PURCHASE, N.Y. - Kelly Hayes '19 is a Purchase College star.

Whether is was on the softball field, in the classroom or off campus in the community, Hayes (Staten Island, NY) made her presence known and left behind a legacy. 

She started her journey in the Fall 2015 semester as a freshman, before taking the field for the first time in Spring 2016. Immediately, Hayes had an impact on the softball team, as she led the Panthers in nearly every hitting category, such as batting average (.457), hits (42), doubles (13), triples (4), home runs (2), RBIs (30) and runs (32).

With Hayes leading the offensive charge, Purchase improved from a 10-14 record the previous season to a program-best mark of 19-12. The Panthers also earned their first trip to the Skyline Conference Playoffs in eight seasons as the No. 6 seed. 

For her efforts as a freshman, Hayes was named the Skyline Conference Softball Rookie of the Year and earned a place on the All-Skyline Conference Second Team.

Over the next three seasons, Kelly remained the most feared hitter on the Panthers, as she batted at least .311 with 23 hits and 15 RBIs each year. For her career, Hayes collected 124 hits and became just the third Panther to reach the century mark in the program's Skyline Conference history.

Over her entire four-year tenure, Hayes finished with a .367 batting average, five home runs, 35 doubles, 12 triples, 85 RBIs and 82 runs scored. Following her senior season, the Staten Island native was named to the All-Skyline Conference First Team for the first time.

Hayes also earned another distinction as a senior – the 2019 SUNY Chancellor's Scholar-Athlete Award for Softball. The award recognizes students who have combined academic excellence and outstanding athletic achievement at the Division I, Division III and NJCAA levels at SUNY schools. 

That certainly represented Hayes, who graduated with a 4.09 GPA as a double major and had the highest grade of any female student-athlete at Purchase that year. 

In addition to Kelly's dominance on the field of play and in the classroom, she excelled outside of the traditional college environment in the community. In the summer of 2017, Hayes and two former softball players were tasked by the Beyond Sports Foundation to help bring the game of softball and mentor youth in South Africa. 

Then in December 2018, Hayes won the Second Annual Purchase College Shark Tank Competition, thanks to her idea to cut down on food waste by using an app to help come up with recipes for the items you've bought.

As a result, there can be no doubt that Kelly Hayes left behind a major legacy at Purchase College. Whether it was on the field, in the classroom or in the community, Hayes made Purchase College better. 

And that, is why she remains a star to this day.