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The winter sport season for 2015-2016 was wildly successful across the board. Multiple athletes competed at the WPIAL and State levels. Both the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams made it to the playoffs, and both were eliminated in the first round. The wrestling team, one of the co-op sports with Northgate, struggled due to a small team. One member of the team, Ken Azzerella of Northgate, did make it the regional competition.
Senior Hannah Schoeppner competed as an individual at the State Championship for bowling, and placed ninth overall. Schoeppner has been bowling since she was six years old, and will be competing at the collegiate level in the fall. The bowling team has only existed for 5 years. Her favorite bowling memory was last year when the team made it the State Championship. “[Her] dad cried. [She’s] only even seen him cry twice in his life and he cried he was so happy.” The team won high game for that day, which “was incredible”.
Like Hannah, Lindsey Tighe reached WPIAL’s as a solo competitor, with her own coach for gymnastics and her competition is viewed as a club team. Similar to bowling or hockey, the school board allows athletes to use the district name and colors, but recognitions like a varsity letter are not awarded. Tighe placed first on the balance beam in her division, and trains for her routines often “to ensure [she doesn’t] fall or mess up”. She’ll be training through the summer in preparation of the next season. Tighe’s “most memorable part of [her] season was spending unforgettable times with [her] teammates in practices.
In addition to an undefeated season, the Avonworth/Northgate swim team sent 5 students to the State Championship. A relay comprised of Juniors Anastasia Wagner, Maura Scrabis, and Freshmen Brianna Nowka and Karen Siddoway placed 15th overall, moving up from where they were predicted to place. Siddoway “felt that the relays were a lot more fun than the individual events since [she] was with an awesome group of friends/teammates.” For Scrabis, the most memorable part of the season “was just the overwhelming feeling (and actual reality) that we overcame enormous odds.” Siddoway competed in two individual events in addition to her relay. She placed 5th in the 50m Freestyle and 6th in the 100m Freestyle. Several of Siddoway’s events were televised the week following the State Championship, but she “never really thought of the television as actually being there. [She] didn’t even really think that [her] races could be watched by anyone.” Freshman Aidan Summers also competed in two individual events, the 100 Backstroke and the 200 Individual Medley, and he placed 27th and 22nd respectively.
