On Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015, Pennsbury seniors Bailey Balmer, Olivia Sargent, Maddie Sauer and Meridith Twomey were recognized for committing to compete in cross country and track at the collegiate level. To view photos of the signing, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Coach Tim Cass says: “Those four girls have been running together since their ninth grade year, some of them even before that. I can’t say nothing but team with them – it’s all about team, it’s no individuals, it’s strictly the team, and that’s the number one impressiveness with all the girls.”
Coach Greg Sargent says: “I’m pretty excited for the girls. If you think about Meridith Twomey, Maddie Sauer and Olivia Sargent – I’ve actually been involved in coaching them since second grade through CYO and then into the high school level. It’s a great group of girls, the four of them. I’m super excited about where they’re going. Bailey is going back to Texas where she grew up and Meridith going to St. Joe’s, which is her parents’ alma mater. Maddie is actually going to my alma mater, Manhattan College, and Olivia is going to UVA. I can’t be any more pleased with where they’re going.
“The girls have really worked hard. There’s no guarantee, but I can tell you they give 100 percent in everything they do every day both athletically and certainly in the classroom. They’re four great student-athletes. You don’t win a state title by having two girls in the top five. You win a state title because all of the girls knew their place in the race and achieved that. I would have been just as delighted at states if we had gone ninth, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th. They all placed really well, which helped the team. We weren’t focused on the individual side, although we were fortunate to have a state champ in Olivia (Sargent), but without all six running to their ability, we wouldn’t have won. It is a team sport. If you talk to the girls, it was about racing well as a team. We purposefully try to keep them in groups for parts of the race and try to pull everyone along.”
Bailey Balmer – University of Texas at Arlington (Cross Country & Track)
Major: Undecided
Final list of colleges: University of Texas at Arlington, Texas A&M, Stephen F. Austin
Reasons for choosing the University of Texas at Arlington: “I was born in Texas, and all my family lives there, besides my immediate family. I love the coach, I love the girls, I love Texas. I always wanted to move back to Texas. It’s my home. We go there every summer.
What was the progression that led you to competing in cross country and track at the collegiate level? “I never really thought about it, but you come out for the Pennsbury team, and they’re amazing in cross country and track. I would see the upperclassmen commit to other schools, and I just thought that was the thing to do, and I got good enough where I could.
“I started running in eighth grade – my dad influenced me because he ran in college, and he started running again when I was in eighth grade, so I wanted to do it too. Ever since then, I’ve loved it.”
About Bailey:
Favorite food: Apples
Favorite movie: The Blind Side
Favorite music: NEEDTOBREATHE
Olivia Sargent – University of Virginia (Cross Country/Track)
Major: Possibly Kinesiology
Final list of colleges: Virginia, Vanderbilt, Georgia
Reasons for choosing Virginia: “It was honestly probably the hardest decision of my life. I was pretty torn all three ways. There were pros and cons everywhere I went, but I just dug deep down and I thought about everything. I put things in perspective, and I realized I loved Virginia ever since my sister (Sara Sargent) went on her official visit. That’s always the place I’ve seen myself, and it feels like home away from home. I love every part of it.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in cross country and track at the collegiate level? “I started running in first grade, and it was not super competitive. We did it with our Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) at our church, St. Ignatius. When I got into middle school, maybe later in middle school, I realized that running in college was real and that I was going to be going there one day. As my running progressed and as I went through high school, I just realized I wanted to keep doing this and I want to keep doing it through the rest of my life.”
About Olivia:
Favorite food: Ice Cream
Favorite movie: Grease
Favorite music: Pop & Alternative – “I like a variety.”
Maddie Sauer – Manhattan College (Cross Country/Track)
Major: Exercise Science
Final list of colleges: Manhattan, Delaware, Duquesne
Reasons for choosing Manhattan: “I love New York City and my brother actually goes to school in Columbia. I like that it’s close to home. It’s just a really great program. I love the girls on the team. I had a chance to go to some classes, and I really liked them. The campus is beautiful – basically everything about the school.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in cross country and track at the collegiate level? “I love running, and really from my freshman year I knew I wanted to go on and compete for as long as possible.”
About Maddie:
Favorite food: Pistachios
Favorite movie: The Breakfast Club
Favorite music: Billy Joel
Meridith Twomey – St. Joseph’s University (Cross Country/Track)
Major: Accounting/Finance
Final list of colleges: St. Joseph’s, Richmond
Reasons for choosing St. Joe’s: “I was torn over the decision. It was really difficult. I just felt at home when I went (to St. Joe’s), and I just really liked the atmosphere.”
What was the progression that led you to running at the collegiate level? “I started running CYO in first grade, and really, once I got to sixth or seventh grade, I started to really get into it more and started to dream about running in college.”
About Meridith:
Favorite food: Mom’s Baked Ziti
Favorite movie: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off “Anything funny, any comedy.”
Favorite music: Pop
- Log in to post comments
