Francis Howell Central’s Katelyn Guth has been an integral part of Spartans athletics for the past four years. She has been a champion with the girls’ wrestling team while also playing important roles for the cross country and lacrosse teams.
While boiling everything about Katelyn Guth down to one word would likely be an injustice to her and everything she’s accomplished, if you were to go with ‘leader,’ there would be many worse choices that could be made.
A mainstay for the Francis Howell Central cross country, wrestling, and lacrosse teams throughout her high school days as a student-athlete, Guth said she looks up to a renowned athlete New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo for his vast leadership qualities.
“Not only do I admire the crucial role he played as a part of the Chicago Cubs 2016 World Series championship team, but I admire his style of play and the charity work he organizes outside of the world of baseball,” Guth said. “Overcoming the obstacle of a cancer diagnosis himself, he continues to monetarily aid in furthering cancer research, and personally supports families battling the disease. He always takes time for fans and to give back to his community. I admire the way he plays baseball like he is grateful for every opportunity and continues to use his platform to further a cause he is passionate about.”
Like her hero, Guth has parlayed plenty of demanding work into a strong background which will, undoubtedly, lead to a solid future. From more than 100 career wrestling wins and an individual fifth-place finish for the 2023-24 state champion Spartans to excellent careers in cross country and lacrosse, Guth has left her mark.
Her honors include membership in the National Honor Society, achieving an Advanced Placement perfect score award, being a Missouri Girls State attendee, being an AP Scholar with Distinction, being a National Merit Commended Scholar, owning a grade point average of above 4.7, being a National Wrestling Coaches Association academic all-state and all-American honoree, a National Wrestling Coaches Association High School Scholar All-American, a St. Louis Wrestling Officials Association Outstanding Academic Achievement, and academic all-state wrestling honoree, and earning academic all-conference honors in cross country, lacrosse, and wrestling.
An impressive past will soon give way to an incredible future as Guth is set to begin her tenure as a cadet at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
“I hope to become a respected Army officer and continue to lead with a high standard of character,” Guth said.
Howell Central lacrosse coach Marcelo Menchaca said that Guth was much more than any program record she set, of which there were numerous, or much more than just someone who helped add to the team’s wins and losses.
She is the complete package, her coach said.
“Katelyn is physically and mentally tough,” Menchaca said. “She would not shy away from contact and wouldn’t let others’ words during games shift her focus. She embodied the ‘team first’ mentality. Katelyn now holds numerous lacrosse career records at Central from draw controls (to) career points. Katelyn set the bar very high for others to chase. As a captain, she led by example while the other coaches verbalized their instruction and leadership. Katelyn was a very dependable person and would always have the field ready before coaches would arrive or items ready when we had to travel. Overall, she is an outstanding and fantastic individual with a sarcastic attitude that made my day.”
Guth said that her favorite subject is English or Literature and that her favorite book is ‘Catch .22’ by Joseph Heller.
She said that she enjoys reading, writing and the complex beauty of words because they wield so much power in determining and changing how people can view the world.
She added that athletics will forever shape how she lives her life – in the military and beyond.
“(Something) I value about the role athletics has played in my education is the way sports have enhanced my ability to ‘embrace the suck’ as they say in the military,” Guth said. “Waking up at 5 a.m. for practice is hard. Regulating food/water intake is hard. Keeping up with schoolwork in-season is hard. And doing the hard things isn’t always fun at the moment. But if you can learn to put aside the temporary discomfort, you will reap the benefits in the long run. I think it’s important to understand that lasting success comes after momentary sacrifices, and you can find assurance in the future payoff.”
