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 April 3, 2012)
Jackie DiPietro excels on the softball diamond. When the Hatboro-Horsham senior gets on base, she makes things happen. DiPietro has stepped into the role of leadoff batter this season and remains a base-stealing threat for the defending state champions. “Her actions and the way she carries herself, she is a leader on the field,” coach Joe DiFilippo said. “She’s pretty much controls how our game goes. If she’s on base, the other kids think we’re scoring because if she’s on, we will get her around some way. In the field, if things get a little shaky, she has no problem calling everyone together to settle things down. She’s just a great kid.”
DiPietro has transitioned very smoothly into her role as one of the team’s captains. “She’s always had that leadership streak in her, but this year she has really stepped up and done anything I could ask her or ever want,” DiFilippo said. “Sometimes at the end of the year, the seniors just want to get going. She wants to win. And she wants to make this team better. She works with the younger kids, helps the younger kids out. She’s great to have around.”
DiPietro works hard in the classroom as well. An honors student, she is a member of the National Honor Society and is involved in Student Council and Future Business Leaders of America. This fall she will take her athletic and academic talents to Seton Hall University where she will play softball.
Perhaps nowhere is DiPietro’s heart more evident than in her graduation project which helped the healing process of the most heartbreaking tragedies. DiPietro’s boyfriend, Edward ‘Eddie’ Coombs,’ along with Robert Nagel – both former Hatboro-Horsham student-athletes – were killed in an automobile accident last summer. With DiPietro leading the way, she helped organize the Team EC/RN 5KRun/Walk on Oct. 15. Approximately 800 people came out to show their support, and the event raised $18,000 for the Edward Taylor Coombs Foundation, established by the Coombs’ family to provide financial assistance to outstanding student-athletes. “The things she did in the community with her graduation project, that was just amazing to me,” DiFilippo said. “She went way above and beyond the call of duty. She took everything on her shoulders and ran with it and did a phenomenal job, all of those kids did. That was a big loss, and to try and turn it into a positive, they did a phenomenal job. She is just a great kid all-around.”
To view DiPietro’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/jackie-dipietro
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of April 3, 2012)
Parker Self has been a contributor to the varsity lacrosse team since he was a sophomore. The Central Bucks East senior is also a positive leader and influence on the team. “He is passionate about lacrosse and trying to make everyone around him better,” coach Bruce Garcia said. “He is a leader on and off the field. Parker routinely can be found at the field working on improving his game or organizing team practices.”
Beyond his contributions on the field, Self is also an honors student and carries a 3.9 GPA on a scale of four. Self will be attending the Air Force Academy next year. He was recruited by the Falcons beginning the summer after his sophomore year. “I visited all the service academies because I wanted to serve my country,” he said. “I definitely knew I wanted to go to one of them.” Applying to the Air Force Academy was a long, arduous process, and he had to get a nomination from his local congressman. He received his appointment about a month ago. The whole process took close to a year to complete. The Air Force accepts only 15 percent of its applicants, which is lower even than Harvard. “It’s a long process, but it’s such an honor to be accepted that it’s worth it,” he said.
Self is interested in engineering, but flying is also a possibility. If he sticks with engineering, he will have a five-year service obligation when he graduates. If he pursues flying, he will have an additional two years of flight school plus an additional 10 years of service.
Outside of lacrosse, Self is active in the community, his church and with his club lacrosse team. The lacrosse team at East has its own community service club called the Extra Man Opportunity Program. He also has worked with Leaps, a program association with his club team. “Parker is a man of exceptional character and determination,” Garcia said. “He is a tremendous asset t our team and our community, and I have no doubt he will continue to excel as he begins his career at the United States Air Force Academy.”
To view Self’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/parker-self
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