Univest Featured Athletes (Week of Sept. 27)

SuburbanOneSports.com recognizes a male and 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 Sept. 27)
Anastasia Diamond has been a study in consistency on Pennsbury’s cross country team. For four years, the Falcon senior has occupied the fourth or fifth spot on an elite squad that last year finished third in the state. She held onto her spot despite the addition of some amazing young talent, including last year’s defending state champion – then freshman Sarah Sargent. “As we’ve gotten talent in, she’s gotten better and held her place,” coach Don Little said.”It’s a very good role for her. She has so much experience being that fourth or fifth kid, so she knows exactly what needs to be done.” Diamond, who took gymnastics lessons for 10 years, was encouraged by her track coach to try pole vaulting. She was a natural, clearing 11’0” last year with her sights set on reaching the 12-foot mark this year. In early September, she won the women’s division in the 2010 Bucks County Women’s Duathlon. Her remarkable strength makes her an unusual choice to excel in cross country. “She’s very competitive,” Little said. “It’s that competitiveness in her that allowed her to transcend the atypical girl that runs.”
A member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society, Diamond’s schedule includes numerous AP classes, and she boasts a 4.4 GPA. She also is actively involved in community service.
Diamond plans to continue competing in pole vault at the collegiate level and has not ruled out the possibility of running cross country as well. She has her sights set on one day becoming a sports psychologist.
To read Diamond’s complete profile, click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/female-featured-athlete
 
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Sept. 27)
Nick Ruhl is described by Tim Sorber as the ‘classic kid.’ “He’s been in the program, and he’s never missed a workout, he’s never missed a practice,” the Abington coach said. “He’s an extremely hard worker and really typifies what a student-athlete is all about.” Ruhl sees action on both sides of the football for the Ghosts, playing center on offense and outside linebacker on defense. “For an offensive lineman, he only weighs 200 pounds, which some people might say was undersized,” Sorber said. “But he makes up for that with great technique and great effort. He has performed well at outside linebacker. He’s playing a lot of snaps, and he has worked extremely hard to get himself in shape to play both ways. We’re really happy with the performance of Nick.”
In the classroom, Ruhl takes a full course load of AP classes and is ranked first in his senior class of close to 650 students. “Nick gets it done and not only on the field,” Sorber said. “To be number one in the class is showing that when he leaves practice, he’s not falling asleep or surfing the internet. He’s got his face in the books and is working extremely hard. That typifies the type of effort Nick puts out.”
As for college, Ruhl is undecided on a major, but since he excels in math and the sciences, he has not ruled out the possibility of pursuing a career in engineering. “I’ve kept my options open,” he said.
To read Ruhl’s complete profile, click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/male-featured-athlete
  
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