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10 Lebanon County athletes to watch as the winter sports season heats up

andy mease
·3 min read

The winter sports season is already off and running with athletes competing across several sports in the county. Girls and boys across the county are competing in basketball, swimming and, yes, wrestling.

Here's a look at some of the Lebanon County athletes that fans should keep an eye on this season:

Aaron Seidel, Northern Lebanon, sophomore, wrestling

Northern Lebanon's Aaron Seidel had a dominant freshman campaign, capped by a state title at 106 pounds.
Northern Lebanon's Aaron Seidel had a dominant freshman campaign, capped by a state title at 106 pounds.

What needs to be said about the Vikings phenom wrestler that hasn’t been said already? He’s a returning PIAA champ in a season where he went 49-1 and thoroughly dominated much of the competition throughout the season. In addition to the PIAA title, he also captured championship titles at King of the Mountain, the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic, Lancaster-Lebanon League Championships, and added postseason championships at the Sectional, District 3, and South East Regional Championships.

Kailah Correa, Lebanon, sophomore, basketball

Kailah Correa is just a sophomore but she already has Division I offers.
Kailah Correa is just a sophomore but she already has Division I offers.

She scored 499 points her freshman year, averaging 20.8 points per game as she led the Cedars to their best season in recent memory as they were co-champions in L-L Section 2. She already has Division I scholarship offers from Illinois and Delaware among others.

Eli Becker, Palmyra, senior, basketball

Palmyra's Eli Becker averaged 12 points per game last season.
Palmyra's Eli Becker averaged 12 points per game last season.

Becker averaged 12 points per game last season for the Cougars and will be relied upon this season for that and much more. The 6-foot-4 post player is a menace on the defensive end as he continually contests and blocks shots.

Griffin Gonzalez, Lebanon, senior, wrestling

Lebanon's Griffin Gonzalez, right, is a three-time L-L League champion and has one District 3 title under his belt entering his senior season.
Lebanon's Griffin Gonzalez, right, is a three-time L-L League champion and has one District 3 title under his belt entering his senior season.

The senior has already become arguably the most decorated wrestler in Cedars history and will look to add to it his senior season. He is a three-time L-L champion having won the 120-pound title in 2020, 138 in 2021 and 152 in 2022. He won a District 3 title in 2021 and finished seventh in the PIAA tournament last season. He is committed to wrestle collegiately at Lehigh University. He enters the season with a career record of 105-14.

Fernando Marquez, Cedar Crest, junior, basketball

Fernando Marquez (23) averaged double digits for the Falcons last season.
Fernando Marquez (23) averaged double digits for the Falcons last season.

The Falcons junior averaged 10.3 points per game a season ago and was an L-L Section 1 second-team all-star. Expect those numbers to rise with another year of experience.

Ava Hoover, Annville-Cleona, sophomore, basketball

Hoover led the Little Dutchmen in scoring as a freshman as was an L-L Section 5 second team all-star last season. Hoover and the rest of the A-C hoopsters will be a team to watch this season.

Carlos Hidalgo, Lebanon, senior, swimming

Lebanon's Carlos Hidalgo competes in the 50 yard freestyle during the PIAA District 3 Class 3A swimming championships at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg on Saturday, March 6, 2021.
Lebanon's Carlos Hidalgo competes in the 50 yard freestyle during the PIAA District 3 Class 3A swimming championships at Cumberland Valley High School in Mechanicsburg on Saturday, March 6, 2021.

Despite not having a swimming team, Hidalgo represented the Cedars in the pool last winter. He picked up a gold medal in the 50 free at the L-L swimming championships in 21.38. He was also the runner-up at the District 3 Class 3A meet in both the 50 free and 100 free.

Olivia Shutter, Northern Lebanon, sophomore, basketball

Olivia Shutter, left, averaged double digits last year as a freshman.
Olivia Shutter, left, averaged double digits last year as a freshman.

Shutter was integral for the Vikings a season ago when she averaged 11.3 points per game as a freshman. She will be relied upon for that and more as Northern Lebanon moves into a new season with a new crop of faces in the lineup.

Aiden Schomp, Cedar Crest, junior, basketball

Junior Aiden Schomp is a force to be reckoned with a 6-foot-6.
Junior Aiden Schomp is a force to be reckoned with a 6-foot-6.

The Cedar Crest big-man averaged nearly 10 points per game last year and in doing so was named an L-L Section 1 second-team all-star. The 6-6 forward will look to be an even more imposing force in the post in his junior season.

Morgan Lantz, Palmyra, junior, swimming

The Cougars junior qualified for a pair of individual events and a relay event at the District 3 championships last season. She competed in the 200-yard medley relay, as well as the 100 and 200 free. She also added top eight finishes in the 100 and 200 free at the Mid-Penn Championships.

This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: PIAA sports: Basketball, wrestling, swimmers to watch this winter