Meet the winners of the 2023 Snyder Awards, recognizing Centre County’s young leaders

The 2022-2023 academic year has come to a close in Centre County and that means it’s time to announce this year’s Snyder Award winners.

The James H. Snyder Awards are given in memory of Snyder, a former Centre Daily Times sports editor who was killed in an automobile crash in December 1957. The awards have become an annual county staple celebrating the community’s young leaders — a pair of seniors from each of the county’s five public high schools, Bellefonte, Bald Eagle, Philipsburg-Osceola, Penns Valley and State College, plus Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy. The recipients are recognized for excelling in academics, athletics and community service.

The schools have announced their winners at their award ceremonies, and each of the 12 recipients spoke to the Centre Daily Times about what it means to win the award, what they’ll remember most about their time in high school and what they’re planning to do next.

Without further ado, here are this year’s winners.

Bald Eagle Area

After Abigail Hoover and Coen Bainey received the Snyder Awards for Bald Eagle Area High School on June 1, each was humbled by an award that has special significance to Hoover and that Bainey compared to another famous school honor.

“It’s almost like the Miss BEA award,” Bainey said. “I know how everyone else is in the school is and how they act, so it means a lot to receive this. ... It means a lot to me and shows how much I mean to this community.”

Hoover is the third member of her family to win the award, following in the footsteps of her dad Ron (1977) and sister Angela (1994). That makes the award special, she said, along with what it represents.

“This award means a lot to me because it doesn’t just recognize my athletics,” she said.

Hoover played soccer, basketball and track and field all four years of high school. In track and field, long invitationals led to great memories, she said, recalling one in particular in Slippery Rock her junior year.

“We were there for 12 hours but it was really fun getting to know your teammates and watching them compete,” she said.

Hoover’s community and academic activities included National Honor Society, student government, and serving as president of the SADD club. She enjoyed working with younger kids, both in reading to elementary students during Read Across America Week and serving as an elementary basketball volunteer coach.

“I really enjoyed seeing those young basketball players because I was like them once,” she said.

Bainey wrestled throughout his four years of high school and his team winning the District 6 title this year is a moment that stands out.

“We haven’t done that in a lot of years,” he said. “To do that for the school and the team we had … it was just awesome all around.”

Bainey was also involved in National Honor Society and student government throughout high school and has been grateful for the support of his school community.

“From the teachers to the coaching staff, they all have been wonderful,” he said. “They’re always there for you if you ever need them. They’re always pushing you to be the best you can be.”

Hoover said BEA has shaped her to be hard working, responsible and reliable, especially as she learned the importance of being part of a team.

“During sports, working with your team holds your accountable,” she said. “You play for each other, you don’t play for yourself.”

Hoover will attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania for nursing and Bainey is headed to American University in Washington, D.C., where he will continue to wrestle and plans to pursue a degree in business finance.

Bellefonte

Kate Rarrick and Davis Corman learned on June 2 that they were the Snyder Award recipients from Bellefonte Area High School.

Corman said it’s an award that students hear about every year, and they all understand its significance because of who it’s in memory of.

“It was an honor that I was not expecting to win,” Corman said. “I’m beyond grateful to have been chosen.”

For Rarrick, the award also represents perseverance. While sports have always been a passion, it hasn’t always been easy because of a disorder of the autonomic nervous system she was diagnosed with at age 11, postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS).

During high school, Rarrick ran cross country and track and also swam. Her favorite memory came in 2021 when the swim team won at districts and they all celebrated together.

“Bellefonte has really shaped me to have a passion for the sports I’m in and also to really care about my teammates,” she said. “With having smaller teams because Bellefonte’s a smaller town, it’s really allowed me to have stronger connections with my teammates.”

Outside of sports, Rarrick was secretary of her class and was active in planning senior activities. She was also president of the Spanish Honor Society and was in student council and National Honor Society. As part of the robotics team, she spent a lot of time doing outreach to elementary and middle schools in the area.

“I especially focused on trying to increase the number of female participants we had on our robotics team and that was something I found really rewarding and exciting,” she said.

Corman, who played golf and basketball for the Red Raiders, said he tried to get involved in “everything and anything” when it came to volunteer and academic opportunities through his four years of high school. A short list is being class president, volunteering as a local elections worker and being involved in FBLA, where he was proud to help raise $40,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Bellefonte helped solidify his desire to volunteer and make a difference in his community.

“It taught me some of the core values that I uphold, and about being able to make an impact through your involvement,” Corman said.

His favorite memory of his sports career in Bellefonte is qualifying for states this October in golf — where he saw the “hundreds of hours” of practice he’d put in pay off.

“I battled through the day and was able to put up a score that qualified me for states,” he said.

Corman plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania School in Philadelphia to study business. And after an internship at Actuated Medical Inc. this summer, Rarrick will go to Penn State this fall where she plans to major in biomedical engineering.

Penns Valley

You’d be hard pressed to find two Snyder Award winners more excited for the person they won the award alongside than Dakota Brodzina and Ellie Coursen.

“There is no one more deserving of this award than Ellie Coursen,” Brodzina said. “This award just staples being a well rounded person and there is no one in this world that represents that more than Ellie.”

“I don’t think there’s anybody more deserving than Dakota,” Coursen said. “I’ve seen the work he puts into basketball and baseball as well as school and it’s really remarkable and I admire it a lot.”

The two winners from Penns Valley were both more than qualified to be named the award winners on May 30. Brodzina played baseball and basketball while Coursen played softball and volleyball.

They fondly remembered their athletic experiences, but each had moments in particular that they’ll never forget. For Brodzina it was the three appearances in state tournaments — two for basketball and one for baseball — along with competing for the district title in baseball. Coursen said it was the time with her sister, Hailey, that she’ll always remember.

“I think my favorite sports memory was just being able to play with my older sister for my sophomore year in volleyball,” Coursen said. “She was a senior that year and it was really nice to play with her and have that extra time with her.”

The two Rams contributed plenty away from sports, too. They each spent their free time as part of numerous clubs and volunteering after school.

Those experiences were a big part of their time in high school.

“It really opened my eyes to the people in the valley and how much you can impact someone’s life through just a little bit of volunteering,” Brodzina said. “... Being able to those things really opened my eyes to the diversity of the valley and just the amount of people that you can help in a little bit of time.”

“It’s definitely hard to juggle all of the things I’m involved in,” Coursen said. “But it’s also really rewarding whenever I see how my time has paid off, whether it’s doing well in games or drama performances or doing well on tests.”

Now they’ll turn to the future and that means college for both. Brodzina will play baseball and study physical therapy at Lebanon Valley College, with the intention of earning a doctorate down the road, traveling the world and helping people across the globe. Coursen will attend the University of Connecticut and study psychology with a minor in neuroscience while planning to try out for the club volleyball team. She eventually wants to go to medical school to become a psychiatrist and study mental health disorders.

They both credited Penns Valley for helping them get where they are now.

“The valley is so supportive of all the sports that you play,” Brodzina said. “I remember when I was little growing up going to some of the basketball games and just being in some of those atmospheres and that made it so exciting. It made me look forward to all of my years coming up as an athlete here. Playing varsity sports, I was competing in some of those moments and getting to play in some of them is truly amazing and made some memories that I’ll never forget.”

“The community here is amazing,” Coursen said. “Through anything, they’ll just have your back. It’s something really special that I think is very unique to a small school like ours. So I just think it’s a wonderful place to grow up and a wonderful place to go to school.”

Philipsburg-Osceola

The Snyder Award recipients from Philipsburg-Osceola Area High School each have deep connections to the school they graduated from and the award they won last week.

For Kate Yoder, she remembers her father, a teacher, wheeling her around the hallways in a wagon as a child. For Ben Gustkey, his dad took home the Snyder Award in 1988.

“It’s an honor to me,” Gustkey said. “It’s just an award that represents a lot of hard work and determination to the sports they played in high school.”

Gustkey participated in baseball, football and wrestling at P-O, with the baseball team’s district championship win this year standing out among top memories from his high school career.

He also participated in Academic Decathlon, the school’s fly fishing club, student council, National Honor Society, drama and Mountie Mentors. In his junior year, he was proud to win second place in states in math for Academic Decathlon.

Gustkey’s range of community service included participating in Mountie baseball youth camps, the Jack Frank Memorial Golf Tournament, youth football, youth wrestling tournaments, Toys for Tots and bloodmobiles.

He attributes much of his success on and off the field to P-O and his fellow athletes there.

“It’s made me very hardworking and determined to achieve goals, whether it’s having to achieve certain situations I’m put in or going out of my comfort zone,” he said. “And having good athletes being there to push me to be the best person and athlete I can.”

Yoder, who participated in soccer, cross county, wrestling and track and field, agreed with the impact the school has had.

“Everything I’ve done at P-O has shaped everything I’ve done and everything I will be in the future,” she said.

As an athlete, Yoder said her favorite memory was spending time with her 4X100 team for track and field. She was with the same group of girls for such a long time that they became like family, she said.

Outside of sports, Yoder was involved in student council, Mountie Nation Service Organization, National Honor Society, Illustrators Club, Academic Decathlon, Mountie Mentors and coached elementary track. Her community service included participation in trunk or treat, blood drives and senior breakfasts.

Winning the Snyder Award is an honor, Yoder said, because she felt somewhat like she “faded into the background as an athlete.”

“I didn’t go to states or anything like that,” she said. “It feels good to know that all the hard work I put in through the years is being recognized.”

Yoder and Gustkey were given the awards during a ceremony on May 30.

This fall, Yoder will attend Penn State to pursue a bachelor’s degree in English. She hopes to go to law school to specialize in immigration law, with the goal of becoming an immigration lawyer.

Gustkey will also attend Penn State, where he will pursue architectural engineering.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy

The two winners from St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy are now planning to take what they’ve learned and make a career out of it.

Timothy Peters and Kita Chappell are ready to take the next step in life and do so after building a strong enough resume to win this year’s Snyder Awards on May 17.

Peters, who won two district titles in golf and helped the boys’ basketball team make the state tournament, will attend Millersville University where he’ll golf and study sports management. He’s been heavily involved in sports his whole life and wants that to carry on when his academic career ends.

“I thought that would be the best track to into either an athletic director position or a director of golf at a golf course or something like that,” Peters said.

Chappell became a letterwinner in multiple sports in her high school career — cross country, outdoor track and field, indoor track and field, basketball and soccer — and was a member of the cross country state championship team in 2019, a team she remembered fondly for its togetherness.

She will stay in the area and attend Penn State, where she intends to study immunology and infectious diseases.

“I’ve always liked science and I want to go down a medical path,” Chappell said.

Peters gave a lot of credit for what’s to come to his golf coach, Chad Walsh, who he said always gave him an opportunity to get better on the course.

“He was always there for me when I needed help or always there for advice,” Peters said. “On the golf course he was always challenging me and putting me in different positions so I could get better.”

Chappell said it was her cross country and track coach, Jayson Jackson, who helped push her to reach her potential.

“I think it makes a huge difference whenever you have a coach that loves the sport,” she said. “And it motivated me to come to practice every day and just put in 110% effort every day. Especially in running — it’s a draining sport — and I always had that support from him.”

Those two have been one of the many at their school that have helped guide them and develop them into the people they are. Both Chappell and Peters credited the size and tight-knit community at SJCA for helping them grow throughout their high school careers. That gave them a chance to win an award that they both aspired to earn.

“It means everything to me,” Peters said. “I know tons of people that have won the Snyder Award and they’ve all been great athletes and great people in the community and they’ve helped out a lot. So for me to be able to have my name on the list as a Snyder Award recipient means a lot and I’m really thankful.”

“I’ve always admired (2022 SJCA Snyder Award winners Natalie Page and Samuel Yangula) both playing sports and being on the soccer field and also in the classroom and the way they led in school,” Chappell said. “It’s finally setting in that I’m graduating and that I’ve stepped up and taken that role.”

State College

Both of State High’s Snyder Award winners will be continuing their athletic careers and doing it at some of the highest levels in college sports. Jade Castro and Stephen Scourtis will both be playing at the Division I level to begin their college careers.

Castro will attend Auburn where she will join the swim team after a prolific high school career. She has plenty of medals — 26 from the postseason, to be exact — but it’s the team’s gold medal in the 200 medley relay that will always stand out to her.

“We were behind with 50 yards left to go and I remember watching our anchor leave and we were all sitting there biting our nails, hoping she pulls it through,” Castro said. “In usual fashion as she does, she did. Our relay chemistry was so good. We’re all best friends. ... I think being able to share that moment and score those points for our team was just unforgettable.”

Ultimately, it was a trip to Auburn that made her want to chase more of that same postseason success in the SEC.

“I took a couple other recruiting trips,” Castro said. “But I knew as soon as I went on campus there and met the team and all the coaches and I was able to see the chemistry between the team, I knew it was what I wanted to call home.”

Scourtis will be taking his football career to the Ivy League after plenty of success at State High. He’ll be attending Harvard and join its football team after spending four years as a Little lion doing the same, along with four years on the lacrosse team.

He said one moment in particular from his high school football career stood out.

“It’s hard to choose one out of so many experiences through the whole process,” Scourtis said. “One that always stands out to me would be coming out with a win in the quarterfinal game sending us into the semifinal playoff game for football during my junior season when we beat Harrisburg. ... It was one of those games that come down to the wire and our team really had to dig deep and work together to pull out a win.”

Now he’ll be chasing an even longer football career while also figuring out what he wants to do moving forward off the field. Scourtis has yet to decide if he wants to major in economics or government at Harvard, but will have the opportunity to figure that out once he gets on campus.

“We don’t have to officially decide until after our sophomore year,” Scourtis said. “From what I’ve learned in all the visits I took and everything else — talking with players and coaches — my first week or two up there I’ll get to sit in on and classes and see which classes I like and what direction I want to take.”

Both Castro and Scourtis have done plenty on their own to earn their academic and athletic standing, but each attributed a portion of their personal success to State High and the community they grew up in during their high school careers.