Picayune Memorial High School Nabs First Lindy Callahan Scholar

The 23rd Annual Lindy Callahan Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet was held at the Hilton Jackson on April 16. The award honors the top scholar athletes from each of the eight districts of the state and comes with a $1,500 scholarship from the Mississippi High School Athletics Association (MHSAA). This year, for the first time ever, a Picayune Memorial High School student-athlete was selected to represent District 8: Miss Kamryn Clymer.

As a Lindy Callahan Scholar Athlete, Kamryn excels both on and off the field, or should one say, in the pool. Kamryn is the co-captain of Picayune’s swim team and competes in multiple events including 50-yard freestyle, where she just placed 2nd at South State, and the 100-yard freestyle, where she placed 1st. Kamryn also had seven more top 5 finishes at the MHSAA State Meet as a freshman, sophomore, and a junior.

Kamryn’s father introduced her to the pool at the age of two, and since then, she’s never wanted to leave. She began swimming competitively at the age of six, and by ten years old, she was driving 45 minutes to practice for two hours in the morning and two more hours after school.

Kamryn credits much of her success to her parents and God.

“My parents always taught me that if I wanted something, I would have to work for it. When I was fourteen, I was going through a rough time, and my parents actually pulled me out of swim for a month. It really helped me to start having fun again and get my focus on God,” she stated.

In the classroom, Kamryn boasts a 101 grade point average and a 33 on her ACT. While many struggle with the academic demands on a student-athlete’s thin schedule, she offered that swim was actually a benefit.

“Swim and academics go hand in hand. Going to practice from a very young age really taught me to learn time management.”

When speaking of the award, Kamryn stated that she was so thrilled, surprised, and honored to be the recipient.

“We have awesome athletics and academics (at Picayune), so I was so glad to be able to represent my school and receive this recognition,” she said.

Kamryn plans to attend Mississippi State University and major in bio-medical engineering, eventually completing a degree in the medical field. Her dream is to use her skills in the medical field to travel overseas and become a long-term missionary.