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 26, 2014)
When Katelyn Jackson was younger, she joined the crowd. She played soccer. Her coach called her “gazelle girl,” and with good reason. “I was faster than all the other kids on the team,” she recalled. From there, she chose the road – or sport – less traveled. Jackson began competing with the famed Ambler Olympic Club and embarked on a track career that has been so successful that the Cheltenham senior has formally signed on the dotted line to accept a scholarship offer at UCLA. For Jackson, it is a “dream come true” to follow in the footsteps of her mother, Amy, also an alumnus of UCLA who initially walked onto the track team that included Jackie Joyner and Gail Devers and was coached by Bob Kersee but eventually chose to write sports for the Daily Bruin.
For Katelyn, her eyes were always on the left coast. When Jackson met Cheltenham coach Kelly Jensen for the first time, she shared her dream. “Katelyn has set some lofty goals for herself,” the Lady Panthers’ coach said. “One of the first conversations I had with her as a freshman was that she wanted to run for UCLA. She knew it would take a lot of work, but she has achieved that goal. Her goal was to be a state champion, and she has achieved that goal three times and a team championship – all while maintaining a focus on her goals and the team. She has a vision and is pushing to exceed those expectations.”
Although track is an individual sport in many ways, Jackson is an excellent teammate and leader. Her dedication is contagious, and her selection as one of the Panthers four team captains was an easy one for Jensen. “She has a strong desire to succeed and is learning that you succeed by doing the right thing and working hard in your preparation,” Jensen said. “Other team members see this commitment and love of the sport, and they follow her example. We had three second place finishes at the state championships and a state championship over the past five years. Katelyn has been a large part of that success due to the example she sets.” Jackson has particularly high hopes for the 4x100 relay team where she is the only senior among a quartet that includes Channel Brisset and juniors Cierra Leonard and Nicole Burke. During the winter season, the fab four won the state title – setting a state record – and placing third in the national meet in the 4x200.
When Jackson goes from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, she plans to pick up where she left off with an eye toward the future beyond running. She is planning to major in something science-related but also wants to become a track coach. In that pursuit, she has a leg up from coaching youth between the ages of eight and 12 at the same Ambler Olympic Club where “gazelle girl” got her start.
To read Jackson’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/katelyn-jackson-0042652
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of March 26, 2014)
Michael Freeman just might be the ultimate success story. And not necessarily because of the Upper Moreland senior’s individual accomplishments but rather because of what he represented to his swim team. The senior captain – a key contributor in the Golden Bears’ run to the program’s first District One AA title – was a study in perseverance and an advertisement for the value of hard work. Coach Melanie Rowland recalls Freeman’s persistence as a freshman trying to make the district cut. “He was one of those kids that didn’t do year round swimming, and what happened was we had a swim-off because it was between him and another boy for one of the relays,” the Golden Bears’ coach said. “We did it every single day, and he didn’t make it. It was just heartbreaking because this was a kid who had so much heart. He was a baseball player, and he said, ‘Do you think I should play baseball or swim?’ I said, ‘I’ll be selfish and say I really want you to swim, but I think you need to talk to your baseball coach too.’”
Freeman went back to baseball that spring and persevered with swimming the winter of his sophomore year. His swimming career reached a turning point when the 4x200 relay he was part of earned a spot in states. “It really opened my eyes to how much work is necessary to get to states,” he said. That spring he was back on the baseball diamond as a member of the jayvee team, but he also made the decision to swim with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club. The decision to swim year round altered the course of his career. As a junior and senior, Freeman, who gave up baseball after his sophomore season, medalled in districts in both his individual events – the 50 and 100 free, showing improvement each year. “For swimming, if you work hard, you get what you put in,” Freeman said. “That’s what I love so much about swimming.”
The senior captain leaves Upper Moreland with his name on the record board – a member of the 4x200 medley relay that broke the program’s 16-year-old record. “’He’s a kid that has gone far simply because of his heart, because he wants it more,” Rowland said. “This young man as a freshman made a decision, and we were real lucky he made the decision for swimming. I know there’s going to be a hole not having him there next year. I will miss him a lot.”
Freeman will continue his swimming career at Marywood University where he will major in biology with his sights set on one day becoming a cardiologist. An excellent student, Freeman is a member of the National Honor Society and takes a full course load of AP and honors classes.
To view Freeman’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/michael-freeman-0042659
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