LebCo Athlete of the Week: Kenzie Eckhart (Week Ending January 26, 2025)

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Kenzie Eckhart

Kenzie Eckhart has been a constant force this season for ELCO Girls Basketball. She has paired with fellow junior Maddie Stout to provide the scoring that now has the team on the verge of qualifying for the District 3 Playoffs in their first year playing 5A. During the Week of January 20th, Eckhart continued that effort with a team-high 19 points in a close loss to Manheim Central. She then led the team again when she scored 16 points to lead the Lady Raiders to a win over Blue Mountain. The win over the Eagles was not only their 10th win of the season, but it also snapped a three-game losing streak that threatened to derail ELCO’s season. Honoring her impact, the voters showed up en masse to choose Eckart as a LebCo Athlete of the Week.

Fast forward to the present and ELCO has completed their regular season with a 12-10 record after grinding out a thrilling 40-30 victory over Lower Dauphin in the finale this past Thursday evening. For the season, Eckhart has averaged 15 points per game and has been lethal from long-range, connecting on 27 three pointers. In addition to her scoring, Eckhart has hauled in 4 rebounds per game while also averaging 1 assist and 1 steal per contest.

Third-year head coach Karl Keath said of Eckhart’s role: “Kenzie has the unique ability to hurt a team in many different ways. She can play with her back to the basket, hit the 15-foot shot, go beyond the three-point line, and also attack the rim off the bounce. When Kenzie is locked in, she is a difference maker on both ends of the court.”

Now a veteran leader playing in her varsity career, Eckhart identified one of the things that made the difference as ELCO hit a rough patch in mid-January, only to recover with some of their best efforts of the year. She said, “We played well as a team and weren’t letting the pressure get to us. We got off to quick starts and played as a team.”

It is that team effort that has allowed ELCO’s overall scheme to work. While Eckhart and Stout are usually the ones leading the scoring parade, the contributions of seniors Reece Woelfling and Gabby Smith, along with an impressive core of role players, cannot be understated.

When asked about how she views her role on the team, Eckhart understands that she is a scorer but also knows the impact she has is her ability to create for others by “making good passes to play as a leader for the team.”

The idea of basketball being a team sport has been fostered from an early age, with Eckhart’s first team, her family, having several athletes. Her mother played basketball for Lebanon Valley College. Currently, Her older sister, Kailey, is a junior at The Valley scoring 10.4 points per game for the Dutchmen. Kenzie hopes to find the opportunity to join her mother and sister as a collegiate basketball player.

For as good as she has been on the hardwood, Eckhart has honed her skills as a three-sport athlete. In the Fall, she plays Soccer. In the Spring, she competes as a member of the school’s Track & Field team.

Outside of athletes, Eckhart takes school seriously. After high school, she would like to study to become a physical therapist.

For a patient going through physical therapy, the work hurts, but it leads them to a better place. For Eckhart and the Lady Raiders, they have put in the grueling work and have emerged as tough postseason draw. We wish Eckhart and the entire team all the best as they continue the work of extending their season.

Photos for this article were provided courtesy of ELCO Athletics

District 3 Brackets should be released on Thursday, February 13th.

Read about other recent LebCo Athletes of the Week Karter Adams & Dakota Dengler

For a full list of this week’s nominees, check out: Athlete of the Week Voting: January 20 – 26

Previous Winners

Mya Doster (Week of December 2nd)

Olivia Shutter (Week of December 2nd)

Kaila Francis (Week of December 9th)

Liliana Harrison (Week of December 9th)

Lily Harchuska (Holidays)

Maddie Stout (Holidays)

Qynne Demler (Week of January 6th)

Hayley Sheroky (Week of January 6th)

Susie Hoffman (Week of January 13th)