Thanks to our continued partnership with Univest Financial, SuburbanOneSports.com will once again recognize 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 March 29, 2023)
Coaches are reluctant to talk about their favorites. Understandable, for sure, but when it comes to players he’s enjoyed coaching, John Gallagher has no qualms acknowledging that Neshaminy senior Taylor Gurysh falls into that category. “Taylor is one of my favorite players to coach because she gives and receives feedback on a regular basis,” said Gallagher, who took over the helm of the Neshaminy program from Joe Lalli last year. “Taylor listens to the feedback and finds ways to make meaningful improvements because she always wants to grow and get better. And when the feedback is negative, she is highly self-aware and does not take things personally.” So valued was Gurysh’s feedback that Gallagher can list multiple examples of the coaches entering the halftime locker room and asking the senior captain – who will continue her basketball career at Kutztown University - what she was seeing on the court that they might be missing. “Her feedback is typically insightful and leads to excellent communication among the players and coaches with an exchange of ideas beneficial to the outcome of our games,” Gallagher said.
The Redskins’ coach had an idea he might be relying on Gurysh after his first meeting with the players to introduce himself and the coaching staff in June 2021. “I was looking to learn the nuances and traditions the program had because I wanted to maintain those traditions,” he said. “The more insight I sought, the more helpful Taylor was at recognizing what I was looking for. That day set the precedent to who I was going to lean on to help smooth the transition from coach Lalli to the new staff.” It was hardly unexpected that Gurysh stood out in a crowd. After all, she had been a team captain since her sophomore year, finishing her career with the rare distinction of being a three-year captain. She was an undisputed leader of this winter’s SOL Patriot Division championship squad. “As Taylor began her junior year under new coaches, she stood out for the way she led drills and communicated with her teammates,” Gallagher said. “It was in a leading manner but in no way was it demeaning to the players. Her ability to communicate exceptionally well with the players and the new staff stood out in my mind. Watching Taylor in those early days, I saw a player who could play multiple positions, handle multiple responsibilities and quickly picked up on the teaching points of emphasis we were trying to instill. I saw someone who could handle the ball, post up, get to the rim, and defend any player on our roster. As a staff, it gave us an opportunity to try different things during the open gyms and preseason workouts.”
Kutztown University is Gurysh’s next stop. She committed last August and will continue her basketball career and major in business administration. “They started reaching out to me during AAU season, and I was obviously keeping my options open,” she said. “I was like – okay, I was considering it, but once they took me up on a visit, I knew that’s where I wanted to be. I loved the campus. They offered my major, the coaching staff is so nice, the team was so welcoming. Everything about it just made it seem like a family community, and that’s one thing I was looking for, so it really stood out to me.” In the classroom, Gurysh has maintained a 4.27 GPA through her most recent grading period and is a member of the Distinguished Honor Roll and also a member of the National Honor Society. Gurysh is a Student Council Homeroom Representative and a dual enrollment student at Bucks County Community College, taking Intro to Business, English Composition and, for the current semester, Marketing and Psychology.
In her spare time, Gurysh has volunteered for the Mid-Atlantic Magic, serving as an in-house basketball instructor. She has given of herself in support of the Coaches vs. Cancer initiative and is an important part of the school district’s Neshaminy Academy of Basketball, serving boys and girls in our area. “Taylor has proven herself as a distinguished leader in the areas of academics, leadership and her potential for success,” Gallagher said. “She has utilized the competition of sports to assist her with time management, communication and organizational skills. I can say without hesitation that Taylor Gurysh’s future is destined to be one of setting goals and working hard to achieve each of those goals.”
To read Gurysh’s complete story, please click on the following link: https://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/taylor-gurysh-00105759
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of March 29, 2023)
Zach Borzio’s vital statistics tell a lot about his career as a high school wrestler. A two-time district champion and state qualifier, his won-loss record of 128-46 (with 77 pins) places him fourth on the all-time list at Quakertown. But that doesn’t mean the road was just a straight line of success. “Definitely not,” he explained. “I’ve had many ups and downs in this sport.” Borzio gave up lacrosse after middle school and football after his freshman year to concentrate on wrestling. “It definitely started to click more for me in high school,” he said. “I saw my success and the opportunity to get better, so I committed myself to that.” While he worked to get himself into better physical shape, moving from the 106-pound weight class as a freshman to 152 as a senior, Borzio found that his toughest opponent was often himself. “It’s been quite the journey,” he said. “Toward the beginning of my career, I would overly focus. I would look at my opponents and overanalyze things. Then, I realized that’s not what it’s about. It’s me going out and doing the best that I can do. There are mental battles that I’ve had to overcome. Inspiring words that I would say to anyone else would be ‘try to be the best version of yourself.’ That’s something I try to put in my mind when I’m not having the best of days. I just try to flip it. I do whatever I can to make it better.” After falling a win shy of qualifying for states as a junior, Borzio was determined to get back there as a senior, and he did. He had 40 wins this past year, including one at states. “I’ve only had a handful of those in my 25, 26 years of coaching,” said Quakertown coach Kurt Handel.
At Kingsway (N.J.) High School, the Borzio name is synonymous with wrestling success. His dad, Matt, used his stellar career there as a springboard to Bucknell. His uncle, Angelo, went on to star at East Stroudsburg when it had a Division I program and was an Olympic hopeful. The oldest of three boys, Zach was on the mat early at QYC (Quakertown Youth Club). “My dad is the one who got me into it at a young age,” he said. “I started in kindergarten.” By the time he was able to walk into the entrance of Quakertown High, Handel was aware of him. “We knew he had skills coming into the high school program,” said Handel. “He had 30 wins in his freshman year. He was 30-18. If you get 30 wins, you are doing something.” Borzio followed that up with a stellar sophomore season by making states with a record of 27-3 (less matches because of COVID). He went 35-17 as a junior and then geared up for his memorable senior season.
At 6-2, Borzio has a style that frustrates opponents. “He is super tough in the top position,” Handel said. “He is really tall and lanky. He puts those real long legs on you and a lot of people have a real hard time getting out from the bottom when he is on top. It’s been a pleasure for four years, coaching this young man. He came here as a freshman and was about 5-8 and 106 pounds. He had an incredible freshman year, then he wrestles at 152 as a senior. The kids call him Mr. Reliable. They always turn to Zach. He’s the voice of reason. He’s a very intelligent and well-grounded young man. His personality - he shows up every day and says, ‘How are you doing, coach?’ He’s just a great kid to talk to. He is a very down to earth young man with some great values. Mom and dad raised a great kid here. I’m going to miss him.”
Borzio’s non-wrestling accomplishments are just as impressive. Ranked 26th in his class of 435, he never got less than an A and had a weighted GPA of 4.23 after his junior year. He also won Student of the Month at least once each year. “All of the above,” said Handel of the criteria. “It’s about character. It’s about integrity. It’s about responsibility and it’s about the academics.” Borzio is involved in National Honor Society, Best Buddies and Student Council. “I try to give back to my community as much as possible,” he said. “I do a lot of community service.”
To read the remainder of Borzio’s story, please click on the following link: https://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/zach-borzio-00105760
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