Nine BAHS athletes committed to playing their sport at the collegiate level during a signing that took place in the cafeteria on April 4. Here is some advice and insight from each of these athletes.
Sienna Barnhart
College: Penn State University Dubois
Sport: Softball
Advice for Younger Athletes: My advice for younger athletes would be to have fun and move on from your mistakes.
Influence for Softball: I got into softball when I was 8 years old and came over from coach pitch baseball.
Isaak Bloom
College: Juniata College
Sport: Golf
Advice for Younger Athletes: Always listen to your coaches, even when you’re frustrated or angry about something, they always know how to help. And always be a team player, always try to help other teammates and be a leader.
Influence for Golf: I got into golf because of my parents. They always played golf and I just thought it would be extremely fun to try it.
Additional Comments: There is always room to improve, so don’t expect to be perfect all the time.
Trevor Johnson
College: Duke Univerity
Sport: Baseball
Advice for Younger Athletes: My advice to younger athletes is stay motivated and push yourself to become the best person you possibly can be.
Influence for Baseball: I have loved the sport of baseball my entire life. Being born into a family that endeavored in baseball. This has allowed me fulfill my childhood dream allowing me succeed at a high level.
Braedyn Kormanic
College: Delaware Valley University
Sport: Baseball
Advice for Younger Athletes: My advice for younger athletes is to always work hard, and never doubt yourself.
Influence for Baseball: I got into my sport when I was about five years old, and I wanted to play baseball because my dad coached and I loved being around the game.
Mackenzie Mamolen
College: Juniata College
Sport: Soccer
Advice for Younger Athletes: My advice for younger athletes is to never give up. If you have a vision of yourself playing at the collegiate level, work your hardest to achieve that goal – it’ll pay off.
Influence for Soccer: I started playing soccer when my parents signed me up for Soccer Shots at 3 years old.
Kiaha McCool
College: Texas Christian University
Sport: Swimming
Advice for Younger Athletes: My advice for younger athletes would be to find a sport that you love and enjoy it as much as possible. Try to make it fun!
Influence for Swimming: When I was younger my mom signed me up for swim lessons and I guess I stuck to it because I was on the Bellefonte YMCA swim team growing up. Then I moved up to a different team and have stuck with it ever since.
Katelyn Packer
College: University of Rochester
Sport: Swimming
Advice for Younger Athletes: My advice to younger athletes would be just go stick with it snd try your best. It’s all for fun!
Influence for Swimming: I started my sport after my first day of lessons when I screamed the whole time. My parents were told to keep me in it, and I never stopped.
Carlee Pepperman
College: Allegheny College
Sport: Volleyball
Advice for younger athletes: My advice for younger athletes is to never give up. If you have a vision of yourself playing at the collegiate level, work your hardest to achieve that goal – it’ll pay off.
Influence for Volleyball: I got into volleyball when my older sister decided she was going to teach me in our backyard. I was too young to play competitively, so that is how I learned the basics. Since I was 11 years old, I’ve played competitively nearly all year round.
Jeffery Barnyak
College: Penn State Univerity Park
Sport: Cheerleading
Advice for Younger Athletes: Enjoy the tough parts. Enjoy the training, time with you friends, and coaches. The gratitude of winning comes from how hard you worked.
Influence for Cheerleading: I got into cheerleading because my mother and some friends asked me to give it a try. We as athletes don’t always have a straight road to follow. Be open to new ideas and make sure to not judge something without trying to understand it first.
Additional Comments: I would like to give a massive shout out to the amazing coaching staff here at Bellefonte. Every single sport I’ve done has been lead by an amazing coaching staff that was there to answer any of my questions. They were all understanding and patient, but tough when I needed it. They are tuely the ones who are responsible for my success.
