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 (Week of April 17, 2013)
Adrienne Baer is a rarity. The Springfield senior is a three-sport athlete, playing field hockey and lacrosse for the high school and club ice hockey in the winter. But that isn’t what makes her so special. Her dedication to helping others is what sets her apart. Baer plans to follow in the footsteps of her mother, Dr. Joan Lit-Baer, an endocrinologist, by becoming a doctor herself. To start her on her way, she will be attending the University of Maryland in the fall where she has been accepted in the Honors Humanities program with a major in neurobiology. But Baer isn’t waiting until after she graduates from medical school to make a difference. She’s already done it. Last year, she started a badminton tournament at Springfield to benefit the American Cancer Society. Baer completely organized the event from start to finish. Choosing the American Cancer Society was an obvious choice to her. “Growing up, I lost an aunt to cancer,” she said. “Both of my grandfathers have different kinds of cancer, and my mother is a breast cancer survivor.” The tournament is in its second year. Last year, it raised $460 and this year it raised $570 with 90 people and 45 teams participating.
Baer has made her mark on the lacrosse field as well. “Adrienne always asks questions to better the understanding of the game for the entire team,” coach Ken Rodoff said. “She’s very intelligent and leader on the field and in school. Her efforts to promote charity are evident in lacrosse as well. Every year, Adrienne is a leader in promoting and raising money for our annual Debbie MacFarland Lacrosse-a-thon, an all day play-day to raise money for the American Cancer Society.”
Baer has enjoyed her athletic endeavors. “Team sports teach you a lot,” she said. “You learn to work together and to communicate, and that translates into learning how to work with other people, and I can’t see any negatives in that.” She will not be competing in sports at the collegiate level and is savoring her finals days competing for her high school. “It’s very bittersweet,” she said. “This is my eighth season of playing a sport here. I love representing the school, and I’m definitely going to miss it next year, but at the same time, I’m so excited about the next phase of my life.”
Baer is ranked 10th in her class, and she is a member of the National Honor Society and the German National Honor Society.
To read Baer’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/adrienne-baer-0033927
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of April 17, 2013)
Mac Emery was born to be a distance runner. The Council Rock North senior’s explanation when asked about the appeal of distance running says it all. “It’s hard to explain perfectly to someone who hasn’t done the sport, but I think the best way I can describe it is just the immense gratification that comes when you work that hard at anything because anyone can relate to the satisfaction you get after putting effort into anything,” Emery said. “It’s a sport that’s focused on that feeling. It’s all about sacrifice and reward, and for people who like that sort of feeling, it’s appealing. It kind of sounds crazy to a lot of people, but people who start the sport and stick with it for a bit find themselves getting sucked in.” Emery admits he got ‘sucked in’ from the outset. A soccer player for most of his growing up years, he went out for track in middle school, competing in the distance runs. It was a natural fit. When it came time to decide between soccer and cross country in ninth grade, Emery chose cross county.
To say it’s worked out well would be an understatement. Emery, a first team all-league selection, was part of the Indians’ cross country squad that was the district runner-up last fall and finished third at the state meet. “He’s one of the best middle distance runners to come through our program,” said coach Dave Marrington, who coaches Emery in both cross country and track. “He has a very good attitude, and he works hard. He has a good sense of humor – he’s very quick witted. Mac’s the kind of guy that never complains, that just comes to practice every day and works hard.”
Emery is part of Rock North’s distance medley relay that finished second at indoor states this winter. He also was part of the 4xmile relay that crushed the school’s record at the New Balance Indoor Nationals. Last year he qualified for states in the 3,200-meter run. As a sophomore, he was part of Rock North’s DMR that competed in the Penn Relays. Emery will have one final trip to the Penn Relays this week with the Indians’ distance medley relay.
For the past four years – 12 seasons total, Emery has competed in cross country, winter track and spring track. He plans to do the same at Dartmouth, and the senior captain, who organized his cross country team’s annual camping trip, would not have wanted to miss the experience. “It’s been the definition of my last four years really,” he said. “It’s molded me into who I am. You can’t understate the effect it’s had on me.”
Emery, whose course load includes all honors and AP classes, also excels in the classroom, and the senior captain will be taking his talents to Dartmouth College this fall.
To view Emery’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/mac-emery-0033924
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