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. 29, 2015)
Sarah Braza plays field hockey for all the right reasons. The Central Bucks East senior isn’t a star. As a matter of fact, Braza – in her first year on the varsity – was a reserve off the bench for a successful Patriot squad that finished second in the SOL Continental Conference and advanced to the second round of the District One AAA Tournament. Braza’s reason for sticking with the sport is simple – she loves the game. It’s a theme that surfaces frequently when she talks about her hockey career at East. “I love cheering on my teammates, and I love when I can go in and participate,” Braza said. “I know I’m not the most skilled player out there. I don’t play club, and I know there are girls who are playing year round, but I love playing the sport, and I just love everything that comes with it and all the memories I have.”
A four-year member of the program, Braza’s value to her team is underscored by the fact that she was elected captain in three of those years. After serving as captain of her freshman team, she earned that same distinction last year for the junior varsity and this year was given the honor of serving as a captain of the varsity. “Sarah is an authentic person who leads in a genuine and transparent manner,” East coach Michelle Finegan said. “Everyone on the team trusts Sarah and opens up to her because of her warm and friendly demeanor. She’s not the top kid on the team, but she’s definitely a leader. Three out of four years she was a captain, and she’s that kind of kid that is very trustworthy, very authentic. Her natural leadership qualities and strength in character were already apparent in middle school when Sarah was given the Principal’s Leadership Award.”
Hockey is one of a lengthy list of activities Braza is committed to at school and in the community. She is co-president of the Key Club, a service club at East, and she is a member of the Buckingham Township Civic Association Affiliate Board. Braza is a leader in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and she is president of East’s chapter of Heifer International. This past summer, Braza attended Camp Neidig, a leadership camp sponsored by the Rotary Club. A member of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society, Spanish is another one her passions, and she reveled in the opportunity to practice her Spanish skills at this summer’s hockey camp that included an Argentinian team. “I’ve liked the idea of being bilingual, and that was almost a pivotal experience,” Braza said. “I talked to them in their own language because they struggled with English a little bit, and it kind of ignited my passion to push for more.” Braza plans to major in marketing . “But I’m also pondering a second major with finance or accounting because I like to be multi-faceted and have different things that will set me apart from others when I’m applying for a job,” she said. “I also want to minor in Spanish and study abroad hopefully.”
To read Braza’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/sarah-braza-0057263
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Oct. 29, 2015)
Central Bucks West boys’ cross country coach Greg Wetzel has the kind of problem most coaches would love to have. Trying to figure out a single athlete who stands out among a successful team filled with an extraordinarily talented senior class who are also top-notch leaders, students and citizens is not exactly easy. Still, if there’s one team member who exemplifies all those characteristics…who represents the heart and soul of the squad, there’s no doubt who Wetzel would choose. “You talk about a quality athlete, student, citizen, and Declan McDonald is all those things,” the West coach said. “It’s hard to say Declan is an ‘unsung hero’ because he usually comes in anywhere between third and fifth on a really good team, but I don’t know where we’d be without his effort and his leadership this whole time.”
The depth points McDonald has contributed throughout the season have been a large part of the Bucks’ undefeated dual meet season, and his times have been a shining example of how hard work and dedication pay off. “It’s mostly about making sure the team succeeds,” McDonald said. “I really want to see the team do well, and I’m going to do what I can to help the team out.” Wetzel has no doubts about the effort and results he will get from McDonald. “For someone like Declan who might be our third or fourth or fifth, where he places could be the difference, and we couldn’t be happier or have more confidence to be in a position of counting on him,” Wetzel said.
McDonald, who also runs indoor and outdoor track, takes that hard work into the classroom with him as well. With a GPA floating near the 4.0 mark, he’s not letting up his senior year. He’s taking one AP and one honors course this semester with two more AP courses and several honors classes in the spring. In addition, McDonald is a member of the National Honor Society and the French Honor Society. He’s also a member of his church youth group.
While working hard is nothing new to McDonald, neither is overcoming obstacles. While in first grade, McDonald suffered from a sudden but severe illness that confined him to a wheelchair for several weeks and resulted in him having to re-learn many basic motor functions. His recovery included relearning how to walk and handwrite. “The doctors cleared me – I haven’t had any problems since it happened,” McDonald said. “Sometimes I forget about it, but I do remember using the parallel bars to learn how to walk again, and that does kind of drive me a little bit, knowing I had to overcome something like that.”
Wherever McDonald ends up, he’ll bring with him the work ethic and dependability that made him such a crucial member of the Central Bucks West squad. “Declan comes from a great family, and he is a really solid kid you hope other kids want to be like,” Wetzel said. ‘It makes you really proud to have a kid like that.”
To read McDonald’s compete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/declan-mcdonald-0057262
- Log in to post comments
