Bruns, Heydt nominated for award
The annual Lehigh Valley Soccer Scholar Athlete Foundation banquet will be held Sunday, Jan. 29 at the Northampton Community Center.
Over 43 area schools will be represented by both a male and female nominee and a scholarship will be given to the winner in each category.
Representing Salisbury are Kyra Bruns and Ethan Heydt.
Bruns was a four-year varsity player, a senior year captain, a First Team All Colonial League Selection and an all-state selection as a senior. She is class secretary, a member of NHS, SGA and SADD.
Heydt was a four-year varsity player, a junior and senior captain, a First Team All-Colonial League player as a junior and senior and a second-team selection as a sophomore. He was named all state as a senior. He is NHS president, Key Club Secretary and a member of SGA and FBLA.
The award began in 1975 with seven male nominees and has gone through several transitions.
In 1984 the Lehigh Valley Youth Soccer League revived the program under the direction of Frank J. Olszewski and Gary F. Toth, and they developed the foundation to be the success it is today.
A separate award will be presented to Toth, a local Lehigh Valley soccer coach, referee, and member of the Lehigh Valley Soccer Hall of Fame for his 30-plus years of dedicated service to the foundation. He will remain active in the program as a selection committee member for life.
The Lehigh Valley Soccer Hall of Fame will also recognize and induct two new members to the group for their lifelong interest and contributions to the development of Lehigh Valley soccer. They are Walt Sweedo, who created the soccer program in Schnecksville and was instrumental in helping develop girls soccer at Parkland High School and elsewhere; and Jozef Kazimir, a semiprofessional and local Lehigh Valley player and referee for over 50 years.
The following is a list of this year’s scholar-athlete award nominees.
Central Catholic - Christina Marinos Chris Alvarez
Bangor - Amalia Abrahamsen, Timothy Ferguson
Bethlehem Catholic - Blake McGill, Kevin Michels
Catasauqua - Sofia Alquinh, Nicholas Hertzog
East Stroudsburg No. - Kassandra Patrick, Joshua Becker
East Stroudsburg So. - Gabrielle Bonnar, Jordan Cortez
Easton - Jayliana Bedoya, Keith Grega
Emmaus - Reilly McGinnis, Kevin Williams
Faith Christian - Nathaniel Peterson
Freedom - Jaiden Coyne, Judson Freidl
Jim Thorpe - Margaret Holloway, Cameron Condly
Lehigh Valley Christian - Jonathan Stamper
Lehighton - Raja Alie Quinones, Tyler Dietz
Liberty - Jessica Becker, Valentin Perevalov
Dieruff - Joey Saba
Moravian Academy - Shabaig Chatha, Griffin Richards
Nativity BVM - Madison Ulsh, Patrick Crane
Northampton - Brandy Moser, Trevor Hanuschak
Northern Lehigh - Karlyna Kemery, Everette Bevans
Northwestern Lehigh - Emily Renner, Dominic Mertz
Notre Dame (East Stroudsburg) - Krista Kissell
Notre Dame (Green Pond) - Catherine Kelly, Cameron Sauers
Palisades - Brianna Johnson, Bobby McClintock
Palmerton - Johanna Matska, Jacob Taylor
Parkland - Olivia Schantz, Mark Stenske
Pen Argyl - Megan McCarty, Mason Hudnall
Phillipsburg - Lauren Brown, Peter Dragun
Pleasant Valley - Natalie Lautz, Ryan Prator
Pocono Mountain East - Taylor Yacuboski, Michael Bone
Pottsville - Megan Dalton, Charles Botto
Quakertown - Victoria Sturgess, Jacob Graham
Salisbury - Kyra Bruns, Ethan Heydt
Saucon Valley - Ashleigh Nagy, Ryan Smith
Schuylkill Haven - Mary Zimmerman, Ryan Kunkle
Southern Lehigh - Allison Borelli, Daniel Qian
Stroudsburg - Becca Meisse, John Burns
Weatherly - Morgan Gower, John Hinkle
Whitehall - Kylee Cunningham, Bailey Luckenbill
Allen - Erika Sinchi, Josen Mana
Wilson - Augusto Sanchez