Spring Sports Senior Athlete Q & A

Boys Track & Field

Nick Ioanilla

Parents Names: Linda and Damien Barret and Dave Ioanilla

Years Participated: All of varsity but not junior high.

Events: 100 and 200 meter sprints and long jump.

Q: What has your favorite memory been over the years?

• I was on the 4 x 100 meter relay team that qualified for states my freshmen and sophomore year.

Q: What are you looking forward to about the upcoming season?

• Doing my best and seeing how far into the post-season I can get.

Q: What have you been doing to prepare for your first match?

• Working on blocks and starts.

Q: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned through this sport?

• I started track just as conditioning for football but I’ve grown to like it over the years. It’s an individual sport so you can only be mad at yourself.

Future plans: I’ll be attending Colgate University to play Division I football on a full scholarship.

Ricky Roth

Parents Names: Rick and Denise

Years Participated: This is my second year.

Events: Long jump, high jump and triple jump.

Q: How do you hope to improve this year?

• I want to make it further into the postseason.

Q: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned through this sport?

• You get out what you put in.

Future plans: Attend a four year college for business.

Seth Zellhart

Parents Names: Ed and Rhonda Zellhart

Years Ran: 6 years.

Events: Middle distance- 800, 4 x 800 relay and 4 x 400 meter relay.

Q: What has your favorite memory been over the years?

• When I ran a 2:10 in the 800.

Q: What are you most looking forward to about the upcoming season?

• Last year I tore my Achilles tendon in December which slowed me all season. So I’m ready to go this year and beat my times.

Q: What have you been doing to prepare?

• I run about four miles a day, and we do ladder workouts sometimes.

Q: How do you hope to improve this year?

• I hope to get my 800 time down to about two minutes.

Q: What was the most important lesson you’ve learned in this sport?

• Never look back.

Future Plans: I’m going to Penn State Beaver for one year then on to main campus for chemical engineering.

Girls Track and Field

Karrington Ketterer and Emily Brown

Parents: Laura and Jeff Ketterer
Ed and Carol Brown

Years played: This is our first year.

Events: Emily- javelin, shot put and discus.
Karrington- sprinting and throwing.

Q: Why did you decided to go out for track this year?

• The three of us [Karrington, Brown and Allie McKelvey] have been playing basketball together for a long time and this is the final season of high school athletics, so we figured, why not?

Q: What will you miss about it after graduation?

• We’ve been involved in athletics together for years and we grew up together. This is the final sport together for us, so we’ll miss that.

Future plans: Emily- I will be attending Kent State to study education.
Karrington: Basketball at Pitt Johnston and studying to be a physical therapist.

Goldie Bookamer

Events: Distance and polevaulting but not the 3200 meter this year.

Years played: Since 7th grade.

Q: What has your favorite memory been over the years?

• Last year I was an alternate for the 4 x 100 meter relay so I got to go to states.

Q: What are you doing to prepare for your first meet?

• I run all year long.

Q: How do you hope to improve?

• I hope to break six minutes in the 1600 meter. Last year my best time was 6:05.

Q: What will you miss about it after graduation?

• I’ll still be running so I’ll miss pole vaulting and Coach Frank [D’Ambrosia].

Future plans: I will be doing club running at Duquesne.

Softball

Allie McKelvey

Sport: Softball and Track

Parents: Eileen and Nick

Years Played: Three years of varsity softball. This is my first year for track.

Position/Events: center field. Jumping and sprinting.

Q: How do you handle playing both sports?

• I split practices. Softball is the priority so if games/meets overlap, I’m playing softball.

Future plans: IUP for respiratory therapy.

Kayla Murin

Parents Names: Lisa and Daniel Murin

Position: Outfield

Years played: Three years of varsity but I’ve been playing softball for about 13 years.

Q: What has your favorite memory been over the years?

• Eisa dug year old socks out of her bag for a practice and one wasn’t even hers, it was mine.

Q: What are you looking forward to most about the upcoming season?

• Playoffs.

Q: Are there any tough opponents this season?

• Mohawk is a big rival.

Q: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned through this sport?

• How to work as a team. It’s not all about one person.

Future Plans: I will be majoring in zoology at Kent State.

Mallory Swaggor

Parents: Todd and Brenda Swaggor

Position: Shortstop.

Years played: Over 13 years total and four years on varsity.

Q: What has your favorite memory been over the years?

• I hit a home run which saved the game in the first round of playoffs.

Q: What have you been doing to prepare for your first game?

• I do a lot of additional practice on my own.

Q: How do you hope to improve this year?

• We want to make it further in the playoffs.

Q: What will you miss about it after graduation?

• Playing with everyone since we’ve been playing since childhood.

Future plans: I’ll be attending Baldwin Wallace for athletic training, ROTC and playing softball.

Baseball

Vincent Ramanio

Parents: Regina Hiler and Derek Ramanio

Position: 1st base and outfield

Years played: Three years varsity, 14 years total.

Q: What has your favorite memory been over the years?

• Working hard with teammates.

Q: What are you looking forward to this season?

• Good pitching on the mound and see how many I can hit.

Q: What have you and the team been doing to prepare?

• Working hard day in and day out. We started in December.

Q: Are there any tough opponents this season?

• Blackhawk and Hopewell.

Q: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned?

• If you don’t work hard, you won’t succeed.

Future plans: Attending Ohio University for Sports Management.

Boys Tennis

Christian Mittica

Years played: Three.

Q: What has your favorite memory been?

• I was close to losing an individual against Quaker Valley but pulled ahead.

Q: What are you looking forward to about the upcoming season?

• Winning. We have a lot more people on the team.

Q: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned through this sport?

• Play one point at a time.

Future plans: Play at Division III College.

Corey Hobbs

Years played: Three.

Q: What has your favorite memory been?

• I was hit in the back of the head with a tennis ball and my glasses fell off.

Q: Are there any tough opponents?

• Blackhawk, Beaver and Quaker Valley.

Q: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned through this sport?

• Patience and anger management.

Future plans: Marine corps. I’m leaving Aug. 15.

Patrick Powlak

Years played: Two.

Q: What has your favorite memory been?

• Beating Beaver Falls.

Q: What are you looking forward to about the upcoming season?

• Seeing the team improve.

Q: What have you been doing to prepare?

• A lot more court practice. Because of the weather and Coach St. Clair was able to secure the court more.

Q: What is the most important lesson you’ve learned through this sport?

• Don’t give up if you fall behind.

Future plans: Electrical engineering at Geneva or Penn State.