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 29, 2012),
Tori Gerlach is a two-time state gold medalist in the 3200-meter run. The Pennridge senior started running in fourth grade for her CYO team, but soccer was her sport of choice back then. When she was in ninth grade, Gerlach – whose mother Dana Gerlach ran for Council Rock’s 1984 state championship team - opted to go out for cross country and served notice that running was in her blood, finishing 28th at the state meet. That year she told coach Bill Smith she wanted to be an elite runner, and he told her she was a very good runner, but it was very hard to be an elite runner and it was okay just to be good. “She didn’t like being told she was good,” Dana Gerlach said. “She wanted to be great, so she sacrificed so much to get to where she is. She studied and she ran for four years.”
From that 5-2, 82-pound novice, Gerlach has turned into a 5-7, 109-pound running machine. As a sophomore, she came down with the flu before cross country states and finished a disappointing 141st, but her junior year she rallied to finish 11th. This year she came in 12th. But Gerlach’s strength is on the track. As a sophomore, she finished sixth at districts in the 3200 and 10th at states. As a junior, she was second in the 3200 and won the mile at districts. At states, she won the 3200. This year she won both the mile and 3200 at districts. She tried to duplicate that at states, but on a hot, humid day, after she won her second 3200 title, she settled for sixth in the mile. Only three runners have ever won both events in Class AAA state history. “It’s an extremely difficult double,” Smith said. “It was brutally hot, but what I was most proud of was that she didn’t sit back and just try to medal. She was trying to win the race.”
As she graduates from Pennridge, Gerlach, who also ran winter track, leaves behind an impressive legacy. She owns the school record in the 800, the mile and the two-mile. She also was instrumental in helping the Lady Rams to an undefeated season, an SOL title, their first district championship since 1983 and a tie for second at the state meet. “One of Tori’s biggest attributes is her drive to succeed,” Smith said. “She’s got a lot of guts and determination. She’s very talented, but she really works hard to become the best that she can.” Gerlach was a two-year captain of the cross country, winter track and spring track squads.
Gerlach will attend Penn State University on a scholarship. She plans to major in bio-behavioral health and minor in kinesiology. She’s looking to the health field as a future career.
To view Gerlach’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/tori-gerlach-0026150
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of May 29, 2012)
One of Ryan Hynes’ personal goals for his senior season on the Central Bucks South track and field team was to leave a legacy. He’s done exactly that. A state title, a selfless act during league championships, even a memorable recovery during a race have helped ensure that Hynes will long be remembered at his alma mater. To Hynes, though, leaving a legacy went hand-in-hand with winning a state championship. “I felt that a state title was the final accomplishment I wanted to achieve,” he said. “I already received district medals, league medals, I had a Penn Relays medal. I’ve had everything you could want minus that state title.”
Hynes was named first team all-league in the 200 meters, 300-meter hurdles, long jump and as a member of South’s 4x100 relay team, and he finished second in the 100, third in the 4x100 relay, fifth in the 300 hurdles and second in the long jump at the District One championships. At states, he earned his gold medal in an event he rarely ran during the dual meet season – the 100 meters. Hynes planned to compete in the 300 hurdles, long jump and 4x100 relay at districts and states. His coach, Jason Gable, suggested Hynes add a fourth event, and both decided that the 200 would be too taxing. So they looked at the 100, which Hynes had run sparingly during the dual meet season, mostly as preparation and training for the early stages of the 300 hurdles. One week after settling for silver in districts after being leaned out at the finish line by Upper Perkiomen’s Ronnie Gillespie, Hynes outleaned Milton Hershey’s Andrew Adghhibe to claim the state championship in the 100 meters. Making his accomplishment all the more impressive is that he won one of the most technically complex races in track despite not running it much during the season. The gold medal he won at states will be something Hynes will treasure. One of the gold medals he earned at leagues is something a teammate and friend will treasure. Senior Jim Gannon, a member of the 4x100 relay team, was unable to compete due to a hamstring injury. When the squad earned the conference title, Hynes presented the gold medal to Gannon. “That shows the type of person that he is,” Gable said.
Hynes, a member of the National Honor Society, will pursue his education at Cornell University. He was accepted into Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration where he will study the business side of hotels, casinos and restaurants. While at Cornell, Hynes will compete in the decathlon. He leaves behind quite a legacy at CB South. “He’s been a great captain,” Gable said. “You want that type of athlete who excels in academics. It shows the younger kids they can balance academics and athletics. Whether it was in practice or in a meet or just in getting his teammates up for a meet, he showed the true leader and true man that he is and he’ll continue to be. I can’t thank him enough.”
To view Hynes’complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/ryan-hynes-0026154
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