LYNNFIELD — While she still has one more year at Lynnfield High, Kaylee Barrett already knows where she’ll be heading in the fall of 2027.

The rising junior — a girls soccer and track captain — will be heading to Colby College in Maine, where she plans to play soccer.

Barrett said she considered a handful of NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) schools, including Trinity, as well as Stonehill College before deciding on Colby.

“With Colby, the people and coaches really sold me. They were some of the nicest and most welcoming people I’ve ever met,” she said. “The program will be really competitive with new coaches the last two years and I loved the attitude I saw when I attended the ID camp. Everyone is working together to do better and they have a beautiful new athletic center with a sick weight room, which really appealed to me. I believe it is the school for me.”

A starter since freshman year, Barrett had a breakout season as a junior. She finished the season with 15 goals and 15 assists, helping the Pioneers advance to the Sweet 16 of the Div. 3 tournament. She stands at 32 goals and 26 assists with one season to go.

Barrett collected a boatload of postseason honors. She was named to the Cape Ann League First Team All-Star team, the Daily Item All-Star team, and the Eastern Mass Second Team All-Star team.

Pioneers’ coach Mark Vermont described Barrett as a “dynamic” player and game changer.

“She has tremendous foot skills and an ability to take over a game, either from the outside or from the center of the field,” he said. “She’s an extremely hard worker both in school and on the soccer field. She is a leader. Her ability to beat players and create scoring chances for herself or her teammates has been special to watch.”

This past spring, Barrett also had a breakout year on the girls outdoor track and field team, earning CAL All-Star honors in the 800m. She anchored the 4x400m relay team (with Madison Minniear, Aislin McCormack, and Sofia Giardina), running the final leg in a blazing 1:01.61 (4:17.23). She also anchored the Swedish 100-200-300-400 relay at the Weston Twilight Invitational (with Minniear, Giardina, and Emma Leaf), leading the team to a fourth-place finish and school record (2:29.84). In the 800m, she placed third in the CAL championship meet (2:26.02) and ninth in the Div. 5 championship meet with a personal best 2:25.09.

Barrett also excels in the classroom. The National Honor Society member will finish her Lynnfield High career having taken advanced placement courses in statistics, U.S. history, English, biology, calculus, literature, Spanish, and psychology. A class representative for the Class of 2027, Barrett said she is undecided about a major at Colby, but it will likely be “something in math or science.”

At Colby, the up-and-coming Mules have turned a corner in a big way, having made their first-ever appearances in the NCAA women’s Div. 3 tournament (2024 and 2025).

For now, Barrett is playing summer league twice a week and attending team workout sessions three times a week. She lifts every day and helps coordinate captains’ practices.

Vermont said he can’t wait to see what Barrett and the Pioneers will do this fall.

“Kaylee is a leader for us and there is a reason why she’s a captain this year,” Vermont said. “She is such an important part of our program and I’m excited to see what she and the team can do this year. She’s a weapon for us and I’m excited to see her play one more year.”

Barrett is also optimistic about the fall season, saying it’s going to be “our strongest season yet.

“Everyone is so excited and super motivated — far more than I’ve ever seen in my three years,” she said. “The interest has been incredible and everyone is really into it. Attendance at summer workouts and games has been excellent. Everyone wants to be on board in part because I think everyone knows how important this last year is. I definitely feel a state title is possible if everyone focuses and gives it all they have, but we’ll take it one game at a time.”