PC Celebrates Athletes Who Will Play On in College

PC Celebrates Athletes Who Will Play On in College

Penn Charter honored five athletes who will play their sport at the collegiate level at a celebration Nov. 8 in Gummere Library. Director of Athletics and Athletic Planning John Thiel congratulated and thanked the student-athletes, who were joined by family, friends and coaches to celebrate the occasion. More photos. 

What the coaches say ...

According to their coaches, these five have had an impact on the PC athletics program and their teams:

Reece Whitley: University of California, Berkeley, Swimming

"Reece has played a huge part in Penn Charter aquatics, swimming for the PC Middle School program, PC varsity and Penn Charter Aquatics Club. He has represented PC and Team USA proudly as part of the U.S. National Junior Team since age 15. Reece will be remembered as a true talent, but more importantly a team leader. It has been an incredible experience coaching Reece since he was 11 years old and I am beyond excited to watch him thrive during his next chapter." — Crystal Keelan, PC assistant swimming coach and Penn Charter Aquatics Club head coach

Mike Siani: University of Virginia, Baseball

"While we followed Michael's progress through Middle School and were well aware of the hype surrounding him, it wasn't until his freshman season that we witnessed firsthand what he brings to the table. The hype was justified. I call him a 'Get it kid,' meaning nothing is too big for him. Verbally committing to a top-5 college baseball program as an eighth grader; the buzz was not only around the Inter-Ac but around the country via social media; the scouts, the agents. Nothing rattles him. He just 'gets it.' And the hype/buzz that I refer to, NONE of that is Michael's doing. He's one of the most humble players I've coached. He lets his game do the talking and always puts the team first. He's a hard-nosed, workaholic student-athlete who carries himself like an absolute gentleman. There is nothing he can't do on a baseball field. Irreplaceable." — Justin Hanley, PC baseball head coach

Alexis Joseph: Duke University, Lacrosse

"Alexis is a an extremely gifted student-athlete and Duke is lucky to have her. She has a ton of speed and potential to really excel at the next level. On top of her athletic abilities, she is a great leader and devotes a ton of her spare time to volunteering with Harlem Lacrosse and other inner city lacrosse programs." — Colleen Magarity, PC girls lacrosse head coach

Grace Stansfield: Rider University, Softball

"Grace is our catcher and captain. She has been awarded first team All-Inter-Ac the past three years. She is an extremely proficient and talented catcher who totally shuts down the opposition's running game. She calls all the pitches for the pitchers. Batting, she led the team in RBI's last year and was second in batting average and on-base percentage. Grace's knowledge and mastery of the game, the way she controls it and her insight truly makes her our field general. Grace is a demanding team leader who the players all look up to and respect. She has an intense passion for the game and has my utmost respect and confidence. Grace is one of the main reasons we have won the last three consecutive PA Independent School State titles." — Doc Mittica, PC softball head coach

Ryan Dickson: Hobart College, Lacrosse

"Ryan is the kind of student-athlete we're looking for. He's a competitor on a daily basis and does whatever he's asked to do. Last year he was our face-off guy but we had some injuries and asked him to play attack even though he had never played that position before. He ended up having a great season there. Ryan is just one of those kids: he's a complete team guy, he works really hard every day in practice and he's a really smart kid in the classroom. He brings that to the table for us daily." — Pat McDonough, PC boys lacrosse head coach

Pictured are: (top, L-R) Mike Siani, Ryan Dickson. Bottom (L-R) Alexis Joseph, Reece Whitley, Grace Stansfield