Athlete returns to coach at Fossil Ridge, support mom through cancer battle

As a goalkeeper for Boswell girls soccer guided by coach Michael Epley, McKenna Leveling warded off a lot of shots on goal in her high school career.

Now, she’s back on the girls soccer scene fighting for wins, but also spending time helping her mom fight off something more important than the game – cancer. Leveling has also reunited with Epley as his assistant coach at Keller Fossil Ridge, and helped power the team to a playoff appearance.

“My mom is my world and my best friend. When she called and told me she had breast cancer, I immediately knew I needed to step up and be there for her,” Leveling said. “As much as I love her, she is also very hard-headed, so sometimes it was my job to make sure she actually rested.”

Leveling recalled one particular time after they returned from a chemotherapy appointment. Instead of resting, her mom decided it was the perfect time to power wash the porch.

“I literally had to take the power washer out of her hands and tell her to go sit down while I finished it myself,” Leveling said. “If I hadn’t been there, she probably would have done it all on her own.

“That’s just who she is: strong, determined, and unwilling to give up. She refused to let cancer define her or slow her down.”

Leveling said her mother is doing much better now and will have a final scan in July to confirm that she is cancer-free.

“Hearing the news that she is completely cancer-free will mean everything to me,” Leveling said. “My biggest fear in the world is losing my mom, and for a while there was a lot of uncertainty about what the future would look like.”

After Boswell

During her time as a player from 2018-20, Leveling was a first-team all-district pick, was Goalkeeper of the Year and a team captain. She went to play at NCAA Division-II East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, where she was a Great American Conference scholar-athlete, earned multiple GAC Player of the Week honors, received All-GAC honorable mention, and was named ECU’s Strength and Conditioning Athlete of the Year as well as Defensive Player of the Year.

She also served as the president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.

In addition, she competed in track and field from 2022–2024, throwing shot put and discus for ECU.

She earned a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education with minors in Hospitality, Human Development, and Food Science. She graduated in December 2025 with a master’s degree in Sports Administration, also from ECU.

While in Oklahoma, she taught sixth-grade reading at Byng Elementary School. She did not coach there because the school does not have a soccer program.

“Byng Elementary was a wonderful first school to begin my teaching career,” she said. “The administration, teachers, and staff were some of the best people I could have worked with. We were all very sad when it was time for me to leave, but they fully supported my decision to return home and help my mom.”

At Fossil Ridge, she teaches English III and SOAR, a credit-recovery program that helps students stay on track for graduation.

A reunion with Epley

Leveling said she told Epley during her junior year at Boswell that she wanted to be his assistant coach one day.

“I know I’m not the only former player who would love the opportunity to come back and coach with him, and I think that says a lot about the kind of person he is,” she said. “I remember on my 21st birthday, he drove three hours to watch me play at ECU and brought me his famous homemade cookies. That’s just the kind of coach he is.”

She said Epley values her ideas and experiences as well as her coaching talents.

“While I was completing my master’s internship hours, he allowed me to lead practices and gain valuable coaching experience, which helped me grow a lot,” she said.

“I told her back then that if I was in any position to hire her when she graduated, I would. She was a leader on the field from the time I met her,” Epley said. “Stepping into a coaching position was a natural fit for her. It means a lot to me that she trusted me as a coach, and she has been vital to the team’s success.”

Leveling is primarily a varsity assistant, but also helps with the junior varsity, particularly with the goalkeepers. She is also the head coach for the team at Fossil Hill Middle School.

Nothing like family

“I knew when she was in high school how important her family was to her. Her parents never missed a game that I am aware of,” Epley said. “Even in college, I went to watch her play, and her parents were there. All the way in another state, they weren’t missing a game if they could be there. They still come to games to support us, and especially her.

“When she told me she was planning to come home to help her family, I was not surprised.”

However, Leveling said she doesn’t see herself as an inspiration for putting her family first.

“I simply believe it was my responsibility and privilege as her daughter,” she said. “My mom has spent countless hours taking care of me when I was sick, driving me to practices and games, and supporting every extracurricular activity I was involved in. She drove all over the state to watch me play club soccer, high school soccer, and college soccer, never missing an opportunity to cheer me on.

“The amount of love, sacrifice, and care she has given me and my sisters over the years is something I could never fully repay.”

Her mom and dad still come to all of her soccer games to watch her coach.

This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 6:00 AM.