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 Feb. 8, 2018)
When Central Bucks East girls’ swimming coach Tom Kane talks about senior captain Caroline Cassidy, one word comes to mind. Reliable. That might not necessarily seem to be the most impressive compliment a coach can pay a student-athlete. But as Kane expounds upon his reasoning, it becomes abundantly clear that “reliable” is meant as high praise indeed. “No matter what the situation, Caroline is always there and is always a presence we can count on,” Kane said. “She’s a four-year letter winner, and she’s missed maybe three practices in all of her four years. She’s the first one on deck every morning. She’s won our Most Dedicated Award, our Team Spirit Award. In the pool, she plugs away all season and works hard to get where she wants to be. She specializes in the 100 fly and the 200 IM, which are two events that sometimes kids don’t want to swim, but she does, and it’s wonderful to know you can set up a lineup and she can get you valuable points in those events.”
For Cassidy, it’s easy to be that steady presence when you simply cherish every minute you spend with your team. Well…maybe not every minute. “I really enjoy being with this team,” Cassidy said. “I mean, I don’t enjoy 5 a.m. practice all that often, but I enjoy being with my teammates. I love, love, love my team, I love TK (Kane) and coach Walsh. They all make it an enjoyable atmosphere to be in.” Cassidy’s love for her coaches and teammates is returned in kind. Her efforts both in the pool and out led to her being named one of the team’s three captains. “Caroline has done a phenomenal job as captain,” Kane said. “I couldn’t ask anything more of a kid. She always steps up to the plate. She leads by example, but she’s also very enthusiastic on the deck. She knows what other kids on the team are doing, and when another kid pops a good time, she’s always there to congratulate them. She’s been a joy to coach and watch her grow these last four years.”
Out of the pool, Cassidy remains focused and steady in her efforts. Her senior year course load includes three AP and three honors classes. She serves as secretary of the Class Council, and she is also a member of the National Honor Society and National Spanish Honor Society. She also is very involved in the National Charity League, a mother-daughter organization that focuses on leadership and community involvement. For Cassidy, community service is a calling. “I really enjoy helping people,” she said. “I think helping people is one of the most important things I can do with my life and my time. Having an outlet like NCL to do it makes it really easy to help and I can spread myself out and do a lot of different things that benefit a lot of people.” With a passion for helping others, it’s no surprise that Cassidy is considering a career in nursing.
To read Cassidy’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/caroline-cassidy-0075928
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Feb. 8, 2018)
For Marco DiBattista, success on the wrestling mat came early. Until suddenly, it didn’t, leaving his future in the sport very much in doubt. DiBattista, now a senior at Plymouth Whitemarsh, comes from a wrestling family. His two older brothers, Nicolino and Gianpiero, also participated in the sport. When Gianpiero first joined the high school team, PW’s program was one of the least competitive in the league, according to Marco. But by Marco’s freshman year, the program had turned a corner. Marco became a regional qualifier in his first year as varsity. After making it further into the postseason than anyone else on the team as a freshman and finishing 31-7 on the season, one would think DiBattista would have picked right up where he left of. That didn’t happen. In fact, he went backwards.
After such a successful freshman campaign, DiBattista began to feel heavy pressure to perform well, so much so that he began to dread going to practice and matches. “I developed a lot of mental blocks,” he said. “I thought my teammates and coaches were putting pressure on me, but they weren’t. I was putting it on myself. I’d go into matches shaking, and I just couldn’t perform well. I did fine at leagues, but I really had some letdowns at districts, losing some matches I knew I should have won. I wanted to quit. I hated the pressure. I hated the matches. My parents and brothers didn’t give up on me, though. They knew what was best for me when I didn’t know it myself.”
Eventually, DiBattista got help. He began seeing a therapist, who helped him harness his anxiety, and the results were an unequivocal success. “I think it was as simple as him just going out and wrestling,” said coach David Luthy, who has coached DiBattista since his youth wrestling days. “Not worrying about his opponent or how many accolades the kid he was wrestling had, just putting his foot on the pedal and continue going. He has an unbelievable gas tank and knowledge of the sport itself, so he just needed to re-invest himself in it to remind him why he loved wrestling to begin with.”
DiBattista was named a team captain junior year and compiled a 28-6 overall record. He began dominating opponents he previously lost to or just slipped past, and his road to redemption led him all the way to Hershey as a state qualifier. As a senior, DiBattista was 24-1 after 25 matches, and he is taking it one step at a time. He plans to major in pre-med in college and hasn’t decided if he’ll wrestle at the next level. “He will be great in whatever field he chooses,” Luthy said. “He’s got a great family and support system, and that makes a huge difference. He’s the kind of kid you can send out the door tomorrow and you just know he will be perfectly fine because of the confidence he has in himself. He’s got a great head on his shoulders. If I could take a thousand Marco’s, I’d do it in a heartbeat. There’s only one of him, so I’m just glad I’ve had the last six years to coach him and watch him develop. I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
To read DiBattista’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/marco-dibattista-0075901
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