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 2, 2017)
For high school swimmers, the dual meet season is now in the past. It’s the time of year where nothing but the best will do – Leagues, Districts, States. Understandably, many athletes describe these meets as “high pressure,” “nerve-wracking,” and “stressful.” Wissahickon senior swimmer Kelly Wild uses another word to describe these postseason gatherings of the best of the best. Fun. “I know it sounds weird, but I really enjoy those meets and those situations,” Wild said. “I get so excited for Leagues. It’s fun to have our whole team together and be at such a fast-paced meet. I like the big, high-intensity meets, and I usually swim my best at them.” And the sprinter has proven over the years to be the epitome of both a true team player and a big-meet performer. And nowhere is that more apparent than in relays where Wild has anchored numerous teams to remarkable times and finishes. “I’ve seen her close these relays, and she has no right catching these kids, but she does,” said girls’ swim coach Laurie Hug. “She tends to go faster in relays than in individual events. She wants to win, and in the relay, she wants to do it for the team.”
While Wild specializes as a freestyle sprinter, she has proven over the years to always be willing to fill in wherever she’s needed. If the Trojans need someone to swim the 100 fly or 200 IM in a dual meet, Hug said she never has to look any further than her senior tri-captain. “Kelly has always had a super positive, enthusiastic attitude, even when she was coming in as a freshman,” the Trojans’ coach said. “She’s one of the fastest kids on the team, but she’s always a team player first. Her attitude is always, ‘Whatever you need me in, I’m ready.’ She’s a great, positive force on the team and a really good leader.”
Wild’s desire to help other succeed in the pool isn’t limited to her team. This year she helped coach stroke clinics for the Wissahickon Community Aquatic Club and has worked with groups of kids as young as five at WCAC to introduce them to swimming and help them improve. “Watching her coach WCAC this past year, you can really see her maturity, patience and the passion she has for the sport,” said WCAC coach and Trojans’ assistant coach Greg Beyer. “She genuinely wants the kids to get better at swimming, it’s not just a job to her.”
When she’s not practicing or coaching swimming, Wild is involved with the school’s Senior Class Committee and the FANS Club. She will continue her swimming career at the University of Delaware where she is leaning toward pursuing a career in business or communications.
To read Wild’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/kelly-wild-0068401
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of March 2, 2017)
From the moment CB East basketball coach Erik Henrysen approached Sean Dann midway through his freshman year with the news that he would be splitting time between junior varsity and varsity, a plan – and a glimpse into the future – took form. Dann spent the next years providing depth for the Patriots, knowing that an intense 2016 summer would place him in the starting lineup as a senior. And when the 2016-17 season commenced against Boyertown, it seemed like the vision was going to become a reality, as he dropped a career-high 13 points in a 60-52 winning effort. In the second game of the season at Pottsgrove, the best laid plans were put to rest with an ankle injury. “I knew right away,” said Dann of the severity of the injury, which occurred less than three minutes into the game. The diagnosis confirmed what he already new – a third-degree high ankle sprain, three ruptured ligaments and bone and tendon bruising.
If justice were to be served, this is not how the last chapter of Dann’s basketball career would have been written. “Basketball life just hasn’t been fair to Sean,” said Henrysen. “We anticipated Sean being a 25-30 minute player for us. His year essentially lasted one game. He made senior plays in the win – drawing charges, scoring and making heady decisions. I remember talking with my coaches that night thinking Sean was going to take on a leadership role as the season went on.” Despite some signs of hope and a brief comeback attempt during the season, Dann had to contribute in other ways and make peace with the hand he was dealt. “It was tough, but it happens,” he said. “I had to adjust my mindset. I still found ways to make my presence felt, whether it was on the bench or in the huddle.”
Off the court, Dann is treasurer of student council, president of the Peer Tutoring Club. and he was actively in involved in the school’s Coaches vs. Cancer event. He also is involved with Athletes Helping Athletes, and he credits his youth coach, Jim Reichwein, for engraining a sense of social responsibility and painting a larger picture – beyond the final score of a basketball game – for his players.
A top-flight student with a 4.32 weighted GPA, Dann, has been accepted to Penn State, Virginia, Boston College, Syracuse and Michigan. An aspiring entrepreneur, he will major in business. “Sean is headed for bigger and better things than basketball,” said Henrysen. “He is a highly involved student and is at the top of his class. He has a great head on his shoulders.”
To read Dann’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/sean-dann-0068386
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