USF Is a Family Affair for Kirby and the Powers Household
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, DEC. 11, 2018 – 2018 has been an unforgettable year for senior high jumper
Kirby Powers and her super supportive family that has made USF its second home.
Powers, a triplet, walked across the Yuengling Center stage as a college graduate this past weekend with her sister, Courtney, while their brother, Phillip, will receive his degree from USF in the future. Earning her first track and field scholarship this semester, Kirby's memorable year continued with the Powers family being named
USF Family of the Year.
"Not only are we honored, but we're honored that our kids thought to nominate us," said Kirby's father, Steve. "That made us feel really good."
The Powers parents proudly celebrated the honor after Kirby's sister discovered the USF Family of the Year competition online and filled out a 500-word essay describing why the family was deserving. On top of supporting their children's academic pursuits at USF, Margaret and Steve have traveled all over the country to attend Kirby's track meets in Alabama, Cincinnati, Indiana and Michigan. They have the ambitious goal of being at every meet Kirby competes in this spring as well.
"We've always been trying to come up with a way to thank our parents for everything they do for us, so she thought that would be a really cool idea," Kirby said. "Plus, they love USF."
Kirby probably needs more than 500 words to describe her incredible experience at USF that started with her and Courtney searching for a school to call home. Years later, Kirby is projected to reach the pinnacle of academic success with a perfect GPA.
"We just both loved the school and the business program is really great," Kirby said. "We liked the atmosphere and it just fit us."
The USF track and field program is happy to have Kirby, who qualified for her first conference championship event last spring with a personal best high jump of 5 feet, 5 inches.
"It was a really big deal and it was exciting," she said.
Kirby's emotions continued to soar early this fall when head coach
Warren Bye gave the former walk-on a huge surprise.
"It was crazy. I had gone to his office to ask for a different size in shoes and he's like, 'Hold on for a second. Because of all your hard work, I want to offer you a scholarship,'" Kirby said. "It took me a second and I was like, 'Really, are you being serious?'"
Kirby got to share her notable journey as a student-athlete with her peers while speaking at USF Athletics' fall 2018 graduation reception last Friday at the Lee Roy Selmon Athletics Center. All five members of the Powers family got to capture the moment with photos that will be added to their vast collection of memories made with each other through the years.
"I just like when the five of us are together," Steve said.
It wasn't always an easy task to achieve.
Growing up, Kirby took after her father as a basketball player and high jumper. Courtney was a cheerleader and Phillip played soccer, which kept Margaret and Steve busy trying to make as many events as they could.
"It's been an adventure for sure, but it's all we know," Margaret said. "It's been great."
Kirby still remembers being back in high school and setting the St. Johns Country Day School (Orange Park, Fla.) high jump record with a mark of 5 feet, 4 inches soon after her dedicated father had to jet to another Powers event.
"My dad left right before to take my sister to a game. He was so upset," Kirby said.
Getting everyone together is a little easier these days with all three triplets continuing their academic careers at USF for a while longer.
"It's nice for them to all be together and to have each other in all circumstances," Margaret said. "They're each other's biggest cheerleaders, which has definitely been quite the blessing for us."
"It's been fantastic," Steve added. "We love USF, love the facilities and love the people. We're Bulls 100 percent."
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About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men's and women's teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls' athletic program celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2015, having begun with a men's soccer contest in 1965. Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 15 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, including four in 2016-17, and own 112 conference championships overall. Ten USF programs reached national postseason competition in the 2016-17 season and nine were ranked in the Top 25 nationally. The Bulls posted a program-record 86 percent Graduation Success Rate in 2016, logged an annual department grade-point average over a 3.0 for the six straight semesters, and saw 106 student-athletes earn their degree during the 2016-17 academic period.
– #GoBulls –
