SuburbanOneSports.com recognizes a male and female featured athlete each week. The awards, sponsored by Univest, are given to seniors of high 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 Nov. 5, 2015)
Brianna Buckley had plenty of excuses to walk away from field hockey. As a matter of fact, the Springfield senior gave it serious consideration each year when preseason rolled around. “Every time the week before preseason I’d say, ‘Maybe it would be easier if I just quit this year,’ and then the first day of preseason would come, and I would be totally exhausted by the end of it, and I’d say, ‘Well, that wasn’t so bad. I can make another week of this,’” Buckley said. “That’s how I got through four years of it.” Buckley’s misgivings weren’t because she didn’t want to go through the rigors of preseason, and her reluctance wasn’t because she didn’t enjoy field hockey, but rather because playing field hockey presented a unique challenge for the senior defender, who battles asthma and is allergic to grass.
Simply being outside is sometimes a battle for Buckley. “I was born with really bad asthma,” she said. “By the age of five, I was told I couldn’t have a Christmas tree anymore. Most people as they get older their asthma slowly gets better – mine happened to get worse, and by sophomore year, my asthma peaked, so I would be having asthma attacks every day. It was exercise induced, it was allergy induced.” The asthma attacks – which included some that lasted 45 minutes – were draining. “It’s like you ran a marathon afterwards,” said Buckley, who still tried to attend practices. “I would help people who couldn’t understand things. I never wanted to go home from practice. I always just wanted to still be there and still be part of it.”
That unwavering commitment was not lost on her coaches. “She does whatever she can during practices, games and in the offseason to become a better player,” coach Linda Nixon said. “You can tell she really wants to be there, but there are times she will have to sit out because her allergies can completely take her out of play and cause cramping. Despite all of this, she is a leader on our team and has maintained a positive attitude, which she passes on to the other girls.” Buckley’s leadership ability is underscored by the fact that she was named a captain. “She is just a delight,” Nixon said. “She’s very, very, very helpful with younger kids and anyone who wants help. If she can help them, she’s more than willing to do that.” Buckley was a stabilizing force on defense at sweeper for the Spartans.
Art is also one of Buckley’s passions, and she is looking to major in psychology with the goal of becoming an art therapist. In the spring of her sophomore year, Buckley’s sculpture “Melting City” won the Teachers’ Award at the PSEA Touch the Future Art Show at Arcadia University. It was a new award given to the student whose work received the most votes from all of the art teachers of the 29 representing schools. “This is the first thing I followed through on that was so much work,” Buckley said. “It took me about two weeks worth of just straight work. I was really proud of it because I was really committed to it.”
To read Buckley’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/brianna-buckley-0057384
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Nov. 5, 2015)
Jake Brophy can’t fly under the radar anymore. That much was evident after the Central Bucks East harrier broke the record on Hershey’s “Poop-Out” course at the state meet, winning a state title as a junior last year. This year Brophy, a senior, is very much in the limelight. “Most of my high school career, I’ve been the underdog,” Brophy said. “This year I’ve kind of surpassed that. I realized that was going to happen at some point, and I’ve just accepted it. It doesn’t faze me and I’ve kind of embraced it.” His coach, Sam Losorelli, says Brophy has dealt with the weight of the expectations less like a high school student and more like a Super Bowl quarterback. “He’s handled it like a professional,” Losorelli said. “He’s goal-oriented – he knew what he had to do. He’s a coach’s dream when it comes to workouts. If there’s a workout, I’ll explain to him what’s going on and he does it. I can’t say enough about how positive and disciplined he is with what he has to do.”
In addition to Brophy winning the individual District One AAA title this fall, his CB East team also qualified for the state meet, avenging the disappointment of missing a spot last year by 11 points. “In my opinion, Jake would rather have finished third if it meant the team would make it,” Losorelli said.
What makes Brophy so successful? An above average lung capacity, sure, but Losorelli likes some of his top runner’s other qualities. “It’s his work ethic,” the coach said. “He’s hard-working and disciplined. All the attributes that make a great athlete, Jake has.”
Brophy’s path to the top has been anything but linear. Most of Brophy’s early childhood was spent moving around the country after his father, who was in the Navy, was re-stationed. It was while Brophy was living in Washington state that he discovered running. “My mom was a big runner in high school,” Brophy said. “She kept up running, and one day she asked me to go on a run in third grade. It wasn’t very long at all and I liked at.”
With that said, it won’t come as much of a surprise to learn that Brophy has chosen to follow in his father’s footsteps. Recently, Brophy announced his plans for next year. The United States Naval Academy. He picked Navy over celebrated cross country and track programs at Stanford and Syracuse. “I decided on Navy because I like the idea of serving my country and also the atmosphere that the school creates,” he said. “(The) Navy has always been a backdrop to my life. It’s nice to fulfill a legacy.” At Navy, Brophy will not only be joining an elite group of Americans, but an elite pack of runners as well. The Midshipmen dominated the Patriot League Championships, winning the first four spots to win the conference title. After Brophy is done flying on the track or on the cross country course, he’d like to try flying of a different kind. “Once I graduate, I’d like to go to flight school and I’d like to fly F-35s in the Navy,” he said.
To read Brophy’s compete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/jake-brophy-0057382
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