could have pursued a Division I volleyball career, wrapped up a sterling high school volleyball career, as she was named the AV-CTL Div. IV Player of the Year for the second year in a row and helped lead Andale to the Class 4A state championship game all four years.
After watching all of her brothers and sisters sign on the dotted line to play sports in college, McKenzie said she had been waiting a long time for Wednesday’s ceremony.
“Honestly, it was something that I felt was expected of me,” McKenzie said. “I was happy it was my turn since I’ve been watching everyone else.”
McKenzie is coming off her most dominant track and field season to date, sweeping all three of the Class 4A state titles in the throwing events at the state meet this past spring. In just two state track meets, she has four gold medals and two silver medals (both runner-up finishes coming to her sister, Katelyn).
After watching how Katelyn developed in her first season at Texas A&M and enjoyed the campus life in College Station, McKenzie, who just about had her choice of college to attend on scholarship, said the opportunity to reunite with her sister was too good of an opportunity to pass up.
“Honestly, Texas A&M felt like home to me,” McKenzie said. “Nowhere else clicked like it did at A&M. I just love the whole environment there.”
There are benefits — like attending college sporting events and learning from watching — to being the youngest of seven siblings in such an athletic family.
But being the youngest wasn’t always easy. In hindsight, that experience is what armed McKenzie with the mental toughness she has used to become one of the best all-around high school athletes in Kansas.
“McKenzie was always pretty talented, but we always rode her when she was younger,” Tim Fairchild said. “When she would coast, we would get on her. ‘Your effort stinks. Do you even care?’ I think that’s why she developed a little bit of an edge to her. In a big family, being first can be an important thing. First to eat. First to the shower. First to do this or that. We’re pretty proud of the athlete she has become.”
Wichita-area high school athletes signing day list
Ty Adkins, Hutchinson — Wichita State men’s golf
Hunter Alvord, McPherson — Cowley County baseball
Samuel Becker, McPherson — Friends football
Brett Black, Collegiate — Friends baseball
Addy Brown, Derby — Iowa State women’s basketball
Ali Coash, Valley Center — Emporia State women’s soccer
Chloe Clevenger, McPherson — Johnson County women’s basketball
Dylan Cochran, Valley Center — Southwest Baptist (Mo.) women’s volleyball
Ryan Cooper, Andale — Benedectine softball
Hannah Decker, Garden Plain — LeTourneau (Texas) softball
Alli Eastridge, Augusta — Ottawa women’s bowling
McKenzie Fairchild, Andale — Texas A&M women’s track and field
Kaylee Farmer, Derby — Pratt women’s soccer
Kaeson Fisher-Brown, Derby — Newman men’s basketball
Alexa Garrett, Kapaun Mt. Carmel — Long Island (N.Y.) women’s golf
Connor Geist, Kapaun Mt. Carmel — Wichita State men’s golf
Maci George, Valley Center — North Texas softball
Hannah Grover, Valley Center — Tabor women’s cross country
Emmalie Haag, Maize — Friends volleyball
Campbell Hague, Cheney — San Diego State women’s volleyball
Kinleigh Haskell, Augusta — Colby softball
Colby Hedden, Derby — Newman men’s bowling
Cayden Highbarger, Augusta — Central Christian baseball
Noah Holtzman, Bishop Carroll — Kansas men’s golf
Lucy Hooper, Valley Center — Minnesota softball
Braden Horn, Derby — Cowley County baseball
Brady Hunt, Collegiate — Cloud County baseball
Kennedy Johnson, Valley Center — Hutchinson softball
Mitchell Johnson, Derby — Cowley County baseball
Ava Jones, Nickerson — Iowa women’s basketball
Mykah Klumpp, Valley Center — Western Nebraska softball center
Julia Korfhage, Kapaun Mt. Carmel — Western Michigan women’s gymnastics
Lily Krohlow, Hutchinson — Barton County women’s swimming
Trinity Kuntz, Derby — West Texas A&M softball
Avery Lowe, Maize South — Nebraska-Kearney women’s basketball
Hayden Malaise, Collegiate — Cloud County baseball
Kayden McVicker, McPherson — Kansas Wesleyan men’s soccer
Korah Nash, Valley Center — Findlay (Ohio) softball
Sara Portela, Derby — Highland softball
Paige Putter, Maize — Emporia State women’s soccer team
Madelyn Rolfs, Garden Plain — Missouri Southern State softball
Hailey Rowell, Kapaun Mt. Carmel — Friends women’s volleyball
Keira Ronsick, Bishop Carroll — Newman women’s golf
Addi Ross, Andale — Cowley County softball
Maggie Salsbury, Maize — Pittsburg State women’s track and field
Maddie Schrandt, Andale — Missouri State women’s beach volleyball
Eli Shetlar, Andover — Indiana State men’s basketball
Sykora Smith, Valley Center — Northern Iowa softball
Monique Sosa, Wichita Northwest — Friends women’s tennis
Hannah Stipp, Circle — North Dakota State women’s soccer
Kennedy Topping, Maize — Emporia State softball
Victoria Turner, Valley Center — Harding (Ark.) softball
Jordan Vanderhoof, McPherson — Roberts Wesleyan (N.Y.) women’s swimming
Keira Wells, Augusta — Oklahoma women’s gymnastics
This story was originally published November 11, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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