Athlete For All Seasons

Preston mixes excellence on field and classroom

Smackover's MacKenzie Preston is a finalist for News-Times Female Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Smackover's MacKenzie Preston is a finalist for News-Times Female Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Smackover’s MacKenzie Preston said she’d like to be a coach one day. The senior earned All-State honors in three different sports, playing for three different coaches.

And, she did it while maintaining a 3.84 grade point average.

“We had Coach Poff for golf and softball. He was the assistant for softball. He’s totally different from golf to softball. His personality kind of changes,” said Preston. “Mrs. Barker, she’s a great coach. She has a great attitude. That’s how they all are. She doesn’t yell as much. Coach Steele is a lot sometimes. Going from all of those, it’s different. But, it’s easy to get comfortable around them.

“They’re all good coaches in their own ways. I’ll strive to be like all of them.”

Preston, a finalist for News-Times Female Scholar Athlete of the Year, has been quite successful just being herself. She advanced to the semifinals in singles at the 3A State Tennis Tournament and was a three-time conference singles champion. She tied for sixth in the 3A State Golf Tournament, shooting 93. She played centerfield and batted .453 for the Lady Bucks’ softball team, which went 20-5 on the season.

“Every coach wants his or her players to excel athletically and academically. When you have a student-athlete who does, it is truly satisfying,” said tennis coach Sonia Barker. “MacKenzie is certainly this type of player - tennis, golf and softball player. MacKenzie graduated with high honors because of her hard work and dedication to her academic responsibilities and opportunities.” 

“MacKenzie’s a very hard worker. She’s unselfish,” said Smackover softball coach Dennis Steele. “She’s a dedicated girl that works extremely hard in the classroom and out of the classroom. That’s obvious.”

On the softball field, injuries to other players forced Preston to move from her third base position to centerfield. She wasn’t asked to move. She volunteered.

“I definitely don’t hate third base. I really missed it this year,” she said. “But, our team really needed it. The girl who was in center can play the infield just fine. I can play either so …

“I’ve been playing for so long. I played in the outfield my freshman year and it didn’t take much for me to be able to read a fly ball again.”

Preston, always with a perpetual big-dimpled smile, seemed uncomfortable talking about herself. A lot of her responses were measured and short, very short.

When asked about her coaches, her personality bubbled naturally.

Of Coach Steele, “He’s a very energetic grandpa. But, he’s a great coach. I couldn’t ask for anything better.” 

Of Barker, “She’s a lot more laid back. She still expects the most out of you and for you to do your best.”

From an athletic family, Preston said being an athlete has always come naturally. She said she also played basketball up until her ninth grade year.

“Both my parents always encouraged me to play. My sister (Lexie Gilbert) was always good at golf and softball so I wanted to follow in her footsteps,” she said. “And, I remember before freshman year, my dad asked me if I wanted to play tennis. I wasn’t very sure about it but that summer we started working at it and just messing around and playing. I fell in love with it.”

Preston said academics was one reason she stopped playing basketball, “Going from golf and tennis to basketball and then softball, having that break between those three and focusing on those and my grades and still having time to just breathe.”

Preston plans to attend Southern Arkansas University and hopes to become a teacher and, of course, a coach.

“It’s always been in the back of my head,” she said of teaching. “I’m also going to be a coach, too. I think it would be good for me.

“I don’t think I’m going to do elementary, probably middle school or high school. I just don’t know if I could handle the younger kids as much.”

Preston is a member of several school clubs such as National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta and Literati. She said she’s never been interested in holding a leadership position in any of them.

“I pretty much just go with the flow on everything. I’ve never really thought to be one of those.”

Preston’s favorite subject is math, which opens a world of many financially rewarding occupational opportunities. When asked why not pursue something in the field of mathematics, she leaned back and gave a tired smile but didn’t really answer.

A similar response was offered when asked about competing in a sport in college.

“I thought about it. I just want to relax and have an easy college experience,” she said. “I thought about playing all of them, honestly.”

It’s not easy playing multiple sports while graduating with honors. Preston excelled in three sports for three coaches, each season ending in a pressurized state tournament setting.

Perhaps it’s a good time for her to take the foot off the gas pedal for a little bit.

“I think it’ll be fine to just chill out for a little bit,” she said. And, of course none of her current plans are set in stone.

“I change my mind every day but it always comes back to (teaching). I think that’s the safest place for me to be.”

When asked, she admitted, “I think I play it safe a lot.”

Most coaches aren’t daredevils so Preston might be on to something in terms of a career.

“I think she’ll be pretty good,” said Poff, her golf coach. “She was very coachable to start with. She listens intently to what you tell her and she takes all that in, the information she needed and would always listen when you’d talk to someone else. She pays attention to what’s going on. She’s a smart player, so that helps.”

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