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 Sept. 26, 2012)
Sarah Seiler is a selfless athlete. When her field hockey team found itself down to one goalie midway through preseason last year, the Pennridge senior, a field player her entire hockey career, volunteered to go into the cage. “We put her in pads, someone took a shot at her, and she charged the ball,” coach Nikki Thren said. “That’s something you can’t usually find in kids – someone who is willing to take a hit.” In truth, Seiler wasn’t especially fond of taking a hit, but she had the best interests of her team at heart. “I watched a girl volunteer who was a varsity forward,” Seiler said. “I had enough common sense to know the team really needed her on the field, not in the cage. I was like, ‘There’s no way that’s going to happen. Let me try first, and if I epically fail, then maybe she can try it out, but let’s see how it goes.’”
Seiler, despite a torn meniscus that required surgery at the end of the season, was the goalie for the Rams’ junior varsity last season. Although she had no guarantees, Seiler, who was voted a captain, opted to stay in the cage this season, and she earned the starting varsity nod and has grown to love the position. She is, according to her coach, an outstanding leader. “If she seems someone who’s upset, she’s checking on them,” Thren said. “She’s bending over backwards to really help people. She’s an excellent leader, and she’s a great communicator between players and me as well.”
Leading comes naturally for Seiler, who has been involved in student government since she was in middle school and is an active member of student council. “I love it,” she said. “I love helping people and bettering our school.” It was Seiler, as a sophomore, taking the initiative to start Pennridge’s annual ‘Pink Out’ event at a football game. An excellent student, Seiler is an active member of the National Honor Society and Key Club, and her course load includes all honors classes with two AP classes. And that’s just the beginning. “When I saw all she was involved in, I said, ‘Where do you have time for school?’” Thren said. “When you have someone like that, you can take a breath of fresh air and just hope some of the other players can see that and strive to be like that as well.”
The University of Pittsburgh is Seiler’s top college choice, and she plans to major in political science with her sights set on attending law school and pursuing a career as a prosecuting attorney.
To read Seiler’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/sarah-seiler-0028512
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Sept. 27, 2012)
Fabrice Agbadan is anything but your typical student-athlete. For starters, the Cheltenham senior’s goals are decidedly different than those of most of his peers, but then again, his story is unique as well. A native of Togo in West Africa, Agbadan plans to become a medical doctor and then return to his homeland where he aspires to build his own hospital or nursing facility. “Just coming from Africa and watching my family and friends struggle, I want to go back and give them an opportunity that they never had, give them a second chance,” Agbadan said. It’s those aspirations that have made the Panthers’ senior captain stand out in a crowd. “He’s what you want to see come to this country – a kid who’s focused on becoming a doctor and doing something good, but not so he could drive around in a Mercedes or for some external sense of success,” coach Chuch Gesing said. “He’s doing it because, from a young age, that’s what he thought was right and good to do.”
As a youngster growing up in a country struggling with political unrest, soccer was Agbadan’s salvation. “It kept me away from the trouble and violence surrounding me,” he said. In 2005, at the age of 10, Agbadan moved to Philadelphia with his family. “Coming to a new country was very tough,” he said. “I struggled to grasp the English language as the words were harder, and my parents struggled to find a well-paying job to support us.” After two years in the city, his family relocated in Cheltenham.
Agbadan did not play soccer as a freshman, focusing instead on academics, but as a sophomore, he was back on the soccer field. “Basically, when he steps on the pitch, he’s usually the best player on the field skill-wise,” Gesing said. “Our team usually runs through him. He’s the guy that delivers the killer pass that is going to set our forwards free, he’s the guy that’s going to win 50-50 balls even though he’s only 5-8.” Agbadan also has competed in track since he was a sophomore and was part of the Panthers’ 4x800 relay that advanced to districts his first year on the squad. He is captain of both his track and soccer squads. “It’s a privilege,” he said. “It’s not something that comes to every guy on the team. Coming from a different world, I’m really glad, and I know my goals are here for me to reach. I work hard to cheer my team on even after a loss and try to find a way to make sure our goals are met collectively.”
Agbadan aspires to play soccer at the collegiate level where he will major in pre-med. “I am lucky to attain such a life after my struggles,” he said. “I couldn’t have asked for better teachers, friends, coaches and school district. Successes start with struggles and hard work as I’ve learned early in my life, and that is a lesson to be taught to people who take shortcuts to success. I am now looking forward to the opportunities of college and can’t wait.”
To view Agbadan’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/fabrice-agbadan-0028513
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