By the end of the 2012 season, she had earned second team all-conference, placed second in the nation in double-doubles and fifth in the nation in rebounding, which makes Sacramento State women’s basketball junior forward Kylie Kuhns The State Hornet’s Best Female Athlete. 

People who spend a lot of time with Kuhns, such as her family and coaches, assure Kuhns’ success stems from hard work and dedication. 

“Kylie is honestly one of the hardest workers I’ve ever been around,” Craighead said. “She doesn’t take a day off and it’s a really hard quality to find in somebody who can continually push (themselves).” 

 The key factor to success is a determined mindset and an optimistic attitude, Kuhns said. 

“My game isn’t the prettiest game or the most flashy, but I think it’s my constant work ethic and not quitting,” Kuhns said.

 Kuhns’ older brother said his sister’s desire to never fail is reflected in her performance and is noticed by others who envy her aptitude.

 “She never takes a day off or makes excuses. If I could start a team with five players with her determination, my team would compete at any level,” said Kuhns’ older brother Travis Kuhns.

 Persistence is important to success because if you give up there will be no progress, Kuhns said.

 “I will bust my butt down the court every single time and might only get rewarded four times out of the 40 trips I take up the court,” Kuhns said. “I’m not going to sit here and say I’m the hardest worker on the team or in our conference because there are a lot of extremely talented people. But our goal is to outwork our opponent and I outwork a lot of people and that’s where I succeed.”

 Kuhns said she is proud of her accomplishments throughout her career and this season was all about solidifying the player she has shown she could be with statistics such as 21 double-doubles and reaching 1,000 career points.

 “I strive not to be perfect, but to be the best I can be. So I won’t allow myself to take breaks that other people may allow themselves to take,” Kuhns said. “I don’t see myself doing anything less than my best.”

 Craighead said Kuhns leads by her actions and not her words, which was shown through the statistics this year.

 “Her 1,000th point is something I know she will cherish for the rest of her life,” Craighead said. “It’s a pretty big deal. She’s special and hard to replace, that’s for sure.”

Additional Comments about Kylie Kuhns

Head coach Jamie Craighead

“I really feel like if (Kuhns) continues to work and push and we continue to help her develop, she could end up being one of the best post players to ever play (at Sac State) as well as in our conference. We’re proud to have her in our program and I think she’s developed as a young woman and will be very successful in the future.”

Father David Kuhns

“Anything worth doing is worth doing well, Kylie has always wanted to succeed and make the most of her abilities in everything she has done and in order to do that she felt she needed to work as hard as she could to make herself the best player she could be.”

Brother Travis Kuhns

“I think the most important aspect of her game is her basketball IQ. She can do it all. When a shot goes up, she knows which way the ball is likely to bounce, which enables her to lead the conference in rebounding seemingly every year. It’s definitely not luck. She knows a good shot from a bad shot, her defensive positioning is always perfect and a lot of players could learn a lot on how to be successful by watching” her play.”

Natasha Torgerson

“She has incredible time management skills and her priorities are always lined up. She’ll already have an essay done that’s due in two weeks. When she has something to do, she’s going to get it done and when she wants to get better at something she’s going to do it, that’s just how she is.”

Jillian Kweller can be reached at [email protected].