Thanks to our continued partnership with Univest Financial, SuburbanOneSports.com is once again recognizing a male and female featured athlete each week. The recognition is given to seniors of high character who are students in good standing that have made significant contributions to their teams or who have overcome adversity. Selections are based on nominations received from coaches, athletic directors and administrators.
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Female Athlete (Week of Nov. 7, 2024)
A collegiate track and field athlete, Jahneya Mitchell was taking a figurative leap of faith by coming out of her comfort zone and accepting the challenge to coach field hockey, a sport she previously knew little to nothing about. The team she took over at Cheltenham High School was led by a group of seniors, specifically midfielder Addison “Addie” Lee, who was eager to help make the transition a smooth one. “This was my first year coaching this actual sport,” said Mitchell. “She was basically like an assistant coach. She had great spirit throughout the whole season. It really meant a lot to me. I know how I was an athlete, and I know that I had coaches that inspired me to want to do coaching and mentor girls and be there for them. She showed me a little bit of me in her, just wanting the best and having heart and courage.”
From Lee’s perspective, it was a now-or-never scenario, not only for herself but also for the other seniors. “Throughout my years, we had three coaches,” she said. “There was a lot of transition, which is pretty tough. Our preseason is something that really matters. After that, we jump right in and have game after game. This year, we didn’t know what was happening until right before preseason. (Mitchell) was new. We didn’t really know what to expect. She was very open and eager to learn and to know things. She was a big part in making the season happen. “
While there was no worst-to-first Hollywood ending, the recently completed season saw the team turn a corner. The Panthers were more competitive, and they even came out on the positive end of a few of those final tallies. This included a win on Senior Night against Interboro, which Lee will now tuck away in her memory banks. “We put up a fight against a lot of the teams that we didn’t do well against in the past,” she said. “I feel like we put a lot of hard work into this year, so winning that game, especially with the girls that I had been playing with since freshman year, just felt really good. We had a lot of supporters there. It was fun to see the whole crowd and all the people that I had been playing with enjoy what was a monumental moment.”
Lee, whose favorite all-time athlete is Olympic gymnast Suni Lee, parlayed her own background in gymnastics into diving for Cheltenham swim team as a freshman. She holds a school record and is hoping making a bigger splash this year. Lee credits diving coach Sam Henninger for helping her overcome her own worst enemy – herself. “Diving is a very mental sport,” said Lee. “He has had to work with me through a lot of different struggles. He is very encouraging. This is my third diving coach throughout my years. He has been able to help each one of us individually. He is very supportive.”
Henninger, who previously coached Lee at the club level, most admires her work ethic and determination. “One thing that I work hard on developing with my divers is strong communication, and specifically with Addison and working with her in a high school setting, she is able to come to me,” he said. As was the case with Mitchell on the field hockey team, Lee also helped serve as a go-between for Henninger in his first year coaching. “She really helped me to gain confidence in my coaching ability and helped make my transition into high school diving a lot easier,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lee has also helped out with some events as a swimmer. This season, she hopes to make more of an impact in that area. Also, a captain of the swim team, Lee knows it is a matter of putting in the extra work. “When the season actually starts, I’ll probably dive and then swim more each day after diving practice,” she said.
In the spring, Lee plays lacrosse, and there are barely enough hours in the day for a student-athlete with an AP/honors course load and a weighted GPA close to the 5.0 range. She is in the National Honor Society and serves as president of the Spanish National Honor Society, and she also spends time tutoring other students. While she still is the process of making her college decision, Lee is eyeing a career in medicine. Lee’s father, John, is a cardiologist. Her mother, Susie, is a nurse practitioner. “I love biology, and I love chemistry – it’s all just super interesting to me,” she said. “I always looked up to my parents, so it was what I wanted to do.”
To read Lee’s complete story, please click on the following link: https://suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/addison-lee-00115801
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Nov. 7, 2024).
Ed Brnardic admits his technique for choosing captains in this – his first season at the helm of the Central Bucks South boys’ soccer team - might be considered a bit unorthodox. “I told them – ‘I’m not picking a captain until I see how you guys react when our backs are up against the wall,’” the Titans’ coach said. Patrick VanLuvanee made his decision an easy one. Brnardic saw all he needed to see from his senior goalkeeper in his team’s third game of the season – a non-league road game at Downingtown West.
“We had a penalty kick called on us early, and they scored, and for the first time this year, we were losing at halftime,” Brnardic said. “Pat never put blame on anyone for giving up the penalty. At halftime, he was just cheering everybody up, and we came back, and we won the game. After that game, I said, ‘We have our captain,’ and it was Pat for the way he reacted.”
Brnardic probably shouldn’t have been surprised by VanLuvanee’s reaction in a tough spot. The first-year coach got a glimpse of his senior goalie through the eyes of his players when – on a survey from Brnardic at the beginning of the season – they were asked who they looked up to on the team. “That was done in August - he was number one on everybody’s list,” Brnardic said.
It would be easy to credit VanLuvanee’s selection as captain to his immense talent. The South senior is an elite level goalie with six years on the MLS Next Academy circuit with the New York Red Bulls on his resume. But there’s a whole lot more to it than that. “I’ve said to his parents once – ‘It’s actually a shame he’s that good of a soccer player because then people overlook what a great person he is,’” Brnardic said. “Everybody constantly keeps talking about what a great goalie, what a great goalie, and I say, ‘Wait until you meet the kid. The kid is even better as a person than he is on the field.’” High praise indeed for a player who has his sights set on one day playing a sport he loves on the professional level.
After stepping away from the academy circuit, VanLuvanee joined South’s soccer team as a junior and made an immediate impact. “His demeanor – he’s so calm,” Brnardic said. “Making saves is what you expect out of a goalie, but when he does it, he becomes a giant. He’s already big in stature (6-1), but I’ve never seen anybody continue to grow when ready to stop a shot – he looks like Superman when it’s his turn to come up and make a play. He just looks like he’s become six inches taller and four feet wider. But what really separates him from other goalies is his field play. Pat used to be a field player growing up as a kid, and it really shows because we treated him like any field player. We passed back to him all the time. He’s able to use both feet, and he’s able to dictate the play really, really well. He was our quarterback in the back, so he started all the plays like a normal field player – a sweeper keeper.”
VanLuvanee’s high school career came to an end when South lost a heartbreaker in penalty kicks to Northeast in the opening round of the PIAA 4A State Tournament. But it was another successful season for the Titans, who this fall captured the SOL Colonial Division title and finished third in District 1. “It’s incredible how fast this season has gone because since the end of last year – you’re really looking forward to the preseason with the guys and getting started with the season,” VanLuvanee said. “We put in a lot of work to make ourselves better. With this being the last year, it was really special to be able to work with these guys.”
A strong student, VanLuvanee takes his academics seriously with a courseload that includes several honors classes. Next fall, he plans to play soccer at the collegiate level and major in sports medicine with one day having a career as an athletic trainer or in the physical therapy field. "Playing pro is not off the table," he said. "I'm looking at a few colleges, and that's my current pathway. Typically, after a goalkeeper comes out of college, he'll look to go professional, whatever it might be."
To read VanLuvanee’s complete story, please click on the following link: https://suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/patrick-vanluvanee-00115804
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