Pittsburgh athletes of the week: South Fayette’s Sam Snodgrass, CWNC’s Tori Michalski

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, November 1, 2017 | 9:42 PM

Previous Next

Previous Next

Sam Snodgrass

School: South Fayette

Class: Senior

Sport: Cross country

Claim to fame: Snodgrass won the WPIAL Class AA cross country championship in 16 minutes, 33 seconds. The senior improved on his fifth-place finish from last season and advanced to the PIAA championships Saturday in Hershey. Snodgrass has verbally committed to Duquesne where he will continue his cross country career next season.

What did it feel like to cross the finish line first?

I've wanted since my freshman year to be that WPIAL champion. It really means a lot. I've had a lot of older alumni friends who've graduated who have done the same thing, and I've looked up to them for a long time, and I just wanted to do that myself. It was one of my biggest dreams in cross country.

What was the difference this year as opposed to your fifth-place finish last year?

Last year, I started off the season and I was kind of sick. I didn't have a lot of confidence throughout the season. At the Red, White and Blue Classic, I don't think I even finished in the top 10. And this year I went out and won the Red, White and Blue Classic. To have that confidence throughout the whole season, finishing top spots in some of these big races … has boosted my confidence, and I think I'm a stronger runner in general this year.

Is it different running in cold weather at all?

I prefer to run in hot weather. I find that cold weather messes up my breathing a little bit. I think the weather at the WPIAL championship was pretty ideal. It was a little chilly, but other than that I think it was good.

What's your favorite class?

I liked physics a lot last year. It made a lot of sense to me and it was just very logical, and I guess I'm more of a logical thinker.

Tori Michalski

School: Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic

Class: Freshman

Sport: Soccer

Claim to fame: Michalski netted all three goals in the Trojanettes' 3-0 quarterfinal win over OLSH. Scoring 20 goals as a freshman, Michalski helped to lead Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic (15-5) to its first section championship in school history.

What led to your success in the win over OLSH?

We started off confident with our play. We wanted to make it to the semifinals, and I think the three goals really helped us build and be confident.

Have you surprised yourself with your success as a freshman?

I think one thing that really helped me score those 20 goals were my teammates. They really helped me. Almost every goal came from an assist, so passing together and combination play and getting good balls played through.

How did you get started playing soccer?

I started when I was about 4 years old, and it kind of stuck with me since and I love it.

What's your favorite Halloween candy?

Definitely Reese's.

What's your favorite class?

Algebra II. I think it's interesting and I like solving equations.

Tags: Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic, North Catholic, South Fayette