PSU lost one of our own last week with the passing of alumni Kristin “Krit” Kearins. Kearins, graduate of the class of 2004, died on Tues., Sept. 19 at Mass General Hospital in Boston of head injuries due to a bicycling accident.
Kearins was on her way to meet a friend on Fri. Sept. 12, when the accident occurred. It is possible that her tires slipped as she was cycling over the Charles Dam River Bridge and she hit the bridge railing as she fell. Kearins was on life support for six days before passing away.
Kearins, who led her swim team to their first state title at Andover High School, was a passionate athlete. She also participated in swimming and diving at PSU, creating new records in diving for both the one and three meter events.
“Krit came to Plymouth with a good background in diving. She did not have any experience on the high board (3 meter), so began that experience at PSU. She always worked hard to improve on her skills. She was also anxious to learn new and more difficult dives. By the time she reached her junior year, Krit was performing the hardest group of dives of anyone at the Championships on the 1- meter board,” said PSU Women’s Swimming and Diving coach Al Switzer.
“Energetic and fun loving, Krit was a wonderful teammate. Always willing to help her diving teammates, she was also very eager to accept coaching and to take comments from her teammates. Krit loved the sport and gave so much back to it,” added Switzer.
After graduating, she continued to coach swimming and diving at Central Catholic High School and Indian Ridge Country Club. Along with her passion for swimming and diving, Kearins enjoyed cycling, snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing.
In her academic career, Kearins majored in Early Childhood Education. This led to a job at Children’s Hospital in Boston. There she worked as a nurse’s assistant while attending Bunker Hill Community College to work towards a nursing degree.
At only 26 years old, Kearins was the youngest of four children, succeeded by sisters Mia and Kasie and brother Billy as well as mother Pam (Kearins) Sheehy.
It is clear from the numerous postings on her Facebook wall that Kearins was well loved. Friends and colleagues alike have stopped to post goodbye notes at the social networking site.
In an Eagle-Tribune article, Kearins brother commented on her perpetual good nature and smile, “It didn’t matter if she was angry, sad, happy, or scared, she managed to put on a smile for almost any occasion, which really made her so special to be around.”
In memory of Kearins, the Krit Kearins Memorial Scholarship Fund has been set up for graduating Andover High School seniors who are involved in gymnastics or swimming and diving. Donations may be sent to the Krit Kearins Memorial Fund, c/o TD Banknorth, 61 Main St., Andover, MA 01810.