Univest Featured Athletes (Wk. 10-17-18)

SuburbanOneSports.com recognizes a male and female featured athlete each week. The awards, sponsored by Univest, are given to seniors of good character who are students in good standing that have made significant contributions to their teams. Selections are based on nominations received from coaches, athletic directors and administrators.

Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Female Athlete for week of Oct. 17, 2018

Nikki Jackson’s interests are nothing if not diverse. Looking for a job? Consider asking the Council Rock South senior to see the 3-D animated video she and several friends created that won first prize in the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) state competition last spring. If it sounds as though Jackson would have her sights set on a career in business, guess again. Jackson’s list of possible majors covers the gamut. It includes business but also education, political science, economics and pre-med.

Jackson’s versatility extends well beyond her career interests. A unanimous choice to serve as a senior captain of the varsity field hockey team, she has played just about every position on the field except goalie during her career. “She literally could play anywhere – I could put her anywhere, and she could play it,” coach Heather Whalin said. “She could go to college and be that utility player because she sees the game, and she understands it, which is nice. Nikki doesn’t see herself as that next level player because she doesn’t realize how good she is.” The Indians’ coach can’t talk about her senior captain without talking about Jackson’s genuine humility. Her resume – shared by her coach, not Jackson – is certainly more than brag-worthy, and field hockey is just one small piece, albeit an important piece.

Field hockey, it turns out, is a passion that Jackson shared with her late grandfather John Devlin, better known as J-Pa and the undisputed biggest fan of Rock North field hockey. “He was just an amazing guy – you were just happy to be around him,” Whalin said. “Grams comes to every game, and she is like, ‘He’s watching up there,’ and I know he is.” J-Pa lost his battle with cancer in March of 2018. To ensure that his legacy would live on, the Team J-Pa Scholarship Memorial Foundation was established. Jackson is the co-director for a memorial fund that has raised $80,000 to date. She has organized t-shirt sales and fundraisers, and the team has initiated a Goals for J-Pa with contributions made for goals scored, shutouts, etc.  “He really valued education and giving back to others, so he would always give back – if he could give everything away, he would have,” Jackson said of her grandfather. “We were like – ‘How do we encompass those two things, giving back and his love for education.’ We said, ‘We should create a scholarship for him,’ so we did. I know he would love it if he were here.”

Coming as no surprise, Jackson, a member of the National Honor Society, excels in the classroom where she takes honors and AP classes, boasts a 4.35 GPA and is on the Distinguished Honor Roll. She is the treasurer of her school’s FBLA club and is also the regional secretary. Jackson is also involved in SHARE (Students Helping Area Residents Effectively), volunteering her time over the course of the school year to the community. She is also involved in LINCS (Learning in Neighborhood Community Service). She is a Council Rock North School Ambassador and mentors new students, and she is captain of the Ski and Snowboarding Club. “There are some kids that can give you their whole resume, but Nikki is like – my team’s awesome,” Whalin said. “You’re like, ‘But what about you,’ and she’s still talking about the team. That’s who she is.”

To read Jackson’s complete profile, please click on the following link:

http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/nikki-jackson-0081086

 

 

Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete for week of Oct. 17, 2018

To know everything you need to know about the head on Evan O’Donnell’s shoulders, as well as the humility that comes with it, ask him about his junior year football season. You see, O’Donnell, the senior quarterback at Central Bucks East, set just about every passing record possible last season (nine of them in total). Touchdowns, passing yards, completion percentage, you name it, O’Donnell probably broke it. But as the Patriots strive toward a possible district playoff berth and hopefully their first postseason win since 2005, O’Donnell has no interest in talking about all of his individual accolades. No, he wants to talk turnovers. “I threw eight interceptions junior year,” he said. “I know I broke school passing records and all of that, but what mattered to me was the turnovers and me not taking care of the ball. Sometimes you have to throw the ball away, or make a play with your feet to gain a few yards; but you can’t take sacks and you can’t turn the ball over, and that’s what I focused on. I don’t know everything, but I know the little things matter. Knowing I can make throws, that’s great, but knowing I can make a play in a time we need one is even greater.”

Humble and star quarterback don’t always go hand-in-hand, but O’Donnell credits his parents with raising him to be grounded and to be a leader on and off the football field. He didn’t want to talk much about his own success until after he credited his teammates for helping him do the yeoman job he’s done in his third season as East’s starting signal caller. Although O’Donnell’s numbers may be below the 1,724 passing yards and 25 touchdowns of a year ago, none of that matters with his team knocking on the postseason’s door. “Evan said during the offseason that he would trade in his stats for more victories,” East coach John Donnelly said. “The stats might not be as high as they were, but if we’re winning, then we’re playing better football, and the individual stats will take care of themselves. It says a lot about Evan’s character, and he knows how to keep things in perspective. He’s our leader on and off the field, and he does a fantastic job in the way he carries himself.”

O’Donnell isn’t 100 percent sure if he’ll be playing football next fall. He’s considering Division III programs with sterling academic reputations. He also has interest in latching on to a major Division I program as a manager or a similar role. Either way, O’Donnell knows football is too deeply ingrained in the fabric of who he is to walk away from it yet. An exemplary student, he is taking a full course load of honors and AP classes. When he’s not hitting the books or being the school’s star quarterback, O’Donnell is involved with his church as well as East’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes. His faith, he said, is another important face of his personality that keeps him so grounded and humble.

To read O’Donnell’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/evan-odonnell-0081084

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