Four gained WPIAL scholar/athlete award
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Austin Marmol (21) controls the ball during WPIAL soccer action. The Peters Township senior was one of 20 to be named a WPIAL scholar athlete.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Lauren Iagnemma owns several school running records at South Fayette. She is one of three area female athletes to win a WPIAL Scholar Athlete Award.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Kat Wang is a championship tennis player at Peters Township and a recipient of one of this year’s WPIAL Scholar/Athlete awards.
Eleanor Bailey/The Almanac
Aislin Malcolm finished her career as the all-time leading scorer in Chartiers Valley girls’ basketball history. She also merited one of the WPIAL’s Scholar Athlete awards.
Four area athletes were among the 20 candidates selected as WPIAL/James Collins Scholar Award winners.
The quartet were among 142 nominees, the most for the program since the 2016-17 academic year. Eighty schools participated. Of the 75 female and 67 male nominees, 120 of the candidates participated in more than one sport over their varsity careers.
Peters Township led the list with two recipients: Austin Marmol and Kat Wang. Both boast GPAs in excess of 5.0.
Marmol, who owns a 5.67 GPA, earned six letters for soccer and in track and field.
On the pitch, he helped lead the Indians to two section championship, a pair of WPIAL runner-up finishes, and a PIAA semifinalist bid.
A four-year honor roll student, who twice achieved highest honors, Marmol served as a student ambassador and soccer camp counselor as well as a player mentor.
A National Honor Society member, he volunteered with the Salvation Army, Red Door Homeless Shelter Program, Glimmer of Hope Foundation and at the community recreation center as well as for Relay for Life. He has participated in recreational spikeball and dodgeball tournaments.
Marmol will continue his athletic career at Case Western. He plans to pursue a degree in finance.
Wang, who owns a 5.50 GPA, earned four letters in tennis. She also competed on the swim team for three seasons.
Wang combined for two WPIAL and PIAA doubles championships in 2019 and 2020. She led the Indians to a WPIAL team title in girls tennis in 2019.
A four-year highest honor roll student, she also garnered the AP Scholar with Honor and Distinction recognition. Wang belongs to the National Honors Society, Math Club, Interact Club, German Club, and Cyber-Security Club .
She has served as a counselor at Camp Invention, a ball retriever on the USTA Pro Circuit, a tennis instructor and a lifeguard.
She volunteered with Washington Hospital CCU and Visitors Information as well as the school’s Meatballs and Music program.
A talented piano player and violinist, Wang plans to pursue a medical career while continuing to play tennis at Case-Western.
Lauren Iagnemma and Aislin Malcolm joined Marmol and Wang on the scholarship list.
A South Fayette senior, Iagnemma earned four letters in cross country and two for track and field.
She holds school records in the 1600-meter run (indoor), 3200-meter run (indoor), and 4×800-meter relay (outdoor). Iagnemma helped led the Lions to two WPIAL cross country titles in 2018 and 2019 as well as a state title in 2019.
She maintains a 4.39 GPA and has gained highest marks on the honor roll for four years. She belongs to the Strategic Planning Committee.
A talented musician, she belongs to the marching band and concert wind ensemble. She has performed in the school musical pit band, recreational dance and WACA bands.
Iagnemma volunteered at the Washington Area Humane Society and has served as a high school student ambassador.
One of her achievements was successfully petitioning school administrators and school board officials to move prom date in 2021 due to a conflict with PIAA track & field championships.
Iagnemma plans to pursue a degree in psychology while competing at Case Western.
Malcolm maintained a 4.0 GPA while excelling in basketball at Chartiers Valley. She is the Lady Colts’ all-time leading scorer and three-point shot maker.
Additionally, Malcolm guided the Colts to three WPIAL championships and three appearances in the state finals. CV won a state championship in 2019 when Malcolm was a freshman starter.
A two-time Almanac MVP, Malcolm has been a multiple all-section and all-state performer. She earned a Top 100 ranking from ESPN HoopGurlz and a McDonald’s All-American game nomination.
Academically, she has been a four-year high honor roll and National Honors Society member. She belongs to the Math Honors Society, Calcu Solve and Best Buddies clubs while also serving on the Chartiers Valley Student-Athlete Advisory Board. Malcolm volunteers with the Boys and Girls Club, See Her Be Her, and Maximum Hoops organizations.
Malcolm will play basketball at the University of Pittsburgh while pursuing an engineering degree.
The WPIAL Scholarship Fund was created to award scholarships annually to student-athletes from schools and school districts comprising Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association District VII. Since 1992, the league has given $678,000 in scholarships to the James Collins Scholar/Athlete Award recipients.