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 April 2, 2024)
As she puts her scholastic swimming career at Souderton in perspective and looks ahead to the next chapter at Duquesne University, senior Jessica “Jess” Burns knows it was not a solitary journey. In particular, she is thankful for the support system she had from many coaches. It began with her mother, Patty, who put her – along with older sister Abby – in the water at a young age. The sisters soon found themselves on a team with mom coaching. “We were in the pool since we could walk with swim lessons and all that,” Burns said. “My sister loved it and wanted to join a swim team, so I kind of ended up there, too. My mom got into coaching.” Meanwhile, their father, Rob, coached them in softball (Abby stuck with the sport and went on to play softball and swim at Kean University). Moving on to middle school, coach Heather Moore emerged as a force of nature and a major influence. The fact that Moore had been a Division 1 swimmer at Maryland didn’t hurt in the respect area. “She is a very intense coach, but she always believed in us, and you had to believe in her because she was so forceful,” Burns said. “She helped a lot with my confidence going into races. She understood pressure, and she could talk me off the cliff.”
At Souderton, Lou Williams stepped into the picture as her coach. “He has been great,” said Burns. “During my whole high school career, he has been positive. Anytime you need to talk to him, he’ll sit down with you and listen to what you have to say.” As fate would have it, everything came full circle. Patty Burns, who swam at Bloomsburg, was already in place as an assistant coach. She had taken the position when Abby joined the team two years earlier and stayed to coach her younger daughter all the way through. “My mom has been there for my entire career, since I was 4 or 5,” said Burns. “She started coaching and followed me through the different age groups. I love it. I love having her there. Some people get annoyed when their parents are their coaches, but she is very comforting, and I love hearing what she has to say.” All told, in a career in which she made states four times and earned medals as a sophomore and a junior and two as a senior, Burns sees it as a testament to her collection of coaches. “They have done so much for me and taught me so many things, not just in swimming but in life as a whole, and I have never questioned their belief in me or that I have their support,” said Burns, who played softball until age 11 or 12 and lacrosse until her junior year at Souderton. “Great coaches are what makes a sport mean more, and they have made swimming mean so much more to me.”
Burns came into Souderton as a known entity, as Williams was aware of her as a top breaststroke competitor since around the age of 10, and the pressure to excel and make states as a freshman was compounded by severe COVID restrictions that year. As it was, she still qualified for states, despite half the number of swimmers going. As a sophomore, Burns earned her first state medal, placing fifth in the breaststroke. Burns felt she needed to hit new heights as a junior. While she improved her time, she still placed fifth in the state. While playing her usual key roles on relay teams as a senior, Burns placed 7th in the breaststroke at states and earned a second medal in the 200 IM. “I feel very satisfied with how it ended,” she said. “My last four years, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I had good training and had good results.” Burns was the team’s highest point scorer and a leader in the postseason. “She had a really good postseason,” Williams said. “In terms of her regular season, she was just an all-around leader for our team. She was our top point scorer throughout her senior season.”
A member of the National Honor Society as well as the Athletic Leadership Council, Burns carries a weighted GPA of 4.5 and is in the National Honor Society. An aspiring nurse, she was impressed by Duquesne’s willingness not to pigeonhole her by her major. “A lot of the schools I talked to asked if I’d be okay going pre-med or for a biology degree for the first four years in order to make it better with swimming, but Duquesne makes the practice schedule work well for their top four majors,” she explained. The fact that Burns chose her school for all the right reasons did not come as a shock to her coach. “Jess prioritized her academics and wanted to go someplace where she could pursue that major in advanced nursing,” said Williams. “I think that says a lot about her. She is definitely someone who people look up to. Academically, she is excellent. She has high academic goals.”
To read Burns’ complete story, please click on the following link: https://suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/jess-burns-00111752
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of April 2, 2024)
Brady Fogle is a young man of few words. The Upper Dublin senior captain, according to his basketball coach, is not a rah-rah guy, and he is not going to make the pregame or postgame speech. “Brady was like (former San Antonio Spurs star) Tim Duncan,” UD coach Derek Brooks said. “He was quiet, but he did his job. He was respected by everyone in the locker room, and when he did speak, it meant something, but for the most part, he was a lead-by-example guy.” And the senior captain was an effective leader for a UD team that reached historic heights during a dream season. The Flying Cardinals captured sole possession of the SOL Liberty Division title as well as program’s first ever SOL Tournament title, advanced to the District 1 5A title game and earned the program’s first trip to the PIAA 5A Tournament in 22 years “It was everything coming true,” Fogle said. “We won the SOL, which didn’t seem possible because PW has dominated us for years, and we hadn’t beaten them for eight years before that. We lost a lot of talent from last year’s team that lost in the first round (of districts). We weren’t getting a lot of publicity from the media or anything, so we kind of had a chip on our shoulders from the start. We really wanted it more than everyone else I think, and it was great.”
A first team All-SOL Liberty Division selection, Fogle – without fanfare - was a major part of UD’s success. “He was such a key piece to have as an offensive player this year,” Brooks said of the dangerous 3-point shooter. “And he did other things too. He was a good passer, he took care of the ball, he was a great rebounder for his position, and he always knew what he was doing on the floor. If you asked him to do something, he would apply it right away. You never had to worry about Brady. He was so quiet – a day or two would go by and you’d be like – ‘Have I even said anything to Brady?’ You’d have to remind yourself – ‘Hey, just go talk to Brady,’ just to keep in touch. Because he’d go about his business, he’d do his job. He wasn’t there with a serious face – he would have fun with the kids on the court. He would joke, he’s very secretly competitive as well. He loved to win shooting competitions in practice, and any kind of game he loved to play.”
This spring, Fogle is also a member of the varsity baseball team. “He’s definitely a top-notch kid,” UD baseball coach Ed Wall said. “He’s kind of a quiet kid that stays in the background, but he is extremely personable, is willing to do anything for the team. He’s a great teammate and gets along really, really well with everyone. His dad’s a teacher in the high school. That tells you the type of quality kid he is. Both he and his younger brother (sophomore Ryan Fogle) are just good people from a great family.” Fogle – whose father was a pitcher - is expected to be a contributor as a relief pitcher. “Brady – being as tall as he is – gives a totally different look to a hitter,” UD baseball coach Ed Wall said of the 6-4 Fogle. “We bring him in, and he’s a change of pace. He’s definitely a great option for us out of the bullpen in middle relief situations or someone that can go a little bit longer in relief. It definitely fits his skill set. He has really good movement, and being as tall as he is – he has a real good arm slot, it comes from a totally different spot.”
Outside of sports, Fogle is an excellent student with a course load of honors and AP classes. His GPA heading into his senior year was 4.3, and he is a member of the National Honor Society and is also active in student government. Fogle will be majoring in business analytics at Virginia Tech. If he chooses to play, his basketball career will be at the club level although he had opportunities to continue his career at the next level. “It was difficult,” Fogle said of his decision. “I love playing basketball, but I feel like all the schools that were interested in me where I’d be able to play basketball – I didn’t really see myself going to school there. I’d rather go to a bigger school and play club basketball. (Virginia Tech) is a great academic school. When I went there – the culture, the campus itself was beautiful and everyone is so welcoming. As soon as I stepped on the campus, it just seemed like the right place for me.” As for his basketball career, Fogle will leave UD with nothing but fond memories. “It was really special,” he said. “All the accolades, the championships, all the recognition is great, but I’ll remember practicing with my teammates and friends every day, and just going out there with my guys was a lot of fun.”
To read Fogle’s complete story, please click on the following link: https://suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/brady-fogle-00111753
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