By THOMAS LEFFLER
sports@centrecountygazette.com
STATE COLLEGE — To become a successful student-athlete is one of the hardest endeavors for a young high school student. Striking the careful balance between schoolwork, sports and extracurricular activities can drive many students to incredible stress. For the select few who do excel in this renaissance lifestyle, they become success stories any student can aspire to be.
The Centre County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame recognized 12 of these success stories recently, with a $300 college scholarship courtesy of Reliance Bank. Awarded to a male and female recipient at six area high schools, the scholarships are handed out to those who provide their teams with leadership and success.
Academics are strongly considered in the selection process, as are school and community activities. As far as athletic accomplishment, recipients must have won at least one varsity letter during their career.
‘We’re pleased to support the scholarships,’ Centre County chapter president Ron Pifer said. ‘We’re grateful to Reliance Bank and to the guidance departments at the schools for helping us recognize these athletes.’
The 12 recipients of the scholarship were: Bald Eagle Area’s Adazia Mellot and Trent Donley, Bellefonte’s Dylan Dietrich and Alexis Wetzler, Penns Valley’s Justin Sands and Dayna Brown, Philipsburg-Osceola’s Loryn Hughes and Brandon Anderson, State College’s Jacob Whipple and Jacqueline Peffer and St. Joseph’s Academy’s Peter Forstmeier and Katie McGraw.
This is the third year that the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame has been able to provide scholarships for student-athletes. Each recipient was given their scholarship at school awards ceremonies over the past month.
