Watson, Lorusso named Almanac Athletes of the Year
Olivia Lorusso and Justin Watson were named the 2014 Almanac female and male Athletes of the Year at the 24th Premier Performers All-Sports Banquet held May 18 at the Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe. A senior at Canon-McMillan, Lorusso will play softball at Robert Morris next fall while Watson will play football in the Ivy League for Penn.
The Friends of Waldie Organization, represented by Tom Etzel of Mt. Lebanon and Frank DelPercio of Bethel Park, present Ben Haus of Upper St. Clair with the Waldie/Shaeffer Scholarship Award. The Friends of Waldie contribute $1,500 and The Almanac provides $500 to the award which commemorates Ken Waldie and Kevin Shaeffer, two victims of the Sept. 11, 2011 terrorist attacks. The scholarship is awarded to an area athlete who demonstrates commitment to country, courage and leadership. Haus, who nearly lost his left leg because of a football injury, will attend VMI. He plans to become a Navy Seal.
Ashley Grimm and her parents Lisa and Curtis check out the picture of her classmate Julianne Hart. Both were female Athlete of the Year finalists. Each of the 48 honored athletes were photographed prior to the banquet and presented a keepsake 8-by-10 of themselves as well as a plaque indicating their achievement.
Levi Masua poses for pictures with his younger brothers, Lucky and Luke. A Seton-La Salle senior, Masua was honored as an athlete of the year finalist. He helped the Rebels to a WPIAL title and the state finals in basketball.
Upper St. Clair athletes: Kyle Page, MVP for boys’ lacrosse, Troye Kiernan, MVP for boys’ soccer and athlete of the year finalist, Ryan Dudzinski, boys’ swimming MVP, and Ben Haus, Waldie/Shaeffer Scholarship Award winner, pose for pictures before lining up for the Parade of Champions. The march initiated the festivities at the 24th Premier Performers All-Sports Banquet. While Dudzinski has a year remaining in high school, the others are seniors. Page will attend Miami of Ohio. Kiernan will play soccer at St. Francis in Loretto. Haus will attend VMI in Lexington, Va.
Jenna Jaworski, second from right, poses for pictures with her parents, Mike and Joanne, and her coach Mary Rae Rocco. The Peters Township senior earned MVP honors for field hockey.
Austin Wilding, a former Waldie/Shaeffer Scholarship winner and junior at the United States Military Academy, addressed the audience and served as guest presenter of the awards during The Almanac’s Premier Performers All-Sports Banquet. Some 200 parents, coaches and athletes attended the event, which recognized the achievements of 48 area athletes.
Bethel Park student-athletes Tatiana Ruzzini, Michael Grimm, Jacob Murphy, Jake Dixon and Stacey Kazalas share a laugh during festivities at The Almanac’s 24th Premier Performers Banquet. Ruzzini was recognized as girls’ soccer MVP, Dixon and Kazalas were MVPs for volleyball, Grimm was a male athlete of the year finalist and Murphy was a finalist for the Waldie/Shaeffer Scholarship Award.
Meghan Schilken delivered the invocation. The Mt. Lebanon senior was The Almanac’s MVP for girls’ swimming. She will continue her athletic career at the College of William and Mary.
After competing in a tennis tournament in South Carolina, Callie Frey made the long journey back home in time to attend the 24th Almanac Premier Performers All-Sports Banquet. The Mt. Lebanon senior earned MVP honors for tennis for the second straight year. She will continue her career at the University of Pittsburgh. She hopes to become an orthodontist some day.
These four ladies competed for The Almanac’s Athlete of the Year Award. Posing with Olivia Lorusso, the eventual winner from Canon-McMillan, are Bishop Canevin seniors Julianna Hart and Ashley Grimm as well as Chartiers-Houston senior Haley Sutton.
Corey Wilding of Upper St. Clair shared the evening with his golf coach Todd Flynn. Wilding was a member of USC’s state championship golf club and a member of the school’s Century Club for 100 career wrestling victories. He is headed to the Naval Academy
Kaelyn Chick of Mt. Lebanon earned MVP honors for rifle. The senior will attend the University of Kentucky.
Some 200 parents, coaches and athletes attended the 24th Almanac Premier Performers Sports Banquet, which recognized the achievements of 48 area athletes on the field, in the classroom and in the community.
Taylor Lehman collects his plaque for being an Almanac Athlete of the Year finalist. In not selected high in Major League Baseball’s Amateur Draft in June, the Keystone Oaks senior will play baseball at Penn State. He was 4-1 with a 1.48 ERA this spring for the Golden Eagles.
Justin Watson of South Fayette and Olivia Lorusso from Canon-McMillan captured Athlete of the Year honors while Ben Haus from Upper St. Clair won the prestigious Waldie/Shaeffer Scholarship Award during the 24th Almanac Premier Performers All-Sports Banquet held May 18 at the Hilton Garden Inn at Southpointe.
Two hundred guests attended the event, which recognized 48 athletes from The Almanac’s readership area for their excellence in athletics, academics and community service.
Watson beat out a competitive field that featured six state champions and three PIAA runners-up, to claim the 2014 Almanac Male Athlete of the Year distinction.
Included among the Top 10 male finalists were: Troye Kiernan from Upper St. Clair, a two-time state champion and member of the Region I national soccer team; Watson’s football championship teammates Grant Fetchet, who holds the school wrestling record for victories, and JJ Walker, who is a PIAA wrestling runner-up; Thomas Steve, a state champion in golf; Dalton Macri, a MVP and state champion grappler from Canon-McMillan; Levi Masua, a WPIAL basketball winner and PIAA runner-up from Seton-La Salle; Major League Baseball prospect Taylor Lehman from Keystone Oaks, Mt. Lebanon wrestling record holder Kellan Stout and Pitt football recruit Michael Grimm from Bethel Park.
Watson shared MVP honors for football with his teammate and quarterback Brett Brumbaugh. Together, they passed the Lions into the record books as South Fayette won its first PIAA football title. The Lions, who were 16-0, also claimed the Century Conference banner and a WPIAL championships. Watson set the WPIAL single-season record with 73 receptions for 1,568 yards and 22 TDs. On a defense that recorded six shutouts, he racked up 54 tackles, 10 deflections and three sacks. The son of Doug and Teresa Watson netted All-State, All-WPIAL and All-Conference acclaim.
Watson also led the basketball team in scoring and rebounding. He was a two-year starter and captain.
A standout in the classroom, maintaining a 4.2 QPA, Watson was a $500 winner and finalists for the WPIAL Scholar Athlete Award. He also was the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Player of the Year.
Watson will play Ivy League football at Penn. He will also be enrolled in that university’s prestigious Wharton School of Business.
Meanwhile, Lorusso distinguished herself out of a field that featured Mt. Lebanon swimmer and North Carolina recruit Katie Ford. Both were two-time female finalists.
The competition also featured eight additional multi-talented athletes that excelled in the classroom, too. They included: Madeleine Collins, a 5.0 student and Margie McCaffrey, both of whom played basketball for Mt. Lebanon; Jeanne Farnan, who is bound for Notre Dame and competed in cross country, lacrosse and swimming at Seton-La Salle; Ashley Grimm and Julianne Hart, standouts at Bishop Canevin; Chartiers-Houston’s Haley Sutton (soccer, cheerleading, volleyball) as well as Seton-La Salle’s Tia Torchia (lacrosse, volleyball) and Joey Walz, a state runner-up in golf.
Lorusso garnered high praise from her coaches. They said she was the most talented female student-athlete which they have had the opportunity to coach.
All Lorusso did during her career was guide Canon-McMillan to its first state softball title, as well as back-to-back district championships. She socked 15 home runs this spring and has the Big Macs poised for another title run.
The Robert Morris recruit also scored over 1,000 points in her basketball career. She finished with 857 rebounds.
The daughter of Bart and Raechel led the volleyball team to a section title and WPIAL playoff appearance. She garnered All-state, All-district, All-conference and All-section honors in her sports while maintaining a 3.9 GPA.
Meanwhile, Haus not only fulfilled one of the criteria for the Waldie/Shaeffer Award by matriculating to VMI, but he overcame much adversity to return to the athletic arena. After shattering his fibula and tibia in football and nearly losing his left leg because he developed compartment syndrome, Haus returned to the baseball diamond.
The son of Charles and Mary Jane Haus of Upper St. Clair ranked sixth among hitters in the WPIAL with a .519 batting average this spring. He drove in 19 and scored 14 runs.
Despite suffering a concussion, too, Haus recovered and was nominated Student of the Year. He maintains a 4.08 GPA and belongs to National Honor Society. He sat on the leadership team for Athletes Taking Action and served as an attorney during Mock Trial Competition. In addition to mentoring troubled students, Haus planned, organized and scripted a presentation that helps students transition through school and advises on how to make better academic and social choices.
According to USC manager Jerry Malarkey, “Ben possesses exceptional character, courage and integrity. His principals and values guide his behavior and decisions. He is respectful of others, loyal and a trusted friend.”
Those qualities will serve Haus well into the future. He plans to one day become a Navy Seal.