Lindsay Solderitch figured she would follow in the tradition of her sisters Julia and Kay, and mother, Kathryn.

Solderitch began swimming at an early age, and it would be the beginnings of a three-sport odyssey that would result in a journey of Whitehall’s recent finest athletes.

She also would embark on a cross country and track career, one that would blend together with swimming that would result in a successful four-year stint.

It was a four-year career filled with personal bests and life lessons. She proved to be a prime example of the adage of hard work and a good work ethic.

For her efforts, Solderitch is the Whitehall Press Female Athlete of the Year.

“My mom and my sisters swam, so I thought I would do it, too,” she said. “I was swimming and playing softball, but I liked swimming better.”

Solderitch followed the traditional route of many Whitehall swimmers and joined the Whitehall Waves as well as the Northampton Kids’ swim club. It was there that she met coach Bill Walakovits, who helped her develop into a consistent, successful swimmer.

“It was definitely a good experience with coach Walakovits,” she said. “He really helped me get ready for high school. I really started to gain a lot of confidence in middle school.”

Solderitch qualified for districts in all four years, and he main focus has been in the 50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke, and 100 freestyle.

Swimming has been staple in her life, and it has helped her with cross country and track.

“It has helped me to stay in shape, and it really has helped with my legs,” she noted. ‘My legs are much stronger.”

This season, Solderitch had to further engage her concentration as the swim meets were with virtual competition due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“We would usually have 15 meets, and this year we had six,” she said. “It was harder not being able to swim against another person. I really had to stay focused. It also cut down on the amount of people advancing to districts because of a limited amount of swimmer advanced. It made me work harder, and I tried to drop my time the best I could.”

Like with swimming, Solderitch followed in the path of her family with cross country. It also had some early roots for her, as Solderitch started running in kindergarten.

Solderitch has worked on her time, and she achieved her personal best with a 21.25 in a meet against Emmaus this year.

“I ran for the CYO when I was really young,” she remembered. “I stayed with it as much as I could. My sisters ran and they helped me along with it. In eight grade, I won one of the races, and I really felt good about myself.

“I decided to try it my freshman year. I knew it would be difficult because I had to run twice the distance from a mile-and-a-half. But I dedicated myself to start to run longer distances, and I liked it.”

Head cross country coach Mike Lelko watched her progression evolve into the ideal student-athlete.

“Lindsay really came into her own in her senior year,” said Lelko. “She was a team leader and captain. She was the team’s number two runners. Lindsay is the quintessential three-sport athlete.’

However, Solderitch found her niche in running when she began her track career. It was a switch from distance to speed, as she began to excel in the 400.

“I decided to give track a try, and I knew I would be running distances,” she said. “I ran distance all my life.

“My coaches told me one day that they thought it would be better for me to run a shorter distance. I tried the 400, and it would take me some to adjust to it. It was a totally different approach. For me, it was as much of a challenge mentally as well as physically. I had to approach everything differently.”

This past track season, Solderitch finished fourth in the 400 at the East Penn Conference (EPC) championships in a time of 1:01.42. Her goal throughout the season was to finish under the minute mark.

At districts the following week, it was mission accomplished. Solderitch finished second in a time of 59.46, and she punched her ticket to the state meet. Solderitch completed her season with a 19th-place finish at the state meet in a time of 59.43. In her sophomore season, Solderitch went to states as part of a 4x100 relay team.

“That was a good feeling,” she said. “I was able to achieve my goal. I was very happy to finish under a minute at states. Going to states was a great way to end my track career.”

Head track coach Tyler Miller also watched Solderitch develop through the years.

“Lindsay was a leader, and she worked hard for everything,” said Miller. “She was willing to take the time to make an adjustment, and she was one of the better 400 runners around.

“She was a great role model for our program, and she will have a good college career.”

Her success in the 400 helped earn her a scholarship to Millersville University, where she will continue her track career. Solderitch plans to pursue a career in either communications or sports management.

“I looked at some schools, but Millersville seemed like the fit for me,” she said. “I liked the campus, and the coaches really reached out to me. I had a feeling that it was a good family atmosphere there.”