Multi-sport athletes takes home top honors for 2022-23 school year at Brentwood

By: Ray Fisher
Sunday, July 23, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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The announcement of the Mark Reider award and Booster Athlete award winners is eagerly anticipated at the end of every school year at Brentwood.

The awards are sponsored by the Brentwood High Athletic Boosters and are presented to the top male and female senior athletes in a school year.

This 2022-23 award winners were Carter Betz and Brianna Folino, both multiple-sport athletes for the Spartans.

Betz was coached in track by David Pavlecic, a Brentwood middle school gym teacher in his first year at the helm of the varsity track program.

“I had the opportunity to work closely with Carter this season and watch him grow during each meet,” Pavlecic said. “Not only is he a leader, but he is dedicated and willing to learn and work hard to grow to be successful in each of his events.”

Betz, a 5-foot-10 senior guard, and senior forward Talan Kammermeier were key returning starters on the boys basketball team this past winter.

Betz competed in basketball, soccer and track at Brentwood and earned 10 varsity letters during his high school career — four in soccer and three in basketball and track. He also was a three-time “most outstanding” team member in track.

“I’m honored to be selected as the Mark Reider Award winner,” Betz said. “It means so much to be a part of Brentwood history. When I heard my name called, I had to think twice about what I had heard. There are so many great athletes in my class, and I am so grateful to have been presented with such a meaningful award.”

Betz qualified for the WPIAL Class 2A finals in the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash and long jump. He placed eighth in the 100 with a time of 11.22 and fourth in the 200 in 22.85.

He advanced to the PIAA championships in Shippensburg in the 100 and 200.

“Carter was successful this season in the 4-by-100 relay, 100- and 200-meter sprints and long jump,” Pavlecic said. “During the Chartiers-Houston Invitational, he placed first in the 200, setting a new record time for the invitational.”

The 18-year-old Betz plans to continue his track career at Allegheny College, where he will study accounting. He graduated from Brentwood with a 3.5 GPA.

Folino was a returning starter in basketball who relied on her quickness and shooting touch as a 5-3 senior guard.

“Bri really developed into a solid, dependable basketball player,” said Rachel Thomas, who coaches the Brentwood girls basketball team. “She always pushed herself, teammates and coaches to be better. Bri became one of the best passers to create scoring opportunities for her teammates. She was extremely unselfish, often passing up great scoring opportunities for herself in order to see her teammates thrive.

“Bri was willing to do anything the coaching staff asked of her. For example, in her junior year she volunteered to be our point guard when we didn’t have one. She always put her team first.”

Folino competed in volleyball in the fall and softball in the spring. She also was a member of the National Honor Society and steering committee.

“It’s an honor to have won the award amongst the other athletes in my grade and to have stood out to the female athlete coaches at Brentwood,” Folino said. “I’m glad I was recognized as the award winner since sports have been such a huge part of my life since I was so young.”

Folino followed in the footsteps of her older sister Alecia, a 2016 Brentwood graduate who landed the Booster award as a senior.

“Our athletic director, Mr. Rick Huffman, announced that I won and made it a point to mention my sister and I were the first and only pair of sisters to both win the award,” said Folino, who will turn 18 in September. “It makes it extra special to know we share that honor at Brentwood.”

The younger Folino sibling attained 13 varsity letters in high school, including four in basketball, three in volleyball and softball and three more in cheerleading.

“Bri was an exceptional student-athlete,” Thomas said. “She always put a lot of effort into her studies and maintained National Honor Society (status) while being a three-sport athlete. That’s an incredible achievement.

“She was always offering her teammates help if they needed it and suggestions on how to be a successful athlete both on and off the court.”

Folino plans to attend Duquesne this fall where she will study data science.

“I’m not playing any sports,” she said, “which will be a huge change for me.”

C.J. Fox and Leyha Ho were the Scholar-Athlete award winners at Brentwood this year.

Last year’s Reider award recipient was Mitchell Fox; Ava Barker won the booster award.

The Boosters also recognized the following for being named a “most outstanding” team member in 2022-23:

Baseball — Kammermeier

Boys basketball — Kammermeier

Girls basketball (tie) — Mia March, Jenna Yee

Cheerleading (tie) — Jaden Pawloski, Paige Wells

Boys cross country — Nathan Tresatti

Girls cross country (tie) — Amelia Foley, Meghan Schruben

Football (tie) — Fox, Jeff Beck

Golf — Brady Donovan

Soccer — Sangay Gurung

Softball — Gemma Stypula

Boys swimming — Kenny Pfeil

Girls Swimming — Candler Smith

Boys track and field — Betz

Girls track and field (tie) — Tafssira Garba Gambari, Schruben

Volleyball track and field Olivia Trent

Kammermeier, Yee, Pawloski, Wells, Tresatti, Beck, C.J. Fox, Gurung, Pfeil, Smith, Betz and Trent were seniors in 2022-23, while the junior class was represented by March, Donovan and Stypula. Foley was a sophomore; Schruben and Garba Gambari were freshmen.

Tags: Brentwood