Kaylin Taylor

Rich BaileyKaylin Taylor

Class of 2010

Kaylin "Lil' One" Taylor is the epitome of a coach's dream athlete. She possesses all the qualities that a coach desires - coachable, hardworking, talented, and determined. While there are numerous accolades to her name, since she is being inducted into the Hall of Fame, it is unnecessary to list them. Instead, I would like to share three significant moments from her track and field career that speak volumes about her character.
The first moment is the reason we are sitting here today. Kaylin tried to stay off everyone's radar as a freshman. She would show up, score points, and leave. Kay would "hide" behind the upperclassmen so as not to be singled out by her coach for anything. However, this all changed one indoor practice at the beginning of her sophomore year. After finishing practice, the kids were putting the training hurdles away in the cafeteria, and Kay decided to be funny and go over a hurdle. She's only 5'2" and believed there was no way she could ever become a hurdler. But as fate would have it, her coach turned around at the very second Kay went over that hurdle, and the rest, as they say, is history. It took some convincing, especially to her mom, but Kay became a hurdler, and for the next three years, she dominated the event. It was so much fun to watch.
The second moment happened at an invitational where boys and girls ran together on the relay teams. Kay was popping off the 4 x 200m and was in the inside lane. It was very windy, and the starter couldn't see her. As I held her blocks, the starter said, "Runners take your mark!" Kay settled into her blocks, tightened her ponytail, put her hands on the track, and waited for the "Set" command. But neither of us heard the command. BANG! The gun goes off.  Kay looked at me, asking what she should do. In that split second, I screamed, "RUN!" And she took off. To this day, I still think that's the fastest I've ever seen her run. She ran everyone down one by one and handed off the baton to her teammate in first place. As her teammate took off on the second leg, Kaylin fell to the track, completely exhausted. They won the race.
The third moment was during Kaylin's senior year. By this point, no one had beaten her in the conference or region in the last two years. We traveled to Gull Lake, where the number two hurdler in the conference was. Kaylin could have easily just run her normal four events and kept her undefeated streak alive. But that's not who Kaylin is. She wanted to run the hardest double in high school track: run the 400m, then turn right around and run the 300m hurdles. And that's exactly what she did. Kay destroyed everyone in the 400m, grabbed some water, and walked to the start of the 300m hurdles. She ended up finishing second in that race, and her streak came to an end. But as she crossed the finish line, she looked at me and pointed to her heart. Kay just wanted to see if she could do it, and like everything in her life, she did.
At her first state meet, I told her that greatness happens when talent, drive, and opportunity meet. And from then on, before every one of her races, I would tell her to "Be Great." Kaylin never disappointed, and it was an absolute honor to be a part of her track career at Comstock. I am so proud of everything she has accomplished. I love you, Lil One'. Be Great Always!
- Jason Monette

Comstock High School
* Volleyball – 2 Varsity Letters
* Track & Field – 4 Varsity Letters
- 2007 MHSAA State Qualifier 800M Relay
- 2007 Wolverine Conference HM 100M
- 2008 MHSAA State Qualifier 1600M Relay
- 2008 Wolverine Conference 1st Team 100M, 300M Hurdles
- 2009 MHSAA All-State 300M Hurdles – 8th Place – School Record
- 2009 MHSAA State Qualifier 1600M Relay
- 2009 Wolverine Conference 1st Team 300M Hurdles, HM 100M & 200M
- 2010 MHSAA State Qualifier 100M, 300M Hurdles
- 2010 Wolverine Conference 1st Team 300M Hurdles, 2nd Team 100M, HM 200M
- 2008, 09, 10 Team Most Valuable Runner

Amateur Athletic Union
* Track & Field
- 2009 Regional Champion – 400M Hurdles – MI/OH/WV Region
- 2009 Junior Olympic Qualifier – 400M Hurdles - 20th Place Nationally

Indiana University/Purdue University at Fort Wayne (IPFW) – Summit League DI
* Track & Field – 4 Varsity Letters
- 2011 & 2012 IPFW Indoor Track & Field Coach’s Award
- 2012 Set School Record 200M & 1600M Relay Indoors
- 2013 IPFW Most Improved Runner Award
- 2014 Set School Record 1600M Relay Indoors
- 2014 Set School Record 400M Relay & 400M Hurdles Outdoors
- 2014 Summit League All-Conference 400M Hurdles
- 2014 IPFW Outdoor Track & Field Coach’s Award

Athletic Honors
* 2010 Wolverine Conference Scholar-Athlete Award
* 2014 US Track & Field & Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team
* 2014 National College Athlete Honor Society
* 2023 Comstock Athletic Hall of Fame