Alev Kelter was easy to spot during the school year -- all it took was a visit to any turf field or hockey rink around town.
She ran the gridiron at Anchorage Football Stadium for the Chugiak Mustangs' girls flag football team in the fall.
She skated with Chugiak's boys hockey team at Ben Boeke and McDonald Center arenas in the winter.
And she returned to the turf in the spring to score goals for Chugiak's girls soccer team.
"If it's not one sport, it's another," Kelter said.
Whenever the senior suited up in Chugiak's baby blue and black, she dominated. For her athletic prowess, Kelter was voted the 2009 Daily News Girls High School Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive year. The award is determined by a vote of Daily News and other Anchorage sports reporters.
Kelter, 18 and a recent Chugiak graduate, dominated statewide in all three of her sports and achieved national-class status in two of them.
She helped Team USA win its second straight gold medal in January at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Women's U-18 Championship, where she was named the tournament's top defenseman. As captain of the team, Kelter earned the honor by virtue of five goals and eight points in five games, which made her the tournament's leading goal scorer among defensemen.
Kelter has also represented the United States in international soccer. Her most recent stint was in California, where she played at the U.S. Women's U-20 National Soccer Camp.
The camp created a conflict for Kelter, who had to skip the state high school soccer tournament in order to attend the national camp.
"It was a hard predicament," she said. "It was heart-wrenching. But this is why you play high school and club, so you can play at another level and follow your dreams."
Though Chugiak ended up losing the third-place match at the state tournament, Kelter has no regrets before heading off to the University of Wisconsin this fall to play both hockey and soccer.
"This year has been a blast," she said. "There's been ups and downs, but that's what makes you stronger."
Her senior year began on the gridiron as a receiver and defensive back for Chugiak's flag football team. She helped the Mustangs beat Bartlett 13-6 in the Cook Inlet Conference championship game in October.
In November, Kelter suited up for her third straight season with Chugiak's boys hockey team. She scored two goals, provided five assists and 16 penalty minutes in 19 games, was an honorable mention pick on the all-Cook Inlet Conference team and helped Chugiak land a spot in the Class 4A state semifinals, where it lost to Dimond.
This spring she starred on Chugiak's soccer team, helping it finish third in the Cook Inlet Conference regular season and second in the conference tournament. Kelter ended the season ranked second on the team in scoring with 13 goals and five assists.
And while her high school career is finished, her athletic agenda remains busy.
Kelter will head to California with her club team, the Alaska Rush, to play in a tournament later this month.
Next month, though, she says she'll take it easy. She wants to spend some time with her twin sister, Derya, before the two of them head to Wisconsin.
"Or who knows?" Kelter said. "Maybe I'll pick up something else."
By KEVIN KLOTT
kklott@adn.com