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 Oct. 25, 2011)
Anne Marie Devlin has been an all-league performer for the past four years. The Wissahickon senior earned first team doubles honors as a freshman and received all-league third singles recognition as a sophomore and junior. This year the senior co-captain was first team playing second singles and lost only one match in District One. Her doubles team won the American Conference and advanced to states. “She’s done particularly well as an individual and particularly as a leader for the team,” said her coach and mother, Mary Ellen Devlin. “She’s been a leader in terms of tennis. She’s more of the quiet, lead-by-example kind. She’s really stepped up.” During Devlin’s four years on the team, the Trojans have swept the American Conference and qualified for states as a team.
Devlin’s strengths, according to her coach, are her work ethic and discipline. “In an individual sport, (to have) someone that is very team-oriented is very special,” Mary Ellen Devlin said. “She exemplifies what a student-athlete is all about and does it in a rather modest way.”
Devlin excels in the classroom as well and takes a course load that includes four AP classes. A member of the National Honor Society, she also is a Merit Scholar. During the summer, she is involved in Gwynedd-Mercy College’s Touch of Tennis Program, which introduces special needs kids to tennis. Devlin plans to continue playing tennis at the collegiate level and is considering Villanova, St. Joseph’s and Washington College.
To read Devlin’s complete profile, click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/anne-marie-devlin
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Oct. 25, 2011)
Zakk Hecht has been a fixture at linebacker for the Souderton football squad for the past two years. The Big Red senior was on his way to a promising career as an ice hockey goalie when he decided to give football a try in eighth grade. Since then, football has been Hecht’s sport of choice, and he has been a major contributor on the defensive side of the football. “He runs well to the ball, he’s got good instincts for a linebacker, and he’s a strong, fast, physical kid” coach Ed Gallagher said. “In spite of not being a captain, he’s taken it in a positive way, and he’s also been a good leader for the team. A lot of the younger kids really look up to him. He’s involved in a lot of activities here at school, and he’s just a good person. He really is.”
Hecht is a member of student council, he is a leader of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and he is a member of the yearbook staff. He carries the leadership qualities he uses off the field onto the field as well. “Being a senior linebacker, I know a lot of people look up to me,” he said. “If I do what I’m supposed to do, everyone else will follow my lead also. I just try and keep my composure and do everything the best I can – don’t let anything get to me.”
Away from the gridiron, Hecht has volunteered at a summer camp for young children through his church, BranchCreek Community. His college choice is contingent on whether or not he plays football. While Hecht’s first choice is to play at the collegiate level, he is looking into attending a school with an ROTC program. He plans to major in criminal justice.
To read Hecht’s complete profile, click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/zakk-hecht
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