Belle Vernon’s Viva Kreis earns honorable mention for Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, June 30, 2023 | 4:36 PM

Belle Vernon’s Viva Kreis already gained national attention when she won the $10,000 Heisman High School Scholarship Award last December.

Now the recent graduate is being recognized by ESPN.

Kreis is an honorable mention for the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award, which for the second time will be part of the ESPY Awards on July 12.

The King prize, which is part of the Sports Humanitarian Awards, “honors young people who are using the power of sport as a catalyst for change and making a positive impact on society.”

Belle Vernon's Viva Kreis an honorable mention for the Billie Jean King Leadership Award at the ESPN Humanitarian Awards.@VivaKreis @BvasdAthletics @TribLiveHSSN https://t.co/BHyumY1xMU

— Bill Beckner (@BillBeckner) June 30, 2023

Embracing the role model part and wearing it well, Kreis said after she won the Heisman award: “If I can make a difference in just one other girl’s life, that’s extremely fulfilling for me. Coaching younger players, it’s all about having personal conversations with them and giving them an experience to talk to someone who was once where they were. Hopefully one day, they’ll be aiming to win this award, too.”

Kreis, an Olympic hopeful in team handball, is a former cross country, track and field and basketball standout.

She competes with Team USA in handball and has become proficient in the sport, playing in world and national-level championships in Slovenia and Mexico City.

In the past, she traveled the country following WNBA teams as part of the league’s media team. She conducted interviews with players, coaches and executives.

While she does not plan to play a collegiate sport, Kreis will attend the Walter Kronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Belle Vernon