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 June 9, 2016)
Kate Wisniewski is a student-athlete who does it all. Literally. The Upper Merion senior, chosen to represent her school on 6abc’s Best of Class, is the Valedictorian of the Class of 2016 and has taken all honors and AP classes. She is president of the school’s largest service organization, the Octagon Club, and is the senior school board representative for student council. Wisniewski is the head delegate of Upper Merion’s Model United National Club and is active in her church and community. And that’s just the beginning. She is a two-year captain of the swim team and holds a pair of individual records and was part of two record-breaking relay teams. Last fall she was captain of her soccer team, and for good measure, she owns and operates her own business – Wisniewski Leaf and Lawn Care.
Coming as no surprised, the senior captain is one of those players coaches love to have on their team. “Right from the beginning, she really became a leader on our team,” UM swim coach Jeff Bugenhagen said. “She’s super hardworking, really conscientious. She’s incredibly coachable. She was the kind of swimmer that was not only doing what she needed to do for herself but making sure her teammates were on track, getting the work done. She was also a really supportive leader. She was there to pick people up when they fell down. She’s really an all-around good person, a compassionate person.” Wisniewski displayed those same characteristics on the soccer field. “She was always so motivational to her peers – she would give them little quotes before games and have little pep talks with them,” coach Laura Hilmer said. “Whenever I felt they needed some uplifting, she would always do that for us. She really was a keystone player in terms of keeping the team together and bringing her best every day and doing everything she could for the good of the team. She was very passionate about the sport and very much 100 percent a team player.”
As a sophomore, Wisniewski broke the swim program record in the 50 freestyle and was part of the medley relay and 200 freestyle relay that broke school records. She had her sights set on the 21-year-old record in the 100 free and broke it at Upper Dublin’s Last Chance meet.
Wisniewski was accepted into Penn State University’s Saffire Leadership Academic Honors program at the Smeal College of Business, and while swimming is not part of her immediate plans, she plans to continue at some level. She will major in business with plans to attend law school.
To read Wisniewski’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/kate-wisniewski-0062860
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of June 9, 2016)
Nash Nickerson thrives on the big stage. Unlike some athletes who wilt under the bright lights, the Central Bucks South senior delivers his best performances when the stakes are the highest. It’s a trait that has served Nickerson well in the high-pressure world of competitive diving. He has won back-to-back fourth place medals at the PIAA Class AAA Championships the last two years. “He’s the type of kid – the bigger stage, the better Nash performs,” coach Jeff Lake said. Added South diving coach Fred Dunn, “The thing that stands out about Nash to me most as a diver is he did his best in the biggest meets. He’s a big stage diver, he likes the big stage. He knows how to prepare himself for the big stage, he knows how to focus when he’s there.”
Nickerson admits he thrives on the competition. “I love the adrenaline rush of competing in meets and having to do all my dives and trying to do them perfect,” he said. “That’s just one of my favorite things to do – just being in the moment and competing with people that are my friends and getting to know new people every year. I love big competitions. I don’t feel like I’m the person at the top very much, so I feel like when I’m the underdog, I do my best because I feel like I need to prove myself, and that’s something I love doing.”
Nickerson was the perfect captain and leader of a young South team short on numbers this year, and while it might be unusual for an elite diver to also compete in swimming events, Nickerson regularly competed in the 50 freestyle as well as a pair of relays. Since he was 14, he has been working with Fred and Lesley Woodruff at Rutgers University and still makes the trip four or five times a week. Just as Nickerson is a natural leader, he also falls comfortably into the role of coach and happily drives to New Brunswick to volunteer his time coaching young divers.
Academics are also a priority for Nickerson, who is a member of the National Honor Society and maintains a 4.0 GPA while taking AP and honors classes. He will continue his diving career at the United States Naval Academy where he will pursue his goal of becoming an officer in the Marine Corps. “We’re extremely proud of him, not only for his accomplishments on the diving board,” Lake said. “When I address my team, it’s always as gentlemen, and I tell them – you guys are gentlemen and I expect you to act like that. He does epitomize that. He’s respectful, disciplined, without a doubt, and hard working. You name it, he has it. He will fit that military mentality. He’s a great kid.”
To read Nickerson’s compete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/nash-nickerson-0062853
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