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 March 19, 2013)
Natalie Caruso has learned a lot from the orchids she tends. “Each one is different,” the senior captain of the Neshaminy swim team said. “They like some things and not others, and they will tell you what they want. A lot of people just get a plant and water it and think that’s all they need to do, but it’s very important to get to know a plant. Sometimes they need more care, but once you get the knack of it, they do fine and flourish.” That ability to nurture has stood Caruso in good stead as she faced her senior season with a very young, inexperienced team, and coach Brian Suter relied on his senior captain. “She was a real leader,” he said. “She had to take a team that was basically a novice team and mentor those kids to compete in a highly competitive league. While our overall record didn’t necessarily show that we were competitive against other teams, the fact that she was able to keep the team together and help it progress speaks volumes about her. She led by example with her work ethic and by always being a positive influence on the team members. She showed them that they could persevere and that they could do it, that they could swim with the other teams in our league.”
Although Caruso’s time with her swim team is over, the seeds she planted will bear fruit. “I do have a sense of accomplishment for what I did here, that I helped get this group ready for the next level,” she said. “It’s what connected me to the school, and it really is a big chunk of where I got my school pride from. I think high school would have been very different for me if I hadn’t joined the swim team when I first got here. It showed me a wonderful group of people and I definitely love the sport. This made high school for me.” Suter credits Caruso for leaving her mark. “When I look at her and reflect on our season, that’s the legacy that Natalie left on our team,” he said. “Her character is the essence of what swimming is.”
Caruso hopes to continue her swimming career at the collegiate level with the University of Scranton at the top of her list of schools. She plans to major in pre-med.”
To read Caruso’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/natalie-caruso-0033007
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of March 19, 2013)
Jack Morris, underneath a laidback exterior, is a fierce competitor. Coach Jeff Faikish recalls his team’s tightly contested meet against Souderton this year when the North Penn senior answered the call,” Souderton was a very formidable opponent, and the meet was a lot closer than I expected,” the Knights’ coach said. “During the post-diving warm-up, Jack stopped at the wall. He knows we needed a win, and the first race after the diving is the 100 butterfly. Souderton had Troston Loux, and he’s a very fast butterflier, so we knew it was going to be a tight race. Jack looked up at me and he goes, ‘You know what – I’m going to go 51 and win.’” Morris swam a 51 and easily won the race, and it is that competitive drive that allows Morris to excel. “He knows that as a North Penn swimmer you have to accept the challenge of always trying to be the dominant force in the water,” Faikish said. “When you are looking for someone to turn the momentum of the swim meet in your favor, he’s one of the kids that you can turn to to try and get a win. He’s a fantastic competitor.”
Morris, an elite swimmer, recently saw his high school career come to an end at the PIAA Class AAA Championships where he competed in four events. He was part of North Penn’s seventh place 400 free relay, and he finished fourth in the 200 free. Excelling in the pool is just one of many reasons why Morris was a natural choice for captain. “He’s a very hard worker,” Faikish said. “He’s always – if not the last kid out of the weight room – then he’s definitely one of the last kids out of the weight room. He’s not your outright vocal leader. Where he leads, he leads by example. When you throw a challenging set out and tell the kids to try and accomplish a specific time, he will push himself to try and accomplish that.”
Morris, who also competed in water polo, will be a key member of Hatfield’s American Legion baseball squad this summer. He plans to continue his swimming career at the collegiate level. An excellent student, Morris who is enrolled in numerous AP classes, plans to major in political science.
To view Morris’ complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/jack-morris-0033008
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