As The Star honors its 2022 Scholar-Athletes, let’s check in with our winners from 2012
As The Star honors its 2022 Scholar-Athlete award-winners this weekend, we are also continuing another long-standing tradition: catching up with our honorees from a decade ago.
In 2012, both overall Kansas City Star Scholar-Athlete award-winners were runners: Lexie Oak (now, by marriage, Lexie Jeffres) of St. Pius X, and Zach Herriott of Rockhurst.
Here’s what each is doing now and how they reflect on their time back then.
LEXIE OAK (now Lexie Jeffres)
ST. PIUS X
Residence: Lincoln, Nebraska
Currently: Senior signal design engineer with Union Pacific Railroad in Omaha. She enjoys this career, which she began after graduating with a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Nebraska in 2017 and interning at BNSF Railway in Kansas City. “I do a lot of the design work behind the signal system,” Jeffres explained. “I get to spend time out in the field — hard hat, boots on the ground ... I get to travel a bit, see new installations.”
Family: An only child, she married husband Grant Jeffres last year; they’ll celebrate their one-year anniversary on June 12. Her parents still reside in the Kansas City area.
High school: Participated in volleyball, track and basketball at St. Pius, winning a Missouri Class 3 state championship in the 400 in 2012. She was also all-state in both hoops (she still holds school records for steals in a season, 110, and career, 260) and volleyball. Last year, she was inducted in the St. Pius Athletic Hall of Fame.
College: Freshman year in Lincoln was her best “health-wise,” Jeffres said. Then she pulled a hamstring, redshirted her second year and “never really recovered entirely.” She competed for three years in total with the Cornhuskers before deciding to “just be a student at Nebraska” for her final year of school while also doing some coaching on the side. “Overall, I was happy with the experience. I wouldn’t change a thing.” Today, she’s working on a dual masters degree from the University of Nebraska-Omaha.
Sports now: Jeffres runs for fun and has taken part “in a couple of half-marathons.” She also plays sand volleyball as a means of recreation. Her sports fandom remains tethered to Lincoln and Kansas City — “I’m a huge Chiefs fan,” she said. Her mom, who lives in St. Joe, “gets all the Chiefs gear and sends it to me,” and husband Grant has become a Chiefs fan, too. “I’m just a sports person in general,” she said. “ESPN is always on TV.”
Jeffres made some wonderful memories in high school and looks back upon that time fondly. “I loved Pius and had a great time there,” she said. “They community, the teachers, it was great. Kansas City holds a special place in my heart.”
ZACH HERRIOTT
ROCKHURST
Residence: Washington, D.C.
Currently: Herriott is a senior manager at Yext, an online brand management firm based in New York. He has worked in tech and software since graduating from the University of Virginia in 2017. “Works been good,” he said. “I think my career long-term is here, and I really do enjoy what I do.”
Family: Herriott’s parents still live in Kansas City — “I’m literally the only person in my family who has moved away,” he said with a laugh, “but I get back to Kansas City when I can.” Often, he noted, those visits home are timed around Chiefs games.
High school: Herriott won a Missouri state championship and earned All-America status at Rockhurst. Fun fact: He and fellow 2012 KC Star Scholar-Athlete winner Lexie Oak (now Lexie Jeffres, and living in Nebraska) became friends through the awards process and reconnected as we were tracking them down for this update.
College: Herriott started his college career at Oklahoma, redshirting his first year in Norman. When his coach at OU left for a new job, Herriott settled upon Virginia as a transfer destination. Good call, as he’d go on to become a team captain, collegiate All-American and school record-holder in the indoor 5,000 and outdoor 10,000. “I didn’t really have a desire to live on the East Coast,” he said, “but everything kind of came together for me.” He earned his masters in research, statistics and evaluation from Virginia and looks back upon his college experience with satisfaction: “We raised that program to a consistent level it hadn’t been at in a while.”
Sports now: After his time at Virginia, Herriott had surgery to “fix a college injury” and stopped running. But about a year and a half ago, he started up again. Enjoying distance running again, he joined the Georgetown Running Club — a group of folks, many of whom ran in college, who train for marathons together. He ran his first marathon about a month ago in Toledo and now has his sights set on qualifying for the Olympic Trials in 2024. More immediately, his next marathon is a biggie: He plans to run in the New York City Marathon this fall.
As for his sports fandom, Herriott said, “It’s still going to always be Chiefs and Royals first.” Accordingly, he made sure to attend the Chiefs’ games last season in Baltimore and D.C.
PREVIOUS BOYS WINNERS
1984: Danny Bellus, Washington
1985: Marlon Washington, Schlagle
1986: Brad Hinkle, Olathe South
1987: Jeff Witkop, Blue Valley North
1988: Jeff Drbohlav, Cass-Midway
1989: Tom Kreamer, SM East
1990: Shaon Fry, Oak Grove
1991: Aaron Hodges, Harmon
1992: Mike Wilson, Center
1993: Nate Minnis, Blue Springs
1994: Matt Mendlick, Olathe South
1995: Steve Fein, SM Northwest
1996: Josh Alpers, Blue Springs
1997: Brandon Wier, Olathe North
1998: Daniel Parris, Lee’s Summit North
1999: Corey Crandall, Fort Osage
2000: Tommy Hottovy, Park Hill South
2001: Jeff Durbin, Olathe South
2002: Justin Dyer, Olathe South
2003: Adam Perkins, Liberty
2004: Larry Hall, Center
2005: Louis Caputo, Blue Springs
2006: Aaron Trigg, Blue Valley West
2007: Scott O’Donnell, Oak Park
2008: Riley Reynolds, Blue Springs South
2009: Rick Settle, Olathe East
2010: Roy Wedge, Lawrence
2011: Aaron Thornburg, SM Northwest
2012: Zach Herriott, Rockhurst
2013: Nathan Butler, Leavenworth
2014: Sam Guinn, Blue Valley Northwest
2015: Dalton Schoen, Blue Valley Northwest
2016: Jacob Bohlken, Smithville
2017: Jacob Boyd, Smithville
2018: Jacob Sykes, Rockhurst
2019: Alex Totta, Blue Valley
2020: Hayden Gregg, Staley
2021: Yaseen El-Demerdash, Blue Valley Southwest
PREVIOUS GIRLS WINNERS
1984: Suzanne Meyer, Center
1985: Angela Cox, Olathe North
1986: Gretchen Prather, Liberty
1987: Tricia Lillygren, Raytown South
1988: Lisa Arel, Lee’s Summit
1989: Melanie Ornes, Lee’s Summit
1990: Amy Fowler, Bishop Miege
1991: Amy Cook, Lansing
1992: Angie Popek, SM Northwest
1993: Lisa Petty, Lawson
1994: Lisa Davies, Oak Grove
1995: Lindsay Thornton, SM West
1996: Kelly Andra, SM Northwest
1997: Elizabeth Baker, Pembroke Hill
1998: Lauren Jackson, North Kansas City
1999: Andrea Tietjen, Excelsior Springs
2000: Katherine Hoffman, Notre Dame de Sion
2001: Shea Swoboda, Winnetonka
2002: Jill Tyner, St. Pius X
2003: Tegan Stuart, Raymore-Peculiar
2004: Toni Picerno, Lee’s Summit
2005: Katie Martincich, Bishop Miege
2006: Erin Birmingham, Park Hill South
2007: Ali Pistora, Tonganoxie
2008: Allison Mayfield, St. Thomas Aquinas
2009: Morgan Johnson, Platte County
2010: Megan Yohe, Liberty
2011: Alexandra Keane, Notre Dame de Sion
2012: Lexie Oak, St. Pius X
2013: Cassie Wait, Gardner-Edgerton
2014: Arianna Person, St. James Academy
2015: Dorian Bailey, St. Teresa’s
2016: Jenna Gray, St. James Academy
2017: Carlie Queen, Summit Christian Academy
2018: Kate Walsworth, Barstow
2019: Alana Vawter, Staley
2020: Lexy Farrington, Blue Valley North
2021: Kendra Wait, Gardner Edgerton
This story was originally published June 5, 2022 at 5:00 AM.