Trib HSSN May Madness: Meghan Schnur, Butler vs. Amanda Palenchar, Derry

By: Don Rebel
Tuesday, May 12, 2020 | 9:00 AM

Over the course of the next month and a half, May Madness will determine who fans believe is the WPIAL Athlete of the Century.

HSSN has put together two 32-player brackets, one for the boys and one for the girls, of WPIAL alums. Outside of a few exceptions, the field is made up of former district players who excelled in more than one sport.

Each weekday, May Madness will have one matchup each on the boys and girls bracket with a little background info on each athlete found in a daily tale of the tape.

Starting at 9 a.m. Tuesday and running through 9 a.m. Wednesday, you can vote on the HSSN twitter page on the two athletes featured in this first-round matchup.

Check the HSSN website at noon Wednesday for the matchup’s final results.

Here is the contest for the girls. Round 1, Day 8:

Meghan Schnur vs. Amanda Palenchar is a matchup of athletes who enjoyed their high school success in the first decade of the 21st century.

Meghan Schnur — Butler Class of 2003

(Soccer, track and field)

• 2002 Pittsburgh Tribune -Review soccer player of the year.

• 2002 Gatorade Pennsylvania soccer player of the year and Parade All-American.

• Schnur made the all-district and all-state teams in 2000, 2001 and in 2002.

• As a senior, Schnur scored 26 goals and added 25 assists in leading Butler to a 19-4-2 record and a berth in the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals.

• As a junior, Schnur helped Butler reach the WPIAL quarterfinals, but three wins in the state playoffs advanced the Golden Tornado to the state title match where Butler fell to Downingtown in Hershey.

• She was a captain for two years for the Butler girls track team and finished third as a freshman in the 3,200-meter relay at the 2000 PIAA Class AAA track and field championships.

• She was inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame in 2013.

• Schnur played soccer in college at Connecticut.

Amanda Palenchar — Derry Class of 2008

(Track and field, volleyball, diving)

• 2008 Tribune-Review female athlete of the year.

• Earned all-state honors her senior season in the pole vault and diving events.

• She won WPIAL track and field gold when she finished first in the 2008 Class AAA pole vault by clearing 11 feet, 3 inches. She finished fifth in the same event in the PIAA championships with a high mark of 11-6.

• Palenchar won the 2008 WPIAL girls AA diving championship by scoring 442 points, 54 points ahead of the district runner-up.

• She finished in fourth place as a sophomore and third place as a junior in the WPIAL AA diving championships.

• She helped the Derry volleyball team make the playoffs, reach the WPIAL semifinals and earn a berth in the PIAA playoffs.

• Palenchar was on the track and field team in college at Penn State.

Meghan Schnur – @Butler_Area_SD
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Amanda Palenchar – @DASDTrojans1

— TribLive HSSN (@TribLiveHSSN) May 12, 2020

Tags: Butler, Derry Area