Female Athlete of the Year Finalists

Madeleine Collins Mount Lebanon Senior Basketball, soccer • Almanac and All-Section in basketball. • Three-year letterwinner and two-year starter. • Averaged 10 points and 4 rebounds per game. • Led Lebo to three section titles and three consecutive district and state playoff appearances. • Member of 2012 WPIAL runner-up team. • Team captain in two sports. • All-Section in soccer. • Almanac Elite 11, honorable mention. • Three-year letterwinner and three-year starter. • National Honor Society. • Cum Laude Society. • Maintains 5.0 GPA. • Belongs to Highest Honor Roll Club, which includes students with straight A’s. • Volunteer with Top Soccer program. • Played five years Cup soccer with the FCP Club and AAU basketball with the Bruins. • Volunteer for Mt. Lebanon Youth Basketball Camps. • Will major in accounting at Penn State University.

Jeanne Farnan Seton-La Salle Senior Cross country, lacrosse, swimming • Earned 12 varsity letters. • Team captain in cross-country and swimming. • Finished 50th in the WPIAL cross country championships. • Three-year starter in lacrosse. • US Lacrosse Academic All-American. • WPIAL individual and relay qualifier in swimming. • Maintains 4.91 GPA. • Will attend Notre Dame and may run cros country • Plans to become a doctor and work in medical research. • Senior class president. • President of Rebels For Life. • Participates in marching and concert bands as well as flute choir. • Member of International, Art and Latin clubs. • Belongs to Big Sisters and Model United Nations. • Volunteers at Children’s Hospital and St. Thomas More Church. • Raised money for Special Olympics doing the Polar Plunge. • National Honor Society, National English Honor Society. • Traveled on four mission trips to Appalachia.

Katie Ford Mount Lebanon Senior Swimming • Two-time Almanac Athlete of the Year finalist. • 12-time All-American. • Won nine PIAA medals, including silver and third in 50 and 100 free this year. • Won 16 WPIAL medals, including four gold medals. • Three-time district champion in the 50-yard freestyle • Set district records in the 50 and 100 freestyle events. • Holds three team and eight pool records. • Led Lebo to 2014 WPIAL team runner-up title and fifth-place finish in the state. • National and Junior National Qualifier. • Four-time USA Swimming scholastic All-American. • Maintains 4.7 GPA. • National Honor Society. • Cum Laude Society. • Will swim for North Carolina University. • Graphic design winner for Art Show Invitation. • First-place design winner for play T-shirt • Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club swim instructor.

Ashley Grimm Bishop Canevin Senior Volleyball, bowling • Set all-time school records in volleyball for kills with 619 and digs with 1,029. • Captained Crusaders to school’s first WPIAL volleyball title. • Four-year starter. • PIAA All-State, 2013 Class A co-Player of the Year. • All-WPIAL, three years in a row. • All-Section, first team, three years; second team as a freshman. • Named to Terrific 21 Western Pennsylvania Team. • Maintains 3.66 QPA • Will attend Coastal Carolina • Four-time Dr. Benjamin Carson National Scholar for Academic Excellence and Community Service. • National Honor Society. • Wendy’s High School Heisman Award nominee. • Completed the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium Marine Biology apprenticeship. • Concert Performance Choir • Junior Achievement student-teacher • Drama Club, assists the director. • Student Government member where she sits on the anti-bullying committee.

Julianne Hart Bishop Canevin Senior Soccer, track • All-WPIAL, All-Section in soccer. • Voted team MVP and offensive MVP. • Led team in games played and started; shots taken, shots on goal, assists with 12 and points per game 1.17. • Scored four game-winning goals and assisted three game-winners. Finished with nine goals. • Team captain • Excels in 300-meter intermediates hurdles and the 4-by-100 and 4-by-400 relays. • Maintains 3.5 QPA • Plans to attend college. Duquesne & Dayton among her final choices. • Participates in Junior Achievement • Future Business Leaders of America • Spanish Club • Interact Club run by Greentree Rotary • Girl Scouts of America. • Active in church as chaperone for youth over-nighters, maintenance and Adopt-a-Family project during the holidays.

Olivia Lorusso Canon-McMillan Senior Softball, basketball, volleyball • Two-time Almanac Athlete of the Year finalist • 2014 WPIAL scholar/athlete award winner. • All-State, All-WPIAL, All-section in softball. • Two-time Almanac all-star. • Led Lady Macs to first PIAA state championship and back-to-back WPIAL titles in 2013. • Received scholarship to play softball at Robert Morris University. • Four-year letterwinner and two-year captain in basketball. • Scored 1,033 career points and finished with 857 career rebounds. • Two-time Almanac all-star and Observer-Reporter Fab 5. • Three-year letterwinner and starter at middle blocker in volleyball. • Captained Lady Macs to section title and WPIAL playoffs. • Two-time All-section, first team. • All-WPIAL, third team in 2013. • Terrific 21 Westmoreland Sports Network All-Star • Two-time team offensive player of the year. • Maintains 3.9 GPA. • Member of French Club, Youth Group and Life Club • Volunteers and works with autistic children at South Central Camp Fun and community activities.

Margie McCaffrey Mount Lebanon Senior Basketball, lacrosse • Four-year letterwinner in basketball. • 2014 WPIAL Quad-A first team all-section. • 2014 Almanac Elite Eleven. • Averaged 11.7 points, 5.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game this year. • Helped Lebo to four straight section titles and four consecutive district and state playoff appearances. • • • • Member of one PIAA state championship squad and two WPIAL runner-up teams. • North Allegheny All-Tournament team. • Selected to U.S. Junior National All-Tournament team that will play in Washington, D.C. in July. • Plays AAU basketball for the Pittsburgh Bruins. • Two-year letterwinner in lacrosse. • National Honor Society. • Cum Laude Society • National Society of High School Scholars. • Saint Joan of Arc Medallion recipient for over 150 hours of volunteer service. • Maintains 3.8 GPA. • Will attend (Duquesne, Penn State, Allegheny of IU). • Plans to pursue a career in physical therapy. • Volunteers at St. Clair Hospital and St. Bernard Parish. • Counselor at Mt. Lebanon Summer Youth Basketball Camps.

Haley Sutton Chartiers-Houston Senior Softball, cheerleading, volleyball • Four-year starter in softball. • Two-time WPIAL champion. • Four-year letterwinner in cheerleading. • Led squad to district championships in 2014. • Competed at the UCA Nationals in Disney World • Two-year letterwinner and starter in volleyball. • Member of the 4-H Club, two-time Top 8 placewinner in Pennsylvania Horse Show. • Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science, two years and talent search winner. • Student Government, four years. • Leo Club secretary, three years. • Peer Jury, four years. • Class secretary, four years. • Chess Club president. • Foreign Language, Alchemist, Foreign Language clubs, four years. • Student tutor in math and chemistry. • Maintains 4.2 GPA • National Honor Society, historian. • Exceptional Scholars Award winner. • Westinghouse Science Institute recipient. • Will cheer at Otterbein and pursue an academic tract in veterinary studies. • Volunteers for Horses with Hope Therapeutic Riding Center, Relay For Life and Chartiers Parks and Recreation Committee.

Tia Torchia Seton-La Salle Senior Lacrosse, volleyball Four-year letterwinner in two sports. All-WPIAL in volleyball. • Voted Top 10 player as a senior and Top 20 player as a junior. • Three-time All-Section. • Maintained a 92 serving and 81.9 spiking percentage. • Had 36 aces and 117 kills in 2013. • All-WPIAL and All-Section in lacrosse. • Averaged 3.5 goals per game in lacrosse as a junior. • Was on track to lead the team in scoring again this spring but an ACL tear ended her season. • Recruited to play both volleyball and lacrosse at the next level, including by Division 1 schools, but will remain close to home and play lacrosse at Slippery Rock. • Maintains 4.3 GPA. Highest honors all four years. • Student Council member, four years. • Active in Environmental Club. • Participant in the Carlow College Women In Sports Conference. • Attended the Pacific Institute Leadership Seminar. • Volunteers with the St. Bernard Youth Group.

Joey Walz Seton-La Salle Junior Golf, cheerleading, volleyball • 2013 PIAA state runner-up in golf. Best finish ever by a golfer in school history. • 2013 Sectional runner-up and fourth-place finisher in WPIAL. • Two-time PIAA medalist, seventh as a freshman. • First freshman in school history to qualify for state tournament. • Almanac girls’ golf MVP in 2011. • Callaway Junior World Golf Championship qualifier; finished 48th at Torrey Pines. • Western Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Golf champion. • Competes in AJGA and Kings Tournaments. • Plans to golf in college at the Division I level and major in Early Childhood Education with a minor in Special Education and Music. • Three-year letterwinner in golf and cheerleading. • Letterwinner in volleyball and lacrosse. • Member of Big Sisters and Students Against Destructive Decisions. • Volunteer at the Shady Side Soup Kitchen • Helps with the Devonshire Prom. • Member of the Prayer Planning Committee at the high school. • Participated in the Polar Plunge to raise money for Special Olympics. • Voted most unselfish and valued junior high student by faculty in Pittsburgh Public Schools.
Below are the finalists for The Almanac Female Athlete of the Year Award. A common thread among the athletes is they are multi-taskers, excelling in more than one activity while also maintaining the highest standards in the classroom. Of the 10, nine compete in two or more sports and six maintain a grade-point average of 3.9 or better. Half plan to continue their athletic careers in college, three at the NCAA Division 1 level. The female finalists will be honored along with MVPs in all sports at the 24th Premier Performers Banquet. The event will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, May 18 at the Hilton Garden Inn, Southpointe. Tickets are $30 per person. Call 724-941-7725 ext. 129 to order.