Canon-McMillan’s Trest chooses correctly
Cheyenne Trest excelled in two sports at Canon-McMillan, winning a state championship in soccer and becoming a 1,000-point scorer in basketball. The senior, however, will play just basketball when she matriculates to Seton Hill University in the fall.
Cheyenne Trest
Cheyenne Trest confronted difficult decisions as early as middle school. As she headed into eighth grade, she made a life-altering choice. She picked basketball over soccer as her primary sport, paving the way for her to reach her initial goal for a scholarship to pursue a path toward becoming a physician’s assistant.
Because the AAU basketball season and the summer soccer Cup seasons overlapped, it presented challenges for Trest. So she had a heart-to-heart talk with her father, Bruce, who also happened to be one of her coaches, and the pair devised a strategy.
“My dad asked me what sport did I see myself playing in college,” said the 18-year-old daughter of Karen Trest. “That was the key. My choice was basketball.
“I just liked it better because the speed of the game is a lot faster. I couldn’t play soccer year-round because it would interfere with AAU but I continued to play soccer in school because it was a nice break from basketball. Obviously, I’m happy I continued to play soccer. That worked out well.”
Indeed, Trest already is a state champion in her secondary sport as she helped Canon-McMillan capture its first PIAA title this past November. During the 2016 campaign, she assisted 23 goals and scored four times for the Lady Macs, who finished 22-1-1 overall.
“Winning a state championship is the highlight,” Trest said of her athletic career. “Since I was on the team as a sophomore and that was the first year that we had gone that far, I had seen the devastations and the feeling that loss caused so as a senior when we got back there, I didn’t want to have that again. That was the motivation to get back.”
Now,, though, Trest can proudly say that she is part of Canon-McMillan history.
“Honestly, it’s amazing to go into the gym and look up and see that championship banner,” she said. “To know that I am always a part of that team is pretty cool. It will be neat to come back some day and show and tell my own kids.”
As a kid growing up in Cecil Township and attending Muse Elementary School, Trest exhibited a zeal for sports. Because her older sister, Gabrielle, played and her dad coached, she tagged along to their basketball practices until she, herself, started to play in third grade. She had already been playing soccer since kindergarten. Her father coached her through eighth grade and travel ball and her current high school coach, Lou Waller, influenced her play as well. But participation in both activities enabled Trest to excel.
“The sports help each other. Agility in soccer helps basketball and my moves in basketball for the game,” she said. “Kept me on topic and helped me anticipate,” she added.
Anticipation is one of the things Trest does best on the court.
“She has a great basketball IQ,” said Waller, who is the Lady Macs’ floor boss. “She sees things others can’t and anticipates what happens next. She’s an all-around good offensive and defensive player and team leader. You couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Sports honed Trest’s leadership abilities. On the court, she has the ability to take over a game and help her teammates, which is one of her primary objectives.
“Her leadership as a captain kept the team focused throughout the season,” said soccer coach David Derrico. “Cheyenne is a hard worker. She has a no-nonsense attitude. She stays focused on the task at hand. She is conscientious and serious when it comes to off-season conditioning and she stays in shape.”
Those factors, coupled with her technical abilities, would have enabled Trest to play soccer at the collegiate level. While Derrico always knew Trest’s primary sport was basketball, he noted her talents.
“She has outstanding soccer skills and IQ for one who plays the sport three months out of the year. I can only imagine how great she might have been for us on the pitch if she played soccer as much as she plays basketball,” he said. “She could play soccer at the collegiate level. I believe that she would have made an outstanding player for a small D1 program or any other quality program in the other divisions.”
Currently, Trest is committed Seton Hill University, where she will play point guard for the Griffins, who compete in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and at the Division II level. She will major in health sciences and within six years become a physician’s assistant.
“That’s my goal to become a successful P.A. but I’m also excited about playing basketball. They recruited me as a point guard so I’m thrilled about that because in AAU, I’m more a passer and rely on everyone else to score. I like to get people the ball. There is nothing I like doing better than spurring on the team.”
While at Canon-McMillan, Trest spurred the Lady Macs on to their first section title and initial WPIAL playoff victory last winter. As a junior, the 5-7 guard averaged 17 points and five assists per game.
This winter, Trest leads the team in scoring (14.6 ppg.), assists (3.9) and steals (2.6). Plus, she managed 4.8 rebounds a game.
Recently, she reached another milestone in her career. She surpassed the 1,000-point plateau. Her free throw in the third quarter during a 67-55 losst to Fairmont, W.Va. during the California University Hoopfest pushed her over the top. Recently, she was recognized for the achievement prior to the Lady Macs’ loss to Peters Township, 54-38. Currently, she sits at 1,134 points and could finish her career ranked anywhere from third through fifth among the all-time scoring leaders at Canon-Mac.
“When you are a freshman and going year to year, you are not thinking about it at all,” Trest said of scoring 1,000 career points. “I saw Olivia (Lorusso) and Danielle (Parker) do it so it seemed like a memorable moment but I wasn’t focused on it though. We were losing at the time and to me, it’s more important that we win the game.
“It was nice to be recognized though,” Trest added. “Danielle had come back and a lot of my soccer friends came to the game. They have not seen that side of me before.”
Local fans will have three more opportunities to see Trest perform on her home court as the Lady Macs host Bethel Park at 7:30 Feb. 2 against Bethel Park and Feb. 13 against South Fayette. CM also hosts Gateway at 6 p.m. Feb. 7 and visit rival Peters Township Feb. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Though 7-8 overall, the Lady Macs are positioned for a playoff run as the top four teams in the section advance to the post-season.
Long after her scholastic career is completed, Trest hopes to leave a lasting legacy beyond the field and court.
“I hope that I am not seen as just a great athlete but as a great leader that enabled her teammates to carry on beyond the seasons of basketball and soccer,” she said.
Trest certainly has already accomplished that feat. Just ask her coaches.
“She’s a high, high achiever. A straight-A student,” noted Waller. “She’s involved a number of activities and social clubs. She’s an all-around good person.”
Derrico concurred. “Cheyenne is a special young lady,” he said, “and I will miss her outstanding can-do attitude and her smile. Her leadership and the manner in which she treated and helped the players around her will long be remembered after she has left Canon-Mac.”