Baldwin athletes take lessons from annual WPIAL sportsmanship summit

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, December 8, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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The 15th annual WPIAL Summit on Sportsmanship took place Nov. 13 at the Senator John Heinz History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.

Student-athletes from the schools in attendance listened to keystone speakers discuss topics related to the importance of sportsmanship in athletics, and the league recognized Cornell and Moon, recipients of the 2023-24 WPIAL Sportsmanship Award presented by The Wilson Group.

Baldwin was represented at this prestigious event by seniors Kaylee Smolko (softball, volleyball), Anthony DiCesero (football, track), Nate McWilliams (soccer, swimming, track) and Aliza Very (lacrosse, indoor track).

“I felt very excited to be chosen to go to the summit,” Smolko said. “I know that I am a leader at my school, but to be chosen in the select four that got to go out of my entire school really felt like an accomplishment. I really enjoyed the summit. They brought in so many intriguing speakers that all had different things and perspectives to talk about.

“One I thought was interesting was when the Carnegie Mellon basketball coach brought in three college athletes and did a Q&A session. This session really answered a lot of concerns and questions I had about my near future. Also, I learned how to properly speak to the media in a way that will capture the positives about myself and my team. I loved being able to tour the Heinz History Center, and I was really interested in seeing the new women’s section that they recently added to the museum.”

McWilliams’ focus athletically is swimming. He also participates in track and soccer.

“When my athletic director, Mr. Anthony Cherico, asked me to participate I was originally confused about what it was,” McWilliams said, “but once I did some research, I was very grateful to be considered to be a part of it. The WPIAL summit was very enjoyable, influential and informative. I am happy that I had the opportunity to go.

“I thought the summit was very interesting. I was glad I went, and I did learn some things that I have now considered more when playing my sports and in my everyday life. It was a great experience and I’m thankful for the opportunity.”

One aspect of the summit that McWilliams enjoyed most was the speaking appearances made by area college students.

“I believe the main thing I learned was about being a better person in the community,” he said. “But when they had the college students come up and speak, it was really good to know about the differences in the atmosphere from high school to collegiate-level sports.”

Very was intrigued by the number of guest speakers at the summit, particularly the three college athletes presented by Kathy McConnell-Miller, Carnegie Mellon women’s basketball coach.

“I felt very excited when I was selected to support Baldwin at the summit. It meant to me that I was recognized as a leader for all I do for Baldwin lacrosse,” Very said. “I enjoyed listening to everyone talk at the summit.

“When the Carnegie Mellon basketball coach brought out a panel of three college athletes and had them answer questions, I thought this was interesting to hear as I am playing lacrosse in college. I learned a lot about how to support my teammates and what life could look like throughout college as an athlete.”

Very enjoyed her time at this event from start to finish.

“Walking around the history center was intriguing,” she said. “I was able to learn about the history of sports, and it was cool to see the different uniforms and how they evolved to the modern day.”

DiCesaro was a kicking specialist on the Fighting Highlanders football team. On the track, he competes in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes and 400 relay. He is planning to attend college and hopes to continue his athletic career at the next level.

“After being informed I was picked to represent my school, I felt honored that my hard work and commitment to my education and athletics were being noticed,” he said. “I really enjoyed listening to all of the speakers at the summit. Listening to the different athletes about their day and what we can expect at the next level was very interesting to me.

“I learned that being kind, respectful and honest can go a long way with the people you meet. Just saying thank you can really change a person’s perception of you. It was a very exciting experience to be chosen and really encouraged me to keep being kind and respectful to everyone, and I know that future summits will do the same thing for future team leaders.”

Featured speakers at the summit included Brian Gulish from the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum director Anne Madarasz, McConnell-Miller, WPIAL executive director Scott Seltzer and Neil Walker, retired infielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates and a Pine-Richland graduate.

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