Abbey Leonardi, a junior at Kennebunk High and three-time Class A cross country state champion, was named October Athlete of the Month by the National High School Coaches Association.

Leonardi accepted the award at a school-wide assembly Tuesday morning in Kennebunk that included principal Pete Dawson, athletic director Thor Nilsen, cross country coach Mike Dinehart, NHSCA director of operations Jaime Ferraro and approximately 700 Kennebunk High students and faculty members.

Six athletes from across the nation had been nominated for the award, including a swimmer from Arizona, a football player from Oklahoma, a soccer player from Oregon, a touchdown player from Alabama and a golfer from Illinois. More than 6,000 high school sports editors and writers voted, and Leonardi wound up winning.

Ferraro said Leonardi will be recognized in the first High School Hall of Fame Museum, planned to be built in Easton, Pa., in the fall of 2013.