The Snyder Award tradition continues in Centre County with 12 new winners for 2022
A tradition more than six decades old, Snyder Awards were recently given to Centre County student-athletes who have made contributions to athletics, their school and their community.
The awards are named after James H. Snyder, a former Centre Daily Times sports editor who was killed in an automobile crash in December 1957. These awards are meant to carry on Snyder’s legacy while celebrating students in the county who display admirable character as they strive for success.
The recipients earn the award based on their accomplishments in athletics, achievements in the classroom and contributions to the community. The awards have changed somewhat over the years, like adding a second honoree at each school after initially having only one, but the intent has stayed consistent. The Snyder Awards continue to honor the best and brightest student-athletes in Centre County.
The awards were initially handed out to just four students back in 1958, and that total has grown to 12 with the influx of schools in the area.
Winners have gone on to find great success in their lives. From doctors and lawyers to coaches and teachers, many have continued their community contributions long after they received the award.
It is with great honor that we announce the 2022 Snyder Award winners from across the county: Bald Eagle Area’s Matthew Knepp and Madison Perry, Bellefonte’s Nolan Weaver and Hana Rados, Penns Valley’s Jack O’Donald and Cameron Upcraft, Philipsburg-Osceola’s Jeremy Whitehead and Paige Jarrett, Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy’s Samuel Yangula and Natalie Page, and State College’s John Brownstead, Kylie Ehrensberger.
Bald Eagle Area: Matthew Knepp and Madison Perry
Matthew Knepp and Madison Perry were excited to win Snyder Awards with each other during an awards ceremony on June 2.
“Well, it means really a lot to me,” Knepp said. “My coach let me know about it before the awards ceremony and he told me that he had voted for me and that it was an honorable thing to earn. He told me that had to do with extracurricular activities and sports and as well as being in the classroom and you keep maintaining a high GPA.”
“This award is very prestigious and this has been a goal of mine since my freshman year,” Perry said. “I started pursuing sports and competing in three different sports. It has been hard to persevere, but this award made it all pay off and I just wanted to say thank you, and I’m super grateful.”
Knepp played soccer in fall, wrestled during the winter and participated in track and field during the spring.
“My favorite athletic memory was during wrestling season during districts,” Knepp said. “I was the underdog in the match and I came out on top and ended up winning. It was against Westmont-Hilltop my sophomore year. Unfortunately we didn’t win but it was a real awesome experience. It’s either that or during soccer districts. I scored the game-winning goal during first overtime to move us on to district finals.”
Perry played softball, volleyball and basketball and lettered each year.
“My favorite athletic memory would probably be having the opportunity to be starting shortstop as a freshman and just to be so young and we made it to state final,” Perry said. “I actually had a walk-off in the state semifinals my freshman year to get us there. And that was probably one of my most favorite memories.”
Knepp enjoys the STEM program and looks to achieve at a high level.
“I was always great at science and math. I’m going into the engineering field in college,” Knepp said.
As for Perry, “My favorite academic achievement was probably maintaining National Honor Society and graduating in the top 10 percent of my class while pursuing all three,” she said.
The two are looking forward to achieving a great deal in their academic careers. Both will be attending college.
“So, right now, my plans are to attend Penn State for the next four years, earning a degree in biomedical engineering,” Knepp said. “And I’ll also be part of the ROTC program and then following that, I will be seeing, as an officer in the Marine Corps.”
Perry is headed to Bloomsburg University to major in forensics. She has also picked up another love over the course of her senior year that she discovered through her art teacher.
“Forensics is just something I’ve always had my mind on, but I decided to minor in graphic design this year because my art teacher actually pushed me and I began selling art this year on top of everything else,” Perry said. “And I just found a love for it that I didn’t know I had and I just think the graphic design field can help the community and I can help anybody.”
High school meant a lot to both students. Bald Eagle built a culture that the two won’t forget.
“I’m very sad to be leaving,” Knepp said. “And it was such an honor to be part of the school. Both my of parents went to Bellefonte, but they ended up bringing us to Bald Eagle. The schooling here is just amazing. All of the teachers here were amazing. And I had one of the best high school experiences I think you could ever ask for, some of the best friends you could ever ask for and I’m very sad to be leaving them and the school. I I like the saying, ‘Bleed, blue and gold.’ I think that I I definitely believe that. That’s what I do.”
“High school was an opportunity to make some of the best memories and it may sound cliche, but the time flew and I will look back and remember the bleacher full of hometown fans on a home football game,” Perry said. “And all of that and high school has just been an opportunity to prepare me for what’s next.”
Bellefonte: Nolan Weaver and Hana Rados
Nolan Weaver and Hana Rados were named their school’s winners on June 7, and winning the award meant more to them because of who they won it with.
“It just means the world to me,” Rados said. “It’s just so awesome. I’m glad that all the work I put in has come to this. ... Nolan is just a top tier guy. To be honored with this award with him means the world. He’s such a great guy. He loves his community, he loves his family and he loves his friends. To be next to him receiving this award means the absolute world and I’m honored to stand next to him.”
Weaver added: “I just feel extremely blessed by God. It’s a great honor to win this award. ... It’s a great honor because Hana is also a great athlete and an amazing person and a great servant of the community. She’s a very excellent scholar. It’s very humbling to be next to her winning this award.”
Rados played soccer, lacrosse and basketball as a Raider, and her experience with the lacrosse team as a senior stood out the most.
“The lacrosse season this year was absolutely phenomenal,” she said. “I would say it’s the best way to end our season. I just have the best memories from that and I just felt like the energy there was the most positive.”
Weaver wrestled, was on the track and field team and played football in his time at Bellefonte. His favorite athletic memory came on the gridiron when he helped his coach, Vaughn Donmoyer, get his first career varsity win.
“I think my favorite memory was winning the Philipsburg-Osceola game,” he said. “It was our head coach’s first varsity win and my first win as a senior. I scored two touchdowns that game and the team really came together. I really enjoyed that. It was a magical night.”
The Bellefonte seniors were active outside of athletics as well. Weaver volunteered as a firefighter and was secretary of the Spanish Honor Society, among other activities. His favorite off-field activity was his work with the fire department.
“It’s been a wonderful experience,” he said. “Just being there day-to-day with those guys has just been great.”
Rados spent her free time as a member of the Spanish Honor Society, with the academic decathlon team and working at The Pet Pub. Her senior year with the academic decathlon team is something that will always stay with her.
“With the academic decathlon, this was the first year in the entirety of the team that we went to states,” she said. “Being a part of that was absolutely magical. We did really well at districts, and just going to states was like a new experience. There was no sadness, it was all happy, it was all excitement. Everyone put so much effort into that and I feel like we had the most impact on the school’s legacy with that club.”
She’ll take those experiences with her to the University of Florida where she intends to major in marine biology. She chose that path because of the multiple options it presents her moving forward.
“I want to study marine biology and locate myself in Florida and do various studies on ocean life, oceanography, all that stuff,” she said. “Or, more simply, become a science or history teacher and just dedicate myself to school in order to help children or students learn and get themselves out there and better prepare them for the world.”
Weaver plans to attend Penn State and study international relations, along with enrolling in the ROTC. He wants to use the degree to potentially get a job in the government.
Both winners were grateful for their time at Bellefonte and believe the school helped shape them into the people they have become.
“Bellefonte has brought out the best in me,” Rados said. “This year has definitely been one of the best years of my life. I feel like all of the teachers involved in this year showed me how to become myself and allowed me to become myself in different classes. As well as the coaches throughout the four years that I’ve been here, they’ve really allowed me to adapt and develop into the person I am today.”
“They’ve just given me every opportunity to do well in the community and my academics and athletics,” Weaver added. “I can’t thank the community enough for really facilitating all that I’ve done. I couldn’t have done it without them, or God or my family and friends.”
Penns Valley: Jack O’Donald and Cammie Upcraft
Jack O’Donald and Cammie Upcraft have accomplished many things throughout their academic and athletic careers at Penns Valley.
On May 25, they added winning a Snyder Award to that list.
The two are excited to share the award with one another and enter into a legacy of past Penns Valley award winners.
“It’s great to be recognized for the work I’ve put in and of course I’ve gone to school with Cammie for years,” O’Donald said. “I know she’s smart, I know she’s great at sports. It has been fun to work with her in class, to watch her in athletics and it is a bit humbling to be in the same conversation as her. The same goes for the winners of the award last year — Maria Lavallo and Colton Sands. Through academic decathlon, I knew both of them fairly well and they were both real role models to me.”
“Everybody around school, you say Jack and it’s like, ‘Oh, he’s super-smart,’ ” Upcraft said. “So, to be named with him, it’s a high honor and obvious that’s he’s very smart. And to be compared to him, it is very honorable.”
O’Donald played soccer and was on the track and field team. While his team wasn’t able to pull out a victory in the district quarterfinal soccer game, he fondly recalled the final moments that he and his teammates shared while playing for Penns Valley’s varsity soccer program.
“We had a really hard-fought game against Huntingdon at Mansion Park and we got unlucky,” O’Donald said. “We came away with a 2-0 loss and it was tough. The entire team, we got back on the bus, we went to Sheetz, ordered food and we all got a last chance to hang out with each other. I’ve always valued social interaction and being able to be with the people around me.”
Upcraft played volleyball for the Lady Rams and had a standout senior season. She played 68 sets, with 199 kills, a 47.5% kill percentage, .329 hitting percentage, 38 solo blocks, 58 total blocks and 12 aces as a senior. She also won a district championship in track and field in the high jump, with a jump of 5-4 in the District 6 Class 2A championship on May 17.
“There was one track meet where it was pouring down rain and I was able to have fun and I was soaked,” Upcraft said. “Just those small, fun moments highlight my athletic career.”
Their athletic accomplishments were preceded by their achievements in the classroom and in clubs. O’Donald was crowned state champion in March’s academic decathlon state finals, finishing with 8,396 out of 10,000 possible points and medaling in eight out of 10 events. He additionally served as a resource to the rest of his team, finishing third place among the small schools in states.
“Just the cumulative work that I’ve put in and the overall benefit that I’m getting now at the end of my high school career, it’s definitely satisfying,” O’Donald said.
“I’ve worked hard throughout my whole time and I’ve been able to work my way up toward the top of the class,” Upcraft said. “Being named at the top of the class is probably one of my best accomplishments academically.”
Both want to continue to be leaders in their communities and will begin that by attending college.
O’Donald is set to attend Penn State and is undecided as a major.
“It’s a really good school and I’m really excited to branch out and meet new people and have new experiences,” O’Donald said. “As far as what I’m studying, that part is a little bit more up in the air. I’ve never really had a strong or weak place in school.
“I’ve always just kind of been the same in each subject and it’s been hard for me to distinguish what I’m good at doing versus what I’d like to do. So, that’s the next part of my journey that I’m looking forward to accomplishing and completing. I want to do finding a purpose in the world and just trying to make it a better place with everyone else.”
Upcraft is set to continue her volleyball career and has already decided on a major.
“I’m planning to go to Lycoming, where I’m going to play volleyball and I’m going to study biology,” Upcraft said. “Then, I hope to go into research and start playing volleyball and continuing track at some point.”
High school meant a lot to each student-athlete.
“It’s just been a great opportunity in so many regards,” O’Donald said. “Academically, athletically, socially, the chance to prove myself academically, the chance to compete athletically and meet people and learn life skills, like cooperation and teamwork that I don’t think I would have learned from a classroom alone. The people at Penns Valley have always been amazing. And I’ve always loved coming to school and seeing them every day. It’s the main reason to get up in the morning and go to school. “
“To be able to figure out like what was important to me and figure out that I definitely like academics was important,” Upcraft said. “But as well as ... sports, building with the team, friendships and just relationships overall in general (were the best part).”
Philipsburg-Osceola: Jeremy Whitehead and Paige Jarrett
Jeremy Whitehead and Paige Jarrett were excited to win Snyder Awards on May 31, crediting their school for shaping them into the student-athletes that they are today.
“I feel honored that I was able and I was selected to win this award,” Whitehead said. “I know in the past, all the great people who’ve won and how much it means to so many people and how it just shows what a great athlete I’ve tried to be and a great person. And I was just honored to be selected.”
“I am very appreciative of it and it makes me feel like I put all of my time and effort into it for all of my schoolwork and sports,” Jarrett said.
Whitehead played basketball and baseball for the entirety of his time in high school. He also played football early in his career. He enjoyed spending time with his teammates and building strong relationships.
“Just being able to hang out with so many great teammates and have so many great memories with all of the coaches that I’ve had the last couple of years has been an awesome ride,” Whitehead said. “I wouldn’t change any of it.”
Jarrett played volleyball and softball at P-O. With the volleyball team, she won two district championships in 2020 and 2021. She also made a state championship appearance in 2021 — a moment that she’ll never forget.
“Making it to a state finals and having an undefeated season up until that point meant a lot to me,” Jarrett said. “It made me feel very grateful that I put all of my time, effort and dedication into it. It was very worth it.”
As for their school work, Whitehead said that math is the subject that shaped his love of academics.
“I’ve always been great at math and it’s really fun, especially with all of the great teachers in our school,” Whitehead said. “One of my favorite academic achievements is to get into the National Honor Society. I feel like that’s a pretty big thing that I was able to achieve during my academic career.”
Both Whitehead and Jarrett were inducted into the National Honor Society for their academic achievements.
“I’d say that my biggest accomplishment was getting inducted into the National Honor Society and staying on high honor roll for all four years of high school,” Jarrett said.
With the sun setting on their high school careers, each look to join the medical field.
Whitehead will be pursuing a doctorate at the West Virginia University School of Pharmacy. He has a goal to improve the place where he’s lived for much of his life.
“I want to become a licensed pharmacist and one day return to Philipsburg and be able to be a pharmacist here,” Whitehead said. “I’ve always liked math and science. I’ve always looked into something with that in the medical field. I feel like it’s a great balance and a good career. If I’m able to finish that, it’ll set me up for the rest of my life.”
Jarrett will stay closer to home, attending Mount Aloysius College in Cresson. She will study nursing and is looking forward to working with children. She will also be playing volleyball.
“I want to become a nurse practitioner,” Jarrett said. “I don’t know where yet, but I probably want to do something with kids. I love helping others, especially children.”
As students at P-O, both felt that the school and community as a whole shaped them.
“It means everything,” Whitehead said of his time at P-O. “I feel like it’s the most fun that I’ve had in my entire life and it could be the most fun that I have in my entire life. Everyone that’s been around — whether it’s my friends or teachers or everyone that’s helped me — it’s really been awesome. Everything from the sports, to going to school everyday, is fun and learning so much. I’ve been honored to do it with great people around me.”
“It was definitely one of the best times,” Jarrett said of her time in high school. “People always say that high school is the best time of your life and it definitely was a lot of fun.”
St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy: Natalie Page and Samuel Yangula
Natalie Page and Samuel Yangula were named their school’s Snyder Awards winners on May 18 after excelling in academics, athletics and in their community.
Winning the award meant more to Page and Yangula because of who they won it with.
“It’s really important to me,” Page said. “We’ve been growing up together for the past four years. I got to play soccer with him this year and so that was a really special opportunity. I’ve seen how hard he’s worked.”
“It feels really great,” Yangula said. “I didn’t really expect to win this award. It’s very humbling.”
Page and Yangula both played soccer in their four years at SJCA, with the former also playing a year of basketball as well.
Yangula’s most distinct athletic memory from his time with the WolfPack came when he and his teammates won the district title this season in soccer.
“We started the team when I was a freshman and we didn’t win a single game,” he said. “We made the playoffs sophomore year and we had the goal to win a district championship. ... Going into that game I knew it was our last shot for the seniors to win it. Just the feeling at the end when they blew the final whistle was amazing.”
Page shared that memory with Yangula, playing with him on the school’s co-ed soccer team, and said it was her favorite as well.
“I saw how hard the team worked for that goal,” Page said. “Having that moment come full circle, obviously soccer is one of my favorite sports, and that was really special to me — being able to win with the team.”
The two seniors made those memories on the soccer field, but were also beneficial to their communities in their times at the Boalsburg high school.
Page volunteered her time as a counselor at Camp Confidence — a nonprofit, weeklong summer camp for individuals, ages 3-21, with disabilities — while also volunteering at Housing Transitions. She went well beyond her required 100 volunteer hours, according to SJCA athletic director Justin Rodkey, and completed the most hours of any student while maintaining a grade point average over 4.0.
The high school senior said her time at Camp Confidence stood out most.
“I take a lot of my friends out there,” Page said. “It’s a fun week for all of us. The impact on the kids is really special.”
Like Page, Yangula also kept a GPA over 4.0 and spent time helping out in the community. He was an altar server at his church while also assisting with fish fries during Lent at church, but it was his most recent service day with the school that set itself apart.
“We spread mulch at the Boal Mansion,” he said. “What was cool about that was — as neat as it is to do things that are service related by yourself — doing it with your friends and just coming together and doing something for someone else, there’s a greater sense of service there.”
The high school seniors hope to carry their successes away from sports into their futures in college.
Page will be attending Bloomsburg University, where she will major in nursing. She wants to be a nurse to help people, and to specifically help children.
“I always loved working with kids,” she said. “For a long time I wanted to be a teacher because of that. But then I realized I was interested in the sciences and that aspect of people. So I decided to mix those and go into pediatric nursing.”
Yangula will be heading to Penn State to major in computer science and wants to explore the field after discovering it as an elective in high school.
“It grew on me and I got better at it as (the elective) went on,” he said. “I like math and math has always been a strong suit. It incorporates math and it’s kind of like a puzzle. It’s a field that’s in demand and you can do a lot with it and help people. I liked the versatility of the field and the elective just made an impact on me.”
Their plans in the future were — in part — shaped by their academic and athletic at the high school level. They grew in their four years at the school and that’s something they both give credit to Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy for helping them do.
“The senior class, we always got along well and were good friends,” Yangula said. “This year we got extremely tight. It just made everything so much easier. It’s pretty crazy to have twenty-plus people that care deeply about you and you’re basically just as good of friends with all 20.”
Page added: “The small class size and community has helped me to step up into leadership roles. I feel like I wouldn’t be able to get those chances at a bigger school. At St. Joe’s, I’ve gotten to know my teachers better, I know my whole class. That’s really impacted me and helped me to grow as a person in that smaller environment.”
State College: John Brownstead and Kylie Ehrensberger
John Brownstead and Kylie Ehrensberger were named their school’s Snyder Awards winners on May 31.
“I was just amazed,” Ehrensberger said after the awards ceremony. “I was not expecting in any way to receive this award. I was incredibly grateful for the opportunity. I was just awestruck.”
Brownstead added: “It was awesome. It was the crowning achievement of my year. To see all of your goals come to fruition with an award like this that recognizes all of the work you’ve put in, it’s just awesome.”
Brownstead excelled on the swimming and diving team at State High, where he was an all-state selection and a team captain. It’s his time at practice with his teammates that stands out in his time as a high school athlete.
“Honestly, it was just going to practice every day and hanging out with the guys,” he said. “Going through some tough workouts, and it might be a stressful situation, but you’ve got all your friends there doing the same thing and there’s a lot of camaraderie there.”
Ehrensberger competed in softball and tennis, as well as with the unified bocce team as a Little Lion. Among her many accomplishments, this year’s postseason run with the softball team was the one that stood out the most.
“This year our softball team had a great run in the Mid Penn,” she said. “We won the Mid Penn Championship for the first time in school history. The bus ride home from that, the energy was just amazing. Everyone was ecstatic.”
While both were excellent athletes in their four years at State High, they also contributed plenty away from the games they love.
Ehrensberger volunteered for Mini-Thon, took part in PULSE, which is the school’s student-athlete leadership committee, and Best Buddies — an organization that creates partnerships between people with disabilities and without.
Her contributions to several of those activities allowed her to make memories as a student.
“Throughout my time in high school I got to watch a lot of people come together in super unique ways,” Ehrensberger said. “...In my time at State High, I got to see the school environment become a lot more inclusive as I watched those different friendships foster and form.”
Brownstead contributed his time away from the pool as an Eagle Scout, along with joining the Future Business Leaders of America, tutoring and earning a job at Penn State’s Applied Research Lab.
He most cherished his time tutoring and being an Eagle Scout.
“As part of the National Honor Society at State High they have a peer tutoring center, so I tutored some people at our school,” he said. “I just really enjoyed working with people and trying to understand what they understand and watching them get better. I had a student come up to me a couple days ago and tell me they aced their last test. That really stood out to me. ... Then my work with the Eagle Scouts, because I was able to go on a lot of cool trips with the scouts. Wherever we went, wherever we traveled, we did community service.”
Now that their high school careers are coming to a close, both have begun planning out their futures.
Brownstead will be attending Penn State where he’ll major in engineering science. He plans to explore the possibilities with his degree.
“I do know I like the engineering process,” he said. “I just wanna understand how things work, I wanna apply my knowledge in a novel situation and see if I can make stuff more efficient or see if I can develop a new product that makes peoples lives either.”
Ehrensberger will also attend Penn State, where she’ll major in elementary and early childhood education with a minor in special education. She chose her major and minor because she wants to help shape the next generation.
“I originally started out high school wanting to be a pediatric nurse,” she said. “Then I realized throughout my time within the programs at State High that I really had a love for teaching children of younger ages. ... I just love getting to see younger kids interact with each other. I think it’s super important that they have good role models in their life that can teach them the right things to do, because they are the future.”
The two Little Lions were both shaped by their time at State High, and believe it helped them become who they are today.
“I found groups of friends and teachers and staff that were just amazing support systems,” Ehrensberger said. “They were always friendly faces in the hallway. I was never scared that there wouldn’t be someone there for me. Having that support system was great, and it provided me with so many opportunities.”
Brownstead added: “State High is a great school. They have a lot of opportunities and they have a lot of resources that go to clubs and extracurricular activities and sports and all that stuff. In addition to that, there are people there that are really supportive. It’s just a really supportive environment that allows you to pursue what you’re interested in.”
