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 June 13, 2012),
Meghan McGovern, according to her coach, is a once-in-a-lifetime runner. “She’s like a coach’s dream,” North Penn cross country and track coach Jim Crawford Jr said. “She never complained about anything, she never gave suggestions unless you asked her for them. She just was a wonderful person to have as a member of your team. She carried herself so well. If she doesn’t win, she’s still okay with it. If she does win, she’s very happy about it, but she never gets down. She just always had a positive attitude towards everything.” McGovern won a lot over the course of a stellar high school career, medalling in states all three years she ran cross country and capping her brilliant career with a first place finish in the state as a senior.
McGovern is the first North Penn female to capture the state title in cross country, and in the process, she set a course record with her time of 18:28 over the 3.1-mile course. She also set a new course record at the Salesianum Invitational and won the Manhattan College Invitational for three straight years. At the state indoor meet last winter, McGovern finished second in the 3000-meter run only to Homer Center’s Angel Piccirillo, who is one of the top distance runners in the nation. McGovern’s time of 9:57. “That was the best time I ever ran in the indoor in the 3000,” she said. “Angel Piccirillo is probably one of the fastest people I ever had a chance to run against. It’s crazy just to even have a chance to compete against somebody who is as good as she is.” This spring, McGovern capped a brilliant career with a second place finish in the 3200-meter run at the state meet. What made McGovern so good? “First of all, she definitely has the natural ability,” Crawford said. “She also has a competitive desire. When she wants to accomplish something, she really works at it.”
Just as she is an elite runner, McGovern also is an outstanding student. Ranked in the top five percent of her class, she is a member of National Honor Society, Class Cabinet and Key Club. She also was a member of the yearbook staff. This fall she will be taking her talents to the College of William and Mary where she will continue her cross country and track career. She is undecided on a major.
To view McGovern’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/meghan-mcgovern-0026335
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of June 13, 2012)
Derek Rush came out of nowhere to make an impact this year. The Pennridge senior played for the jayvee last year, but when coach Dave Childs was looking for players to fill the gaps with the graduation of four all-league players from last season, Rush stepped to the fore, helping to lead the Rams to not only league and district titles but also a second place finish in the PIAA Class AAA State Tournament. “It was one of our questions – you’re graduating all of these seniors and who is going to step up and replace them,” Childs said. “He was one of the guys who wasn’t really a contributor last year that stepped up and made a big impact this year.”
Rush, a dangerous weapon at outside hitter, was voted a captain along with Erik Moyer by his teammates. Rush’s importance to the squad was underscored in the Rams’ District One AAA title match against Souderton that saw the Indians win the first two games before the Rams rallied to eke out a 3-2 win to earn the district crown. “We struggled even in the games we won, and Derek really bailed us out in a couple of spots,” Childs said. “Coming into the season, we knew what we had with Erik (Moyer), Kalin (Nelson) and Ryan (Chinnici), and it was up to the other guys to step up and fill the gaps and give us some productivity. When you can get 17 kills in the district final, that says a lot about Derek and also about the depth we had this season. He put in the time this year, and it really paid off for him. He was huge for us all throughout the season. He hit a high percentage from the outside and didn’t have a lot of hitting errors.”
Just as he excelled on the volleyball court, Rush also excelled in the classroom. He is a member of the National Honor Society and has taken several AP classes. This fall, Rush will enroll at Lehigh University where he will study business, possibly majoring in finance.
To view Rush’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/derek-rush-0026332
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