Sacred Heart Academy has been recognized as the #1 BEST SCHOOL FOR ATHLETES IN KENTUCKY for 2023 by Niche. SHA was also ranked Best All-Girls High School in Kentucky this year.
It is a great honor to be ranked #1 in Kentucky and #13 in the nation among coed, all-boys, and all-girls schools. This is a special distinction, especially in a year when we celebrate 50 years of Title IX opening doors for female athletes. From Sacred Heart’s first state championship in 1963 to the five achieved last school year alone, our student-athletes have demonstrated grit, perseverance, teamwork, sportsmanship, and tradition – they are true Valkyries – strong women of great faith.
SHA is on track for all-time high participation numbers for athletics. With over 51% (377 of 748) of students playing fall and winter sports, participation should reach around 550 (almost 75%) once spring sports begin.
In the last five years, including a year with canceled sports due to Covid-19, SHA won 21 state championship titles with 124 student-athletes committed to continuing to play their sport at the collegiate level. We surpassed the 100-title mark last year and currently stand at 103 and counting. The school also boasts four Olympic athletes and countless coaches across the country.
But athletics is about more than trophies and numbers at SHA. Every SHA athlete knows it’s not just 15 sports but one team. And that one family of students, faculty, staff, and parents stands behind them in support. Students who don’t participate in one of our 15 sports can also take part in club and intramural sports from beach volleyball and flag football to pickleball.
Each athlete also knows she will be empowered, encouraged, and supported to succeed in the classroom as on the field, court, course, or pool. Our student-athletes regularly make the principal’s list and honor roll, service honor roll, National Honor Society, Beta Club, and more. They are IB diploma candidates, National Merit honorees, club leaders, student ambassadors, and Frazier Fellows. They’re in the stands cheering for their friends when they're not in season.
With an athletic director as dedicated and compassionate as Donna Moir, it’s not surprising that the program enjoys so much success. From the top-notch coaches she attracts to how she values each player and her family, Moir has built a program that is admired and modeled.
Moir said, “When you have the winning tradition we have, people are always coming after you. Our coaches and athletes know they are the team to beat every time they compete. Our girls take much pride in that. And win or lose in the end, they gain so much from being part of our program.”
Learn more about SHA’s athletic program here.
See more Niche rankings at https://www.niche.com/k12/sacred-heart-academy-louisville-ky/rankings/.