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 Dec. 18, 2024)
Ava Stracuzzi is a student-athlete who is making a difference. The William Tennent senior was a standout member of the girls’ volleyball team in the fall. But talk to Tennent athletic director John Creighton, and it’s abundantly clear – Stracuzzi’s fingerprints are on a whole more than just the volleyball team. “She’s in athletic council, she’s in student government, she’s in Athletes Helping Athletes – she’s at seven or eight different places at one time,” Creighton said. “She just has so much drive. She’s a breath of fresh air.”
Stracuzzi is president of her senior class, and unlike politicians who routinely promise to improve the quality of life of those they serve but too often forget that promise when elected, Stracuzzi’s first loyalty is to her
fellow students. “Coming off COVID, a lot of our upperclassmen when I was a freshman and sophomore – they didn’t really experience the events fully because it was all the weird COVID stuff,” Stracuzzi said. “We didn’t really have anyone to harp on us to get involved because they didn’t even know what it was like. Our class was really key – at least at Tennent – in bringing back those spirit events and things like that.” Stracuzzi is a catalyst, making the most of her leadership role. “I’m heavily involved in extra curriculars at my school,” she said. “I’m class president, I’m president of athletic council. The two of those are probably my most passionate activities. Through those, I’ve kind of been able to spearhead projects I’m interested in just through the relationships I made with different teachers and advisors at school and our administrators.”
Mention Stracuzzi’s name to volleyball coach Brian Bassler, and the veteran coach acknowledges her role on the team went beyond her contributions on the court. “Ava is all business,” he said. “We have our Panther Camp every summer where the fourth graders through incoming ninth graders are eligible to come to summer camps for a week. We really promote our girls. The coaches are there as directors, but we want our girls to run it. Ava would be the kid that gets out there – led the stretches, lined up the girls and got them in their places, started setting up drills. We had 115 campers this past summer from all over the place. All our girls are amazing, but Ava was at the forefront, for sure. She just has tremendous dedication. She’s a kid that comes in – if I wasn’t there, she could have run the practice probably.”
Softball was Stracuzzi’s sport of choice as a youngster. Until she was encouraged by her parents to give volleyball a try. She made the JV team as a freshman, and as a sophomore, Stracuzzi was a swing player for the volleyball team. “After that season, I went to my friend’s club tryouts (with Pinnacle Volleyball Academy),” the Tennent senior said. “I couldn’t commit to the team fully because of softball, so I ended up making the coach’s A team, but I was only practicing with them, and I went to a few tournaments. Softball during that club volleyball season had dwindled away for me, so that’s when I quit, so I was able to become more involved in volleyball.” Stracuzzi’s transformation in volleyball was immediate, and as a junior, she was the starting middle for the Panthers. She was named a captain as both a junior and
senior. As much as she enjoyed playing, she enjoyed the positive culture surrounding the sport even more.
In addition to her leadership roles in student government, Stracuzzi is an excellent student and has taken seven AP classes. She is a member the National English Honor Society, the National Social Studies Honor Society and the National Honor Society. She is part of the Future Business Leaders of America, and her involvement with Athletes Helping Athletes has led her to joining the Unified Bocce team, comprised of students with and without intellectual disabilities. Stracuzzi is also part of a group called Student Forum representing Tennent at the Bucks County Intermediate Unit. Stracuzzi has not chosen a college but plans to major in political science on the pre-law track with an interest in constitutional law.
Stracuzzi could not talk about her journey without thanking those who’ve helped her along the way. “At home, my parents have always supported and accommodated my busy schedule,” she said. “I often bite off more than I can chew and it’s my parents who help me swallow it. At Tennent, I’m surrounded by the most supportive adults. There’s something so special about the teachers at William Tennent. Each teacher, administrator, staff member holds a special place in my heart. A few that have stuck with me throughout my entire career are Mr. John Creighton (athletic director), Mrs. Kim Slaninko (athletic secretary), and Mr. Paul Veltre (my history teacher and “school dad”). Each of these adults have provided me with resources, support, and advice. They are my biggest cheerleaders, motivators, and influences.”
To read Stracuzzi’s complete story, please click on the following link: https://suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/ava-stracuzzi-00116271
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Dec. 18, 2024)
While his high school football team won less games in the entire career of senior lineman Landon Vingless than some rival schools have in one year, the Harry S Truman senior will leave with his head held high and eyes focused on the future. He emerges as a true winner who has learned that there is more to the experience than what the scoreboard says. “Yes, definitely,” said Vingless. “There are a bunch of lessons that I learned on things I could do better and how to improve.” Saying that Vingless “represents what it means to be a Tiger,” Truman athletic director Tim Monaghan is among the loudest voices in the choir of those singing the praises of Vingless. “He has a 4.0 GPA, is in the Top 30 of his class academically,” said Monaghan. “Landon is someone who probably does not get the recognition for being a great student-athlete and for always setting a great example for his classmates and teammates to follow.”
A second-team Suburban One League Continental Conference choice as an offensive lineman, Vingless was in the football program since his freshman year. He was starting by the end of his sophomore year and found himself entrenched in a leadership role by his junior year. This past season, his last, the Tigers won their first game – a non-league clash with Kensington – and then failed to find the win column again, finishing up at 1-9. “Our season didn’t go the way we wanted it to go,” said Vingless. “It was disappointing, but with all the stuff we had going on throughout the whole team, it was kind of inevitable.” Those in-house issues including injuries and players unable to get on the field for personal reasons. “We started losing a lot of players,” he lamented. “We didn’t necessarily have the same team that we started out with.” While it wasn’t always easy, the captain saw the need to take the reins. “I tried to keep our players motivated, keep them going, and make sure they kept their heads up every practice and in games,” he said. “I just keep on pushing them. I’m very proud of the guys that made it through to the end. They kept their heads up. They kept on playing great, straight to last snap. We did the best that we could.”
As he looks ahead, Vingless is definite about continuing his career at the next level. So far, he is in talks with Division II and Division III schools in Maryland and West Virginia. “It’s going pretty well so far,” he said. “I just want to go as far as I can go with it.” An aspiring accountant, a career path that crystallized for Vinglass recently, it is a matter of looking for the right academic fit and also a program with a winning tradition. “That’s what I’ve been looking at,” he said. “I mainly focus on the education part of it, but I’m also definitely taking the football programs into consideration. I definitely want to improve upon my football ability. I want to be part of a winning
program. I went through two coaching staffs (at Truman). It was actually very tough. My freshman year, it wasn’t a normal high school year. My sophomore year, when my coach resigned the day before a game, it kind of just threw our whole season into sort of a spiral. Then, that following season, we started later than everyone else with weightlifting and practices and all of that. We started falling behind.”
As big as he is, physically, Vingless has a bigger heart. He inherited it from beloved “Pop Pop,” Michael Castelli, with whom he visited homes and schools and as a Santa and Elf team. With his grandfather dealing with some health issues, Vingless considered switching over to the role of Santa Claus this year. “I’m not too sure how my Pop Pop first got into it,” said Vingless. “All I know is that, when I was younger, him and my sister would go out and do it. “One Christmas Eve, they invited me out to go along. Ever since then, we have just been doing it every year. This year, it is a little bit iffy because my Pop Pop is having medical issues, but I am going to try and dress up and go out and take over for him. I’m going to try and pull it off this year.” Giving back the community has been satisfying for Vingless. “Honestly, it is one of the better feelings that I’ve had, just by knowing that I’m making someone else’s day by coming in all dressed up,” he said. “It really doesn’t take anything hard on your part to be able to be part of making someone else’s day.”
To read Vingless’ complete story, please click on the following link: https://suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/landon-vingless-00116273
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