Posted: Jun 11, 2025

Marian's Shannon Kennedy '21 inducted into CHSL Athletic Hall of Fame

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. - From her first swing as a 5-year-old to the national collegiate stage, Shannon Kennedy ’21 has always played with heart, focus, and fearlessness. Her induction into the 2025 Catholic High School League (CHSL) Athletic Hall of Fame honors not only her decorated high school career, but the trail she continued to blaze as a student-athlete at Michigan State University.

As a Marian Mustang, Kennedy burst onto the scene by winning the 2017 MHSAA Division 2 State Championship as a freshman, later claiming back-to-back Division 3 titles in 2019 and 2020. A three-time individual state champion and a three-peat CHSL champion, she was named to the MHSAA Super Team three times and was honored as the 2020 Michigan Miss Golf. That same year, she became the first Marian golfer to win the CHSL Bishop Division title since 2011. Moreover, Kennedy was honored by the CHSL in 2021 as the Walt Bazylewicz Female Athlete of the Year.

With a calm demeanor on the course and fierce competitive drive, Kennedy also shattered the women’s course record at Detroit Golf Club, firing a 3-under-par 65. Her game combined technical precision, mental resilience, and a relentless pursuit of excellence—earning her comparisons to CHSL alum and World Golf Hall of Famer Meg Mallon.

Off the course, Kennedy made her mark as captain of 2021 Varsity Basketball team, known for her 3-point shooting and toughness—proof of her versatile athleticism and team-first attitude. She won Basketball Coaches Association “Best of the Best” in 2021, was named “one of the 5 greatest athletes from Bloomfield Hills Marian since 2000” by MLive, and was named Detroit Free Press 2nd Team All-State.

A Michigan State graduate, Kennedy is a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, a Women’s Golf Coaches Association All-American Scholar, and a consistent presence in MSU’s tournament lineup. She has recorded multiple top-25 finishes, fired a collegiate-low round of 68, and posted a career-best 54-hole score of 211 (-2) at the 2023 Cougar Classic.

Her biggest win yet came in summer 2024 when she captured the title at the 109th Michigan Women’s Amateur Championship. Battling through two rounds of stroke play and five grueling match-play rounds at Plum Hollow Country Club, Kennedy clinched the championship by winning the final two holes in a dramatic back-and-forth final match. The emotional victory—celebrated with her father, who served as her caddie—earned her automatic entry into the U.S. Women’s Amateur, where she will represent both Michigan State and her home state on the national stage.

Kennedy’s rise is a testament to her relentless work ethic, year-round discipline, and unwavering passion for the game. Marian High School is proud to honor her legacy and celebrate her well-earned place in the CHSL Hall of Fame.