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Eden Christian Academy
Warrior Athletic Office
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GREAT SEASONS FOR ECA ICE HOCKEY & SWIM ATHLETES |
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Dear Parents, Students, Faculty, and Staff,
Did you know that we have Warrior athletes competing in ice hockey and swimming?
Although ECA does not have a hockey or swim team, students with interest in these sports were able to use their talents and compete! Through a cooperative agreement with Avonworth School District, we have four athletes competing on their ice hockey teams. And as allowable by the WPIAL for certain sports such as swimming, we have a student who competed in swimming this year.
We wanted to share a little about these athletes and their successes this year.
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HOCKEY CO-OPERATIVE PUTS ECA STUDENTS ON THE ICE
ECA senior, Eli Szenyeri, and sophomore, Zach Nacey, have been competing on the Avonworth high school ice hockey team for the past two years. This year's team recently played in the high school play-offs. Hank Szenyeri, sophomore, is also a member of the high school team but was out with an injury this year.
Nello Torrerio, 7th grade, began playing goalie on the middle school ice hockey team this year. The team advanced to the play-offs.
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Avonworth Coach Steve Guest talks about the high school team's season.
Two Eden Christian Academy students were leaders on this year's Avonworth Varsity Hockey team, a co-op team made up of host school Avonworth, Ambridge HS, Eden Christian Academy, and Aquinas Academy. The team has made the P.I.H.L. playoffs in all of its first three seasons.
ECA players Eli Szenyeri and Zach Nacey returned for a second year with the Avonworth squad and led the team with their play all season long. Eli, a senior centerman, was the Avonworth Captain, and leading scorer for the 10-6-0-2 Lopes, with 13 goals and 6 assists. Eli was recognized for his play by the league, being chosen as one of three players to represent Avonworth Hockey in the Division 2 All Star game on April 3, 2022.
While only a sophomore, Zach Nacey was named an Assistant Captain and contributed in big, "team first" ways, all season. Zach was also a top 5 scorer for the Lopes, with 5 goals and 7 assists.
A third Eden player, returning sophomore defenseman Hank Szenyeri, was unfortunately sidelined for the season with a rotator cuff injury after only two games, which created a big hole on defense for the Lopes. We missed Hank this year, and we will definitely miss Eli as he graduates!
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Avonworth Coach Scott Purcell tells us about middle school hockey.
Nello Torriero has been a great addition to the Avonworth Co-op Ice Hockey Program this season.
I first met Nello at our summer dry-land workouts. While he connected with the other kids and had them laughing and engaged right from the start, my thoughts were, “Yeah, but can he stop a puck?” Well, no worries there, he immediately proved to be a great netminder. His record is 6-1 with a 2.8 goals against average this year in PIHL play! Middle school hockey is primarily a bantam age league, but Nello has had no problem handling himself with the big folks. He is a big reason that the team’s record is 13-2 and in the semi-finals for the Middle School Championship again.
From a coach's perspective, he has made my life easy not only because of how he plays but how he interacts with his teammates. He keeps things loose and the kids really want to fight for him on the ice. He is a very engaging, respectful, solid young man. His parents and teachers should be proud!
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INDEPENDENT SWIMMER COMPETES FOR ECA IN WPIAL
Marideth Hull, sophomore, competed in swimming for ECA the year. She qualified for the WPIAL championships in the 200 and 500 meter freestyle swim events early in March and competed at the University of Pittsburgh.
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Coach Kevin Robertson told us about this year's swim season.
Marideth had a truly awesome year! She made the WPIAL secondary cut times in the following events: 50, 200 and 500 Freestyles; as well as both the Fly and IM. Next year, she has a really good shot at making the podium at WPIALs and a good possibility of going to States. She is a nice blend of drive, determination, strength, and talent. I have no doubt her best swims are just ahead for her. Over the years I have had the honor to work with some truly gifted swimmers. I would gladly put her in the same group as them.
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CONGRATULATIONS to these amazing athletes who are following their dreams and competing in sports they love! |
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Keep Lookin' Up,
Mark Ackerman
Athletic Director
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Athletes grounded in faith, on and off the field |
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