Quakertown student-athletes commit to colleges

Quakertown track and field has had a strong tradition in the throwing events, and listening to throwing coach Justin Kucharski tell it, the Panthers have sent four of their best off to the college ranks.
“I have dreaded this year since Matt (Pavone), Abby (McClaskey), Kerrin (Long) and Liz (Miskovsky) were freshmen,” said Kucharski. “They were the cornerstones of the throwing squad since their freshmen year. This was the best squad of throwers I have had in 10 years.”
Pavone, McClaskey, Long and Miskovsky were four of the 13 seniors recognized on May 27 for committing to compete in college sports. Three of the four – Miskovsky, McClaskey and Pavone – will be taking their talents to Moravian College, which has been a landing spot for more than a few Quakertown track and field athletes over the years.
Pavone, who finished fourth in the shot put at districts, will major in business administration.
“Moravian fit perfect with my academic interests, and I am able to participate in track and field with current teammates,” Pavone said. “I’ve enjoyed throwing since eighth grade and wanted to continue participating while in college.”
McClaskey, who qualified for districts in the javelin, will major in nursing and is considering a possible double major of sociology in the criminal justice track.
“I chose Moravian for its updated technology that’s great for my nursing major,” McClaskey said. “It has a welcoming community and is full of super nice people and an overall great atmosphere.
“I never really expected to get the opportunity to play in college, but when coaches started reaching out, I found a perfect fit at Moravian between the ability to continue track and field paired with a great program for my academics.”
Miskovsky, who advanced to districts in the discus, will also major in nursing.
“Moravian’s nursing program is fantastic, and their track team was similar to the high school’s, so it felt like home,” Miskovsky said. “I always had the thought (of competing in college) in the back of my head since I was a freshman, but I didn’t really start considering it until my junior year when I started to see clear improvements in my throwing.”
Long competed in both the discus and shot put at districts. She will attend Delaware Valley University where she will major in equine management.
“I chose Del Val for the animal science programs,” Long said. “The decision to play a collegiate sport happened my senior year when shot put and discus clicked for me and led me to a successful year. I discovered that Del Val had an outstanding track team.”
Kayla Horning will continue her track career at East Stroudsburg where she will major in exercise and sports science. She qualified for districts in the 100- and 200-meter and the 4x100 relay team.
“Since freshman year, I knew I wanted to run track at the collegiate level,” Horning said. “I contacted them about track in November, and ever since then, I have wanted to run for them.”
Rylie Murphy will also attend Moravian where she will compete in cross country and track and major in accounting. She has been running track since seventh grade and cross country since ninth.
“It was a sport that I immediately found a love for, and running in college is something I’ve worked towards since I started high school,” Murphy said. “I began my recruiting process the beginning of junior year. I filled out many recruiting questionnaires and made a college recruiting profile as well.
“I decided to apply and sign up for the instant decision day back in October and ended up getting in. After that, I went on a tour with the coach and immediately fell in love with the campus and atmosphere. I could not picture myself going anywhere else.”

Paige Daugherty will continue her cross country and track career at Lock Haven University where she will major in criminal justice.
“I really liked the campus and the team atmosphere,” Daugherty said. “I’ve been running since I was young, and during my sophomore year of track, I became motivated to continue athletics after high school.”
Trevor Gray, who excelled in the 100 and 200, will also continue his track career at Moravian where he will major in graphic and information design.
“Moravian gave me the best opportunity to run track and study what I was interested in,” Gray said. “I started to think about running in college my sophomore year, and the recruiting process with Moravian started in April of last year with an email saying they wanted me to visit as they were interested in me running for their program. I had my first visit with them in December.”
Holly Smith will be competing in both cross country and softball at Cabrini University where she will major in accounting and finance.
“I chose Cabrini because it instantly felt like home when I walked on the campus,” Smith said. “Everyone there is friendly and willing to get to know each student on a personal basis.
“After my freshman year, I began to think about playing softball in college. I started emailing coaches that I was interested in playing for. After lots of research, emails and coaches coming to watch me play, I decided on Cabrini.
“I was offered the opportunity to run for their cross country team as well after showing interest in pursuing the sport in college.”
Andrew Saglimbeni came up just short of a bid to the prestigious state golf championships last fall, and he was, according to coach Brittny Buonanno, the first Quakertown golfer in quite a few years to make the cut to advance out of districts. This fall he is continuing his career at DeSales University where he will major in finance.
“I have a passion for the game,” said Saglimbeni, who chose DeSales for its location.
Glenn Moyer will continue his soccer career at Thomas Jefferson University. He is undecided on a major.
“I chose Jefferson because of its good soccer program, and it’s a good school,” Moyer said. “I started thinking about playing in college after my (club) team qualified for Nationals, and coaches, parents and friends encouraged me to play.”
Fallon Grandinetti will continue her basketball career at Gwynedd Mercy University.
“Playing AAU sports, coaches told me I should play in college,” said Grandinetti, who will major in nursing. “I chose Gwynedd Mercy for the nursing program and basketball.”
Zach Webb is committed to play lacrosse at King’s College where he will major in business administration.
“I liked the school’s student life opportunities,” Webb said. “I felt comfortable with the coaching staff and the team, and I enjoyed the campus.
“I started thinking about playing lacrosse at the collegiate level in sophomore year, and I sent an email to the King’s coach and others. I was looked at by different colleges, but I believed that King’s was the best choice for me.”

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