Service Credit Union Student-Athlete Spotlight: Kate Bilyeu & Patrick Kenney

By Stephanie Rouse
Special to UNHWildcats.com

Kate Bilyeu and Patrick Kenney are highlighted in this week's Service Credit Union Student-Athlete Spotlight.

Kate, an outsider hitter from Omaha, Neb., is a junior on the UNH volleyball team. Last year, was Kate's first year as a Wildcat after transferring from UMass Lowell, where she played as a freshman in the 2018 season. Off the court, she has made the America East Academic Honor Roll in both 2018 and 2019. During her rookie year, Kate earned a spot on the America East All-Rookie Team and was a three-time America East Rookie of the Week. She is a member of the UNH Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Patrick is a senior alpine skier from Hingham, Mass. On the slopes, he is a three-time NCAA Championship skier, and in the giant slalom in 2020 Patrick finished fourth to earn a place on the 2020 NCAA All-America First Team. Off the slopes, Patrick has made the NSCA All-Academic Team. He was also a member of the United States Ski Team from 2015-2017.

Both of these student-athletes have excelled in the classroom and in their respective sports. Now let's take the opportunity to get to know them better.

Q&A WITH KATE

When did you start playing volleyball? Was playing volleyball in college always the goal?

I started playing volleyball at the YMCA when I was about 10 years old. That same year I tried out for my first club team and cried at tryouts because I didn't know what I was doing. I ended up making the team and falling in love with the sport! For as long as I can remember I wanted to play volleyball in college. In grade school and high school, I always thought being a college athlete was so cool and knew that it was something I could achieve. I also knew I didn't want to go to college close to home so playing volleyball in college was the perfect opportunity to go far!

You're a two-time member of the America East Academic Honor Roll. How do you manage being a full-time student and a D1 athlete?

Managing academics and being an athlete is hard but like anything, it takes time to get used to. I think that being an athlete has greatly helped me in my academic career. It has allowed me to learn different techniques that have become useful on and off the court! Being an athlete doesn't allow me to have a lot of free time, but it has taught me how to manage my time wisely. That is something I know I will use in the future long after my athletic career is over.

Are you excited to be back practicing with the team? What do you look forward to when you go to practice?

I am very excited to be back practicing with the team. Our spring season was cut short and we missed out on a lot of opportunities so I'm glad to be back working on the court with our new team! What I look forward to the most at practice is the opportunity to play together, get better, and have fun! We know how quickly we can lose that chance, so I think everyone is really grateful to be back together.

Kate Bilyeu Photo 3

Did you experience any culture shocks when you moved to New England for college?

The love for professional sports and Dunkin Donuts was something I was not used to. In Nebraska, we don't have any professional sports teams so the passion for those was definitely something I wasn't prepared for when I first got here. Also, I am a HUGE Starbucks person, so it took some time to get used to having Dunkin everywhere instead. My first memory of being in New England that I have is of my mom and me walking around the Boston airport and asking the car rental guy for directions to get out of the city. He had the hardest Boston accent I had ever heard to date and when my mom and I walked away we realized we had no idea what he had said because we couldn't get past his accent!

OFF THE COURT WITH KATE

Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite TV show: Criminal Minds
Favorite Movie: Miracle
Favorite Food: Tacos
Favorite Snack: Carrots and Hummus with lots of sriracha
Favorite Musical Artist: Morgan Wallen
Favorite Pump-Up Song: Where Them Girls At - David Guetta
Favorite Phone App: TikTok
Favorite Pro Sports Athlete: Baker Mayfield
Favorite Place on Campus: T-Hall Lawn
What is Your Dream Job: FBI Agent

Q&A WITH PATRICK

What was your time on the U.S. Ski Team like? Where was the coolest place you visited while on the team?

Being on the U.S. Ski Team was a great experience. I was able to work out and train with some of the best in the world. I lived in Park City, Utah during the summers, and lived out of my suitcase from November-April. Although it was quite a grind at times, I was fortunate enough to travel to some amazing places. New Zealand is probably the coolest place I ever traveled to with the team. Some other places I've traveled to for racing are Austria, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Russia, Norway, Canada and Chile.

When did you start skiing? Was it a dream of yours to ski in college and at the international level?

I started skiing when I was two years old on the weekends and I went to a boarding school for ski racing when I was 12, called Burke Mountain Academy. It has always been a goal of mine to race at the international stage; I've dreamed of making the US Team since I was around seven years old.

Are you excited to be back practicing with the team? What do you look forward to when you go to practice?

I am definitely looking forward to practicing with the team on snow. Last year was one of the best seasons we've had in a while and the momentum from last year is still there. When I go to practice, I always love the dynamic we bring on the hill. It is an extremely competitive environment at times, and this environment allows us to push each other every day.

What would you consider your greatest skiing achievement to be?

I would say my greatest skiing achievement is participating in the Junior World Championships in 2016. I was one of six Americans to be able to compete in Sochi, Russia and that was a wild experience for me.

OFF THE SLOPES WITH PATRICK

Favorite Color: Baby Blue
Favorite TV show: Suits
Favorite Movie: Goodfellas
Favorite Food: Rib-eye Steak
Favorite Snack: Chips and Guacamole
Favorite Musical Artist: Luke Combs
Favorite Pump-up Song: Kickstart My Heart
Favorite Phone App: TikTok
Favorite Pro Sports Team: Patriots
Favorite Pro Sports Athlete: Tom Brady
Favorite Place on Campus: The Works
What is Your Dream Job: World-Renown Professional Food Taste-Tester

Check back every Monday to get to know two more Wildcats as part of the Service Credit Union Student-Athlete Spotlight. Thank you to Service Credit Union for sponsoring the Student-Athlete Spotlight.

Previous 2020-21 Student-Athlete Spotlights

Faith Bonett (Women's Basketball) & Angus Crookshank (Men's Ice Hockey)
Ava Boutilier (Women's Hockey) & Aidan Sullivan (XC/Track & Field)
Bloem van den Brekel (Field Hockey) & Jacob Gould (Men's Soccer)

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Recent Results