Senior cheerleader Kiera Kozak plans to translate a successful high school cheer career into an even better college experience.

“My favorite memory from cheering is definitely winning states this year,” Kozak said. “The whole team had no idea we would ever win, and it was a dream come true. I want to compete at the next level because I have always dreamed of cheering in college.”

Kozak will be attending Austin Peay State University in Tennessee and will be majoring in radiology. She realized that Austin Peay was the school for her during her first visit.

“I wanted to commit to Austin Peay when I first visited and met some of my teammates,” Kozak said. “Seeing how the team is and how nice they were made me really want to be a part of it.”

Although Kozak is excited for the new opportunity, she will miss a lot about high school cheer.

“I am going to miss my teammates the most and all of the great friendships I have made with them along the way,” Kozak said.

Kozak’s family was very supportive through this whole process.

“I would like to thank my family for supporting me this whole year and helping me make my final decision.

Senior basketball player Max Marzina was originally committed to Point Park but then switched his commitment not long after the head coach left for Daemen University in New York state.

“I realized I wanted to go to Daemen two weeks ago after I visited,” Marzina said. “Point Park’s head coach left for Daemen and wanted to bring me with him. After I visited, I knew that was where I wanted to go.”

Marzina is excited for the new environment at Daemen.

“This is really a fresh start for me,” Marzina said. “I’ll be a part of a brand new team in a brand new state and I won’t really know anyone.”

Marzina has been playing basketball for as long as he can remember and does not want to stop at the high school level.

“I don’t know a life without basketball and I love the game too much to stop playing,” Marzina said.

Despite Marzina being ready to play at the next level, he is going to miss moments from high school.

“The crowds we had at home games were unmatched, and that is something I will definitely miss,” Marzina said.

Marzina’s parents have always helped him out through his journey.

“I’d like to thank my family for supporting me and always getting me to practices and games,” Marzina said.

Senior cheerleader Anne Hampton will maintain a family tradition by continuing her athletic career in college. 

Hampton is thankful to have three older sisters who all cheered in college and who played a huge role in her cheerleading career. 

“My two oldest sisters were my elementary school coaches, and all three of my older sisters cheered in high school before me, which gave me a lot of confidence,” Hampton said. 

Hampton will be attending Chatham University to study data science and analytics, in addition to cheering for the competitive cheer team. Hampton says that Chatham is the perfect fit for her. 

“Not only does Chatham have my program of interest,” Hampton said, “but the campus is very beautiful and it is a perfect distance from home.”

The campus was not the only great thing about Chatham. The open gyms allowed her to meet some of the other cheerleaders, and they were all very supportive. 

“All of the girls at the open gyms were super nice and supportive, so I decided to go to tryouts and made the competitive cheer team as a flyer,” Hampton said. 

Hampton said her favorite high school memories were made while cheering. 

“When we did band dances, yelling back and forth with the marching band telling them to play certain songs, those were my favorite high school memories,” Hampton said. 

While senior Vivien Skalos was trying to decide among a few schools, an offer to join the cheer team at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis finalized her choice.

“After the clinic was done, the coach pulled a couple of us aside and gave us official offers to be on her team,” Skalos said. 

The journey, however, was not a simple one. The path to achieve this offer was built upon hard work and determination.

“I took this year to try my best to get better at cheer and worked all year to be able to submit videos to the coach that were worthy of her time when looking at my tryout application,” Skalos said. 

St. Thomas also was one of her top schools from the beginning because of what they provide for her major, mechanical engineering. 

Skalos has been cheering for three years and competing for two of those years. Her favorite memory from the years she competed was winning the state title. 

While Skalos is very excited about taking the next step in her education and cheerleading career, she will still miss high school cheer and her teammates.

“This past year we all got so close, so the thought of having to leave them definitely makes me sad,” Skalos said. 

This season was the first year that the Point Park University’s track and field competed in the Mountain East Conference. The team did well, finishing in second place, and that helped persuade senior Alex Castaneda to commit there.

“Since they finished in second, that showed me how competitive and motivated the program already is. The team also seemed very close-knit and supportive, always pushing each other to improve and be their best,” Castaneda said.

Another reason why he committed to Point Park was because of the school’s academic programs.

“Point Park stood out to me because of its strong criminal justice and forensic science programs, which align perfectly with my future career goals.” Castaneda said.

Castaneda has been competing in track and field for four years and in cross country for three. One of his favorite memories was going out for ice cream after practices.

“I loved going to Dairy Queen with the team after long practices,” Castaneda said. “Those moments helped build strong friendships and made the hard work more enjoyable.”

Castaneda said he is excited to run in college, but will miss high school.

“I am excited to meet new people and experience college athletics at the next level. But I am going to miss my teammates, friends, and the familiar courses and atmosphere that made high school competition special,” Castaneda said. 

Senior football player Noah Saccani will bring his talents to Seton Hill University to develop as a college athlete.

“I chose Seton Hill because it has strong academics in the sciences and their play style matches my style,” he said. “I want to compete at the next level because it is a great time and helps me set up my future.”

What excites him most is the opportunity to extend a lifelong passion.

“I have been playing football for five years, and I am excited that I’m able to continue,” Saccani said.

He will be majoring in biology/pre-med. What Seton Hill offers academically was a big factor in his decision.

“I realized I wanted to commit here after I saw their academics,” he said. “I have always prioritized my education.”

He is looking forward to his future in football, but will always cherish the memories he has made in high school.

“The relationships I’ve built in high school will always be special to me, and I look forward to re-creating that in college,” he said.

His parents and coaches have helped him greatly throughout his pursuit of bettering himself.

“I would like to thank my parents and coaches for always pushing me to be the best version of myself,” Saccani said.

For senior cheerleader Carly Dowhy, the trips to Disney felt the most special during her high school career. She has a strong bond with her team and has created some of her favorite memories with them.

“Some of my favorite memories of doing cheer were bonding with my team. The trips to Disney and states were just so much fun – being able to hang out and become so close with all my teammates,” she said.

She will be cheering at the University of Delaware next season and said it feels like a good fit.

“I chose the University of Delaware because I really liked the campus, they had great programs for academics, and it’s not super far from home. I was also really interested in the cheer program,” she said.

She loved her time in high school, but she is excited to move on to the next level.

“I want to compete at the next level because of how much I still want to learn and because of how much I love the sport and don’t want it to end yet,” she said. “I am most excited about getting to try new skills and cheering at college football games.”

She appreciated the support she gained along the way.

“I would like to thank my teammates, coaches, and families for encouraging me and supporting me every step of the way,” Dowhy said.