Family Tradition: Cain's Rhodes Following In Sister's Footsteps

AS THE UIL TRACK & FIELDSEASON PROGRESSES THIS SPRING, KLEIN CAIN WILL LOOK FOR THROWER KACIE RHODES TO PROPEL THE HURRICANES INTO POSTSEASON CONTENTION.

Rhodes has built a phenomenal high school career in shot put (Personal Record: 12.89m), discus (PR: 42.35m) and hammer (37.38m). Furthermore, the work she’s put in at the USATF Junior Olympics has made her a seven-time All American.

The path to success for Rhodes began early on, competing as early as six years old. She was following the footsteps of her older sister Kiana Lowery, who would inspire her to push even further.

“When I got to high school and I saw my older sister [Lowery] move to the next level, I thought ‘this is what I really want to do, too’,” said Rhodes. “She’s now at the University of Texas. I learned from her to never be afraid to put myself out there. There’s always going to be competition along the way, and one should always do their best. She is always very resilient, so that rubbed off on me and makes me aspire to compete at a higher level.”

As it turns out, Rhodes will be joining her sister in Austin following her upcoming graduation. The soon-to-be Texas Longhorn had an easy choice to make upon where she intended to continue her track and field career.

“The environment [at UT] appealed to me the most,” Rhodes said. “The track team is like a family, they’re very welcoming. The city of Austin is beautiful and seeing how much fun my sister is having out there, I knew that she would never go somewhere she wasn’t enjoying. She’s also my best friend, so being there with her will really make me happy.”

None of this would have been possible if not for Rhodes’ persistence.

During her sophomore year, Rhodes suffered an ACL tear playing basketball in the ‘Canes’ first game of the season.

“That tear set me back an entire year in track,” she said. “So, I didn’t get to compete in school track, and I wasn’t supposed to compete at all until I was cleared. I began to throw again in the summer, but it was a mental game for me. I was trying to break 40 meters, and that willed me back into contention.”

Rhodes intends to make a push for State this Spring, prior to becoming a Longhorn. As luck would have it, the UIL State Meet is on the campus of the University of Texas. This script just writes itself.