ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: MIKKEL ROSS

a woman is posing for a picture with her finger up
BARRY GAUKEL/Keys Weekly

Mikkel Ross
Senior, Marathon
Track & Field

“Mikkel has always been a leader on the team. She was always there to encourage the other girls, but all while maintaining hard work and a great attitude.” – Darby Sheehan, Fins track & field coach

Marathon’s Mikkel Ross has been a staple for the Lady Fins every season since she was a seventh-grader. Ross has made a multitude of state appearances in cross country, weightlifting and track and field. The multitalented athlete was recently selected as one of just 12 female student-athletes named to the Florida Dairy Farmers FHSAA Academic All-State Team, the highest award given to student-athletes in Florida. Ross was selected for excellence in both athletics and academics. For her outstanding accomplishments on and off the field, Marathon’s Mikkel Ross is the Keys Weekly Athlete of the Week.

Tracy McDonald
Tracy McDonald fled to the Keys from the frozen mountains of Pennsylvania hours after graduating from college and never looked back. She is a second generation coach and educator, and has taught in the public school system for over 25 years. She and her husband met at a beginning teacher meeting in 1997 and have three children born and raised in Monroe County. In her free time, McDonald loves flea markets, historical fiction and long runs in the heat.