Nominees announced for Westmoreland County’s Judge Driscoll Scholar-AthleteAward

By: HSSN Staff
Tuesday, March 27, 2018 | 8:39 PM

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As retired Westmoreland County Judge John J. Driscoll addressed the county high school athletic directors and a school representative at his annual luncheon to decide the 2018 Scholar-Athlete Award, he told the group they were faced with a tough decision.

“I've looked at the qualifications of all the candidates, and I continue to be impressed,” Driscoll said. “You're faced with a difficult decision. I'm amazed with their qualifications.”

There were 36 student-athletes nominated — two each from the 18 high schools in the county — who the athletic directors and a school representative reviewed and voted on.

They voted based on the students' academic and athletic accomplishments.

The group voted on 12 finalists and out of that group decided on a male and female winner who will be honored April 24 at Ferrante's Lakeview in Hempfield.

The 2017 winners were Franklin Regional's Spencer Lee, who recently won an NCAA Division I wrestling title for Iowa at 125 pounds, and Greensburg Central Catholic's Mikayla Bisignani, who recently competed in the NCAA Division III swimming championships for Johns Hopkins.

Past winners of the award include Hempfield's Maddie Holmberg (2015), Latrobe's Natalie Bower (2009), Greensburg Salem's Chris Klimchock (2009), Southmoreland's Chris Dugan (1997), Latrobe's Karissa Marie Walker (2003), Yough's Nicole Sleith (2011), Hempfield's Richard Vidmer (1963) and Latrobe's Neal Fenton (1985), among others.

This year's John and Michael Ferrante Memorial Award will be presented to Hempfield softball coach Robert Kalp. The annual award goes to an individual who helped promote high school athletics. Kalp helped Hempfield win consecutive PIAA titles in 2016 and '17.

The 2018 Scholar-Athlete Award nominees are:

• Belle Vernon: Bailey Parshall (softball) and Derek Thomas (football).

• Burrell: Zachary Gimbel (basketball) and Micaela Crawford (track).

• Derry: Chelsea Bisi (softball) and Isaac Buterbaugh (golf, swimming, baseball).

• Franklin Regional: Sophia Hudson (soccer) and Nate Leopold (football, basketball).

• Greensburg Central Catholic: Sydney Ward (soccer, basketball, track) and Ethan Slike (football, soccer, track).

• Greensburg Salem: Jesse Quatse (wrestling) and Brooke Smith (swimming).

• Hempfield: Allison Podkul (basketball, volleyball, softball) and Justin Sliwoski (football, basketball).

• Jeannette: Chloe Stein (soccer, basketball, softball) and Jake Mortimore (golf, soccer, baseball).

• Kiski Area: Dan Starr (wrestling) and Erin Weaver (volleyball).

• Latrobe: Taylor Miller (diving, tennis, track) and Jason Armstrong (football, basketball, track).

• Ligonier Valley: Robert Patrick (wrestling, track) and Abigail Turcheck (swimming, softball).

• Monessen: Cory Fleming (baseball, football, basketball) and Dana Vatakis (softball).

• Mt. Pleasant: Ben Bailey (soccer, tennis) and LynnJoelle Gardner (swimming).

• Norwin: Maria Santilli (tennis) and Magen Polczynski (basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, track).

• Penn-Trafford: John Gay (football, track) and Sydney Smith (field hockey and swimming).

• Southmoreland: Ryan Lemmon (golf) and Kaylee Farino (cross country, track).

• Valley: Dan Antonacci (baseball) and Madison Hill (swimming).

• Yough: Aubrie Mance (softball) and Montana Olexa (gymnastics).

Paul Schofield is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at pschofield@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Schofield_Trib.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Burrell, Derry Area, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Greensburg Salem, Hempfield Area, Jeannette, Kiski School, Ligonier Valley, Monessen, Mt. Pleasant, Norwin, Penn-Trafford, Southmoreland, Valley, Yough