Cross Country, Lacrosse
Favorite athlete: Carlos Ruiz
Favorite team: Philadelphia Flyers
Favorite memory competing in sports: The feeling after beating and sweeping Abington for the first time in program history last year.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: My brother and I were on the same swim team when we were younger. I was in fifth grade and Tim was in third. Tim was in a meet and there was a false start. He didn’t hear the beeping of the buzzer to stop the race, and he swam the whole length of the pool. There were so many people at those races, and they all had to wait for him to get to the other side. My mom was at the other end to meet him. Before he got out of the pool, she told him they would have to redo the race because of the false start. Instead of getting out, he turned around and swam back – the whole length of the pool.
Music on iPod: I have everything from pop to country, but right now I’m in a country phase. I love Zac Brown Band and Keith Urban.
Future plans: To attend college as an undeclared major.
Words to live by: “The harder you work, the luckier you become.”
One goal before turning 30: To travel to different countries around the world.
One thing people don’t know about me: I can name all the presidents in the order that they served.
Jackie Sweeney sees things through the eyes of an artist.
The Pennsbury senior can work the lacrosse field like Rodin planning a sculpture.
“I’m not going to pursue art in college but I really enjoy it,” Sweeney said. “It creates a sense of balance for me. I have school, I have sports and I have art.
“In art you are thinking critically, but it’s not the same as science or math or English. You’re figuring out where to place each piece in order to express what you want to express. You have to pay attention to detail and notice things you wouldn’t otherwise.
“It’s something I do to relax. I’ve taken an art class every year at Pennsbury. We have a very good art program here, so I’ve had a lot of opportunities to work with a lot of different materials. I’ve learned a lot and I’ve really enjoyed it. I think it’s important to have something outside of sports and this is what I do.”
Sweeney has worked with a variety of mediums but she enjoys painting the most.
“I like working with water colors and acrylic,” she said. “It’s less precise. You can make a mistake and it all seems to work.”
That critical thinking, attention to detail and ability to bring it all together are skills that help Sweeney on the field.
“You have to think on the field and I suppose art does help me think in different ways,” she said.
Sweeney didn’t even know lacrosse existed when she was a child.
“When I was in about fifth grade, my younger brothers started playing,” she said. “I’d been playing soccer up until that time. That was my sport, but lacrosse seemed kind of similar so I figured I’d try it.
“I started playing in seventh grade, and by high school, it was my main sport. I just loved it and I still love it.”
As a freshman at Pennsbury, Sweeney played field hockey, then played soccer for two years before trying cross country her senior year.
“I never really settled on a fall sport, but I did enjoy cross country a lot,” she said. “I never did a winter sport because with lacrosse we pretty much go year round. We play fall ball and in the winter we have workouts during the week and winter league games on Saturday, so it’s a full schedule.”
She is very excited about this year’s Pennsbury squad.
“We’ve been building ever since my freshman year,” she said. “We’ve been working so hard in preseason and in the fall with the workouts and clinics and I think it will all pay off this year.”
The Falcons made two consecutive appearances in the District One tournament the last two seasons, getting knocked out in the first round both times.
“We made it to the playoffs for the first time ever my sophomore year and we did it again last year,” she said. “We only lost one senior from last year’s team and we have seven seniors spread out on the field this year so we have a lot of experience and that should really help us.
“Everyone is stepping up and playing very well and I’m hoping everyone can see how far we’ve come. We’re scheduled North Penn this year. We played them my freshman year and lost badly, but this year I think it will be a good game.
“Even if we lose I think it will be a message that we’re in the mix.”
How much does Sweeney mean to her team?
“The girls on the team this year wanted to get t-shirts made up that stated ‘thank God for Sweeney!’” coach Kelly White said. “That sums up how we all feel about Jackie.
“She is by far one of my top players. Furthermore, she has the utmost respect from her teammates and her coaches. The team relies heavily on Sweeney because they know she can make the big play.”
Fellow senior Kelsy Gumbert knows what it’s like to have Sweeney on the field with her.
“She’s such a team player,” Gumbert said. “She is so unselfish with the ball. She knows when to go to goal and when to pull out and she looks for feeds to other players.
“She’s so smart on the field. She’s always a part of the plays and she’s amazing at every position she’s played.”
The two have been teammates for their entire high school careers.
“We have a connection,” Gumbert said. “We’ll look at each other and know when to cut and when to feed the ball and it’s just been great to have someone like her on the field with me.
“I have so much confidence in her and it’s been great to be on the field with her.”
White describes Sweeny – aka ‘Sweendog’ – as an incredible young lady.
“She is an exceptional student-athlete, loyal, kind, and extremely diligent,” the Falcons’ coach said.“I have never witnessed a player or student as dedicated as Jackie. I remember her as a freshman on varsity, and her progression in lacrosse has been astonishing. Her work ethic and determination are admirable, and she consistently motivates and inspires those around her to accomplish their personal best.
“I am enjoying the time I have left coaching Jackie. I feel very fortunate to have had an opportunity to have such a great person like Jackie be a part of my lacrosse program.”
Sweeney has narrowed her college choices to Penn State, Delaware and St. Joe’s and is undecided on a major.
“I am fortunate to have it down to three good schools,” she said. “I’m not going to be playing lacrosse for the school but I decided that I want to play club lacrosse.
“With clubs you can play multiple sports and this way I could run cross country as well as play lacrosse. Sports have been such a big part of my life so I want to continue to participate but I also want to focus on academics so this is the best option for me.
“It will also give me the chance to explore other options and try something new. College is a chance to try new things and I want to give myself the time and space to do that.”
