Camryn McKee has logged 1,436 minutes as a junior midfielder for Coastal Carolina University, helping transform a program that finished 3-5-8 last season.

The 2024 Marvin Ridge graduate and NCHSAA 4A women's soccer state champion has emerged as a key leader for the Chanticleers under first-year head coach Pete Cuadrado, The Enquirer Journal reported Monday, Oct. 26.

McKee told the Enquirer Journal that Cuadrado and assistant coaches Rex Carrell and Olivia Stutzman have built a stronger team culture after bringing in 17 new players. She said a successful summer season with her club team in Charlotte gave her confidence heading into the fall.

"I focused a lot on that over the summer," McKee told the paper. "That helped me mentally to come back in with a brand new team and brand new coaches who haven't been in the Sun Belt Conference before."

Cuadrado told the Enquirer Journal he noticed McKee's vision and ball-handling ability once fall training began. He described her as someone who organizes the team and keeps players in the right positions on the field.

Her stat line reads one goal and two assists. But her 1,436 minutes on the pitch tell a fuller story. McKee has started consistently for a Chanticleers team that, as of the Enquirer Journal's Oct. 26 report, stood at 8-7-2, a significant jump from last year's 3-5-8 finish.

That record may have already shifted before the Enquirer Journal published its story. Coastal Carolina fell 2-0 to Old Dominion on Sunday, Oct. 25, according to ODU's athletics site, which listed the Chanticleers at 8-7-3 overall and 2-5-2 in Sun Belt play after the loss.

Even with the recent results, the improvement from a year ago is clear.

Before arriving in Conway, S.C., McKee helped Marvin Ridge claim the 2024 NCHSAA 4A women's soccer championship with a 2-1 win over Ashley on May 31, 2024. She recorded an assist on Lucy Chin's goal in the 38th minute of that title match, according to WBTV. The win gave the Mavericks their second state championship in program history.

McKee told the Enquirer Journal she experienced the Sun Belt Conference Championship tournament as a freshman and wants to return. The tournament winner earns an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Coastal Carolina's regular-season schedule is winding down, with the Sun Belt Conference tournament ahead. McKee said the team is taking it game by game, focused on what each match means for a conference tournament berth.