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 May 18, 2016)
Ask Maria Dea how she manages a schedule that includes playing two varsity sports as well as travel softball, carrying a course load with three AP classes while also holding down a part-time job, and the Harry S Truman senior has an immediate answer. “Great time management skills,” Dea said. “I actually have a list and I have times – when to do homework, when to go to practice, when to go to work – everything.” Dea’s packed schedule was underscored recently when the starting time of her team’s softball game at Bensalem was moved back to 5 p.m. to accommodate the fact that she was taking her AP Italian exam. Dea – the team’s starting pitcher – completed the exam at 4 p.m. and immediately boarded the bus to Bensalem. She not only earned the win in the circle – the Tigers won 4-2 – but was 4-for-4 at the plate. “Maria is the epitome of a student-athlete,” coach Kyle Hoffman said. “She is every coach’s dream of a well-rounded team leader.”
Dea, a workhorse in the circle, started all 19 games this season, completing all except three. She was the team’s number five hitter and was in the top three in hits, home runs and on-base percentage. “She improved as the season progressed,” Hoffman said. “As well as Maria has done on the field, her off the field accomplishments are even more eye catching.” Dea is ranked fifth in Truman’s Class of 2016 with a 4.2 GPA, and she is secretary of the National Honor Society. She admits that her love of competition has served her well on the softball diamond and in the classroom. “When I was a freshman, I was like ‘I’m graduating in the top 10 in my class, I’m graduating in single digits,’” Dea said. “I’m always so determined and competitive that I have to be done first, be the best.”
Dea also was a four-year starter in goal for the varsity field hockey team, volunteering for the position when the team needed a goalie and going on to earn all-league recognition. “Maria is the type of player who was the first to arrive to practice and the last to leave,” coach Kayla Kowalick said. “She is truly a dedicated leader and was able to create positive team chemistry.” Hoffman – who didn’t have captains – counted on her veteran pitcher to provide leadership. “If I needed something done, she was the first person I would go to,” the Tigers’ coach said.
Dea, a member of Truman’s Varsity Club, recently was awarded a Dean’s Scholarship toward her tuition at Stockton University where she will continue her softball career and pursue a career in physical therapy. Dea aspires to study abroad as part of her college experience.
To read Dea’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/maria-dea-0062550
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of May 18, 2016)
As the sun descends upon the track at Quakertown Community High School, a passerby would see what initially seems to be a younger kid – possibly in middle school – working on the pole vault, setting the bar higher and higher as he challenges himself to clear it just like a “big kid” would. Except he is a big kid with an even bigger heart and desire to exceed. That lone figure is the high school’s state-qualifying pole vaulter, Ron Jon Cubbage, who lists Jackie Robinson as not only his favorite athlete but as a role model in battling adversity. The senior stands only 5-3 – a height as rare in the field event as someone under six feet jumping center for the varsity basketball team. In a society where it seems the bar is being lowered, Cubbage – often tutored by the school’s pole vaulting coach, John Farrell – continues to raise the bar for himself, not only in sports but in life.
Cubbage summons the spirit of Robinson when the walls seem to closing in on him. “It’s hard to be a pole vaulter and be short,” he said. “I’m inspired by (Robinson’s) story). I think of him whenever I’m in a tough spot.” Also one of the top scholastic vocalists in the nation, the best trait about the honors student with a 4.15 GPA is that he doesn’t let the pressure he puts on himself to excel change how he deals with others, according to Quakertown track coach Sean Stetler. “Ron Jon is one of the most optimistic people I have ever coached,” the Panthers’ coach said. “He shows up for practice and meets every day throughout the winter and spring with an overwhelmingly positive attitude. His relentless positivity and joy for the sport is contagious to those around him. Not only has he gone from 9 feet his freshman year to 13 feet his senior year, but even more impressively, he has the knowledge and generosity to coach other athletes at competitions. He is constantly helping his teammates and even the competition with their technique and providing feedback to help others reach their potential.”
As a vocalist, Cubbage accomplished something no other Quakertown singer had previously with a flawless PMEA/NAFME record – he was selected for all PMEA/NAfME Honors Chorus for which he was eligible in every year he was eligible. He capped off his senior year by taking first chair (equivalent of first place) at every PMEA audition and was twice featured as a soloist at the Region VI Chorus festival and at the All-National Chorus festival in Nashville.
Pole vaulting and singing are two of Cubbage’s three main passions with the third being landscape design. As only he can do, Cubbage selected a road less traveled to combine them all, applying for – and receiving – a full academic scholarship to North Carolina A&T.
To read Cubbage’s compete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/ron-jon-cubbage-0062549
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