Although she’s one of the best all-around track and field athletes in Hudson County, Sarah Sisk has never had the chance to concentrate solely on her athleticism.
“In my household, academics always came first,” said Sisk, who stands a chance to be the St. Dominic Academy Class of 2012 valedictorian in a week or so.
In a week where Sisk helped the Blue Devils to capture yet another Hudson County outdoor championship by capturing four medals – two gold and two silver – she also traveled to the Pines Manor in Edison to receive the NJSIAA’s Scholar/Athlete award from her school.
Sisk was one of a handful of top local student/athletes to receive the honor.
“It’s something that I always wanted throughout my high school days,” Sisk said. “I knew that some of my former teammates received the honor, so it’s something I worked hard for. It’s nice to get recognized for the hard work in class as well as in track.”
Sisk, who will attend NYU in the fall, was impressed to see so many other student/athletes in the room at the Pines Manor.
“It was impressive,” Sisk said. “I didn’t expect it to be that big of a thing. I walked into the room and it was a pretty big deal.”
Another local athlete to receive the honor was Marist senior Brandon Walsh, a member of the Royal Knights’ basketball and football teams.
Walsh had no idea he was under consideration for the award.
“I was actually kind of shocked when I found out,” Walsh said. “I know there are a lot of good students who play sports and I know how hard they work. Schoolwork has always come first naturally for me. I’m not exactly hitting the books for 24 hours a day, but I do take it very seriously. It felt good to be recognized with the others.”
Walsh, who first attended St. Anthony and then transferred to Marist as a sophomore, will head to the University of Arizona in the fall and hopes to study pharmaceutical science with the eventual plan of becoming a pharmacist.
“I realized early on that there was a life beyond sports,” Walsh said. “I knew I needed to get a good education to continue down the path I want to go.”
Walsh also was impressed with the enormity of the luncheon.
“It was very impressive,” Walsh said. “I got to see and be with schools we’re not normally with. And all of those students were a lot like me, putting in the time in the schoolwork as well as athletics.”
Walsh was especially happy to see a regular season basketball opponent from Plainfield, Justin Sears, in attendance.
“He’s a good basketball player and he’s going to Yale,” Walsh said of Sears, who faced St. Anthony in the Tournament of Champions final game at the IZOD Center the last two seasons. “That’s very impressive.”
So Sisk won four medals on Saturday, leading her team to a county championship and a day later, she had a seat in a ballroom with the 300 best student/athletes in New Jersey. That constitutes as a pretty good weekend.
“I ran my PR [personal record] in the 800 [meter run] and it was a last minute decision to do so,” Sisk said. “It was nice to have something to be recognized for outside of sports.”
Other Hudson County student/athletes honored at the luncheon included Sairah Medinacelli of Ferris, Kaydee Murphy of Holy Family Academy, Gustavo Familia of Memorial, Kathleen Mercado of Secaucus, Tamarick Mays of Snyder and Marco Perez of Union City…
North Bergen native Evan Rodriguez is now officially a professional football player. Rodriguez signed a four-year contract with the Chicago Bears, with the entire package coming close to $2.5 million.
Rodriguez then went to Chicago to participate in the Bears’ rookie mini-camp and didn’t waste time impressing the Bears’ coaching staff and administration. One coach was quoted in the Chicago Tribune as saying, “Evan Rodriguez is the most impressive all-around athlete we have in camp. The kid can do everything and he’s going to be a great player for us.”
Rodriguez’s No. 88 jersey with the Bears is already on sale. He’s definitely made it…
Condolences to North Bergen girls’ basketball coach Dan Reardon, who lost his brother Mike tragically last week…
Former North Bergen pitcher Damien Seguen made the final roster and is a member of the Newark Bears’ pitching staff. Seguen will definitely be a starter for the Bears, although it would be nice if the team knew how to spell his name correctly…
The official dedication of the Caven Point athletic complex in the memory of Ed “The Faa” Ford will take place on June 14 at 3 p.m. It’s a fitting tribute to the man who literally lived down there and will serve as a permanent remembrance for his hard work and dedication to the thousands of kids he touched over the years…
Hudson Reporter H.S. Baseball Top Five: 1. Marist (21-5). 2. Bayonne (21-7). 3. St. Peter’s Prep (17-11). 4. Weehawken (15-11). 5. North Bergen (16-8).
Hudson Reporter H.S. Softball Top Five: 1. North Bergen (20-5). 2. Hoboken (23-3). 3. McNair Academic (21-4). 4. Secaucus (21-5). 5. Hudson Catholic (17-5). – Jim Hague.
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.