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 March 7, 2011)
Austen Hamler could safely be called a late bloomer. The Cheltenham senior never played organized basketball until she was a sophomore in high school, and in two short years, she has developed her game to become a captain and major contributor on this year’s SOL American Conference champion squad. Coach Bob Schaefer – who typically reserves his praise until the season is over – recently pulled Hamler aside at practice. “I said to her, ‘I just want to make sure that I don’t forget to tell you that I’m extremely proud of what you accomplished this year. You’ve improved more than anyone dreamed you could improve, and you contributed to this successful season in a leading way,” Schaefer said. “She’s a player that came out of nowhere.”
Although she is just 5-9 and slight of build, Hamler – who invariably finds herself playing against much taller opponents - is a tenacious rebounder. “I don’t think there’s a team where anybody has been smaller, and I don’t think there will be,” she said. “It’s more of a mental thing. I have to go in there thinking I’m 6-foot, six (inches) and 250 pounds. Once I get into a game, I’m ready to go, and I know what I have to do – get rebounds, get offensive rebounds and put it back. I just have to play much bigger than I am. That’s just the mentality I have to go with because otherwise I will never be able to do anything out there.”
Although she will not continue her basketball career at the collegiate level, Hamler says that basketball will always be part of her life. “I love basketball,” she said. “I love playing. It’s always going to be there for me.” A solid A-B student, Hamler places a high priority on academics. She is undecided on a major but has been accepted at both Penn State and Xavier, her top two choices.
To read Hamler’s complete profile, click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/female-featured-athlete
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of March 7, 2011)
Jon Pigeon didn’t begin swimming competitively until his sophomore year, and although the Norristown senior is not a star in the pool, he is one of the team’s hardest workers and was willing to swim any event for the good of the team. “Jon was very versatile,” coach Derek Hartman said. “Typically, I could (put) him anywhere I needed him. His goal was always to do his personal best, and he did. He dropped a lot of time over the season.” Although he wasn’t a captain, Pigeon set an example for the team. “He definitely led the team just the same as our two captains did,” Hartman said. “I never had to worry about whether he was swimming as hard as he could. He was extremely coachable. He cared about motivating the other swimmers around him. I wish I had 20 Jon Pigeon’s on the team.”
An excellent student, Pigeon is ranked 13th out of a senior class of 500 and has been in the honors track since he was a freshman. He chose business as his small learning community at Norristown, and he plans to major in business at college. He has been accepted at both Penn State and Temple but has yet to make a final decision.
A member of the Italian Club, Pigeon also is a chapter officer in the Distributive Education Club of America, a business club that focuses on marketing, hospitality and finance. Club members compete at the state and national levels in written exams and role playing. Pigeon has advanced to the state level in DECA.
To read Pigeon’s complete profile, click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/male-featured-athlete
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