Cady to be inducted into the Steinert Athletic Hall of Fame for her triumphs in three sports

By Mary Ann Tarr

In local sports circles, she is known as a versatile athlete who went on to excel in softball at the Division I level in college.

However, Kristi Cady’s top memory from her days as a student-athlete at Steinert High School occurred on a field hockey field.

“I guess all of them are sports-connected memories,” said Cady in response to a question about her top recollections as a Spartan. “My favorite one actually is winning Central Jersey for field hockey. We were kind of brushed to the side, everyone said ‘It’s Steinert, they’re not that good in field hockey.’ I scored the game-winning goal – I loved it. It was like a movie moment.”

Cady’s career at SHS was worthy of her own highlight film. A three-sport athlete, she earned 11 varsity letters while wearing the Green & White. As a senior, she captained the field hockey, girls’ basketball and softball teams.

Cue the music and the slow-motion film, Cady’s illustrious career as a student-athlete will be acknowledged with her upcoming induction into the SHS Athletic Hall of Fame during ceremonies Saturday, April 1.

“I did not have to watch Kristi practice for very long to realize that she was going to be very special,” said her former SHS softball coach Bob Hutchinson. “Kristi gave 100% on every play at every practice and game for the entire four years that she was at Steinert. She never took one play off for any reason. That is a quality that is seldom seen in many high school athletes.

“Her attitude and work ethic was contagious throughout the entire team and therefore she made everyone else a better player and person. She was never content to just be good, she worked hard

Kristi Cady with her basketball teammates.

every day to get better and be the best player she could be. Her attitude, determination and character, coupled with her physical ability, made her a pleasure to coach.”

Her love of sports, particularly softball, runs deep.

“The thing I love most about (softball), and I didn’t really know about it until college or sometime after that,” Cady said, “It molded me into someone I wanted to be. It taught me how to fail.

“Ultimately it’s a game of failure,” she said, noting that if a batter gets a hit in three or four out of 10 tries, she is considered successful.

“It definitely taught me a lot of life lessons,” Cady said. “It gave me family members – teammates, and coaches who I consider father figures.”

Because she was one of the taller kids, some of her youth coaches had specific ideas about where she should play.

“They wanted to make me a first baseman, I hated it,” she said. “I was a center fielder and I loved it. Everyone said I had such a great arm, I took pride in throwing people out.”

Not surprisingly, Cady says she was “a pretty active kid.”

“Basketball was another sport I played as a kid,” she said.

“Field hockey I didn’t know what it was until I walked in (to Steinert) freshman year; everyone said ‘you should do something in the fall,’ ” Cady said.

Her attempt to keep busy and keep in shape in the fall had spectacular results. Because of athletes such as Kristi Cady, and a diligent and vigilant coaching staff, Steinert has had success in field hockey.

Kristi Cady in her days on the Steinert Field Hockey Team.

“As a freshman, Kristi entered Steinert with no field hockey experience,” says SHS coach Alyson Setzer. “She is a natural athlete and capitalizing on her strength from her softball swing and her footwork from basketball, she immediately became the backbone of the field hockey team. She moved into the center midfield position. Her drives were so long and hard that they were difficult to defend. Going into the state tournament her senior year (autumn 2007), we were playing Toms River East at their place. It was a close game. Toward the end of the game Kristi got the ball and was headed toward the goal. I turned to my assistant coaches and said, “That goalie doesn’t stand a chance. That ball is going in the cage.” Kristi wound up at the top of the circle and sent a drive to the far left corner. Goal. Steinert wins. We knocked off the number 1 seed! We went on to win the sectional championship in 2007, defeating another Toms River School.

“Athletes like her don’t come along that often. I was very honored to have been her coach. She gives 100% every time she steps on the field. Likeable, personable, coachable, unselfish, enjoys life, intelligent …  just an all-around great person.”

Softball was her “it” sport, the one she started playing as a 9-year-old in Hamilton Township, and she went on to have a spectacular career at St. John’s University.

“I had a verbal (commitment) to St. John’s when I was a junior,” Cady said, “I was very proud of that.”

She took her considerable talents to St. John’s and improved steadily each year.

She was a second-team All-BIG EAST and All-BIG EAST Tournament Team selection at centerfield as a senior. She started 50 games for the Red Storm and led the team with a .379 batting average, the 10th-highest mark in St. John’s history. She also recorded 61 hits on the year, the sixth most in school history and she also etched her name in the school record books with the 10th most runs scored (35) and sixth-highest slugging percentage (.590) in single-season history.  She recorded 17 multi-hit games including four games with at least three hits, both team highs.

She played in 200 games for the Red Storm, including 197 starting assignments and she posted a career batting average of .309, all of which means she was an outstanding success in a game of

Kristi Cady at bat for St. Johns.

failure such as softball.

Cady is fondly remembered at Steinert, too.

“On top of her abilities on the field and court, she was an outstanding student and person in the school and community,” Hutchinson said.

“She is a person that her family and the Steinert community can be very proud of.”