Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Balance of sports beneficial for Dixon
The Prep Rally: Best in the West series will highlight the all-time best players in western Arkansas as selected by the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
McKenzie Dixon said she never had to hurdle or simply jump over an opposing player while she was on the soccer field, but she probably could have if she needed to do it.
The former Bentonville standout performed a balancing act her entire career as she gave track and soccer equal billing each spring, even though it was the latter where she
received the most attention and accolades.
“Honestly, a major part of that was the coaching staff working together and being on the same page of what was expected and what practice I was going to be at,” Dixon said. “They made it a world of difference with just their willingness to work together.
“For the time Brittani Reagan was there, I remember so many mornings getting up at 6 and go to track practice. That afternoon, we would go to soccer practice together, and sometimes we would practice handoffs just before soccer practice. We would already be warmed up.”
Dixon’s balance couldn’t have been displayed more prominently than at the close of her high school career, in what she calls one of her favorite memories. She competed in the 100-meter hurdles and the triple jump during the 2015 Class 7A state track meet at Fayetteville Ramay Junior High, and she stayed until the very end to see Bentonville win the state title by a half-point over Cabot.
She then raced over to Harmon Field and changed uniforms in the bathroom in order to join Bentonville’s soccer team for the final regular-season game against Fayetteville. Dixon then scored 37 seconds after Fayetteville had tied the match and completed the Lady Tigers’ perfect run through 7A-West Conference play with a 3-1 victory.
“Kudos to her,” former Bentonville girls soccer coach Kristina Henry said of Dixon. “She was going to do whatever it took to make it work, and she would do it with a smile on her face. She never complained about doing the work.
“She was such a dangerous player that way. You look at her as an athlete, and the explosiveness of her track events helped make her a better attacking player. She had gears. She would explode past players and they couldn’t catch her. She could get through a defense and never look back.”
Her job on the soccer field was a simple one — score as many goals as possible, and as fast as needed. She did just that as she set the school record with 113 career goals, including 42 her senior season along with 19 assists, and it led to her being named the Gatorade player of the year in Arkansas for two straight years.
She also had a sense for scoring the clutch goals. Dixon was a freshman when she scored the only goal in Bentonville’s 1-0 victory over Conway for the 2012 Class 7A state championship, then she scored the game-winning goal in a 3-2 victory over Bryant in the 2014 title match — just moments after she had tried unsuccessfully to be taken out of the match for a quick breather.
“Against Conway, I was shook — a little baby, and I had no idea what I was doing,” Dixon said. “I was just trying to do what was expected. I didn’t think that goal was going to go in, but it did and totally changed the game.
“Those memories are my favorites. Those are good coaching points when they know they can get more out of you than you think you can get out of yourself and they have full faith and trust in you.”