Peyton Fries made history as a member of Quakertown’s first varsity girls wrestling team. She added to her legacy by medaling at the first sanctioned PIAA state tournament, finishing seventh at 235.
“I started wrestling my sophomore year and understood that it was only going to get harder from where I was at the time,” Fries said. “There was a time in the middle of my senior year where I almost quit but not because of the sport but because I was giving up on myself.
“I stuck to it and realized it was all mental, and (only) I could change me. With the help of my family and friends, I got through the hard parts.”
The recent graduate will continue her career at the collegiate level, choosing Alvernia where she will major in journalism. She also considered Ursinus and Muhlenberg.
“Alvernia has a great women’s wrestling program and amazing coaches that I connected with the day I met them,” Fries said. “It was the first college I visited, and when I stepped onto that school, it felt like the perfect fit. I knew that it was the one even after visiting multiple other colleges.”
Fries was one of 13 Quakertown seniors recognized on Wednesday, May 29, for committing to compete in sports at the collegiate level.
Max Arkans, a two-time SOL Liberty Division singles champion, capped his successful high school tennis career by committing to Shenandoah University where he will major in sports management.
“I chose Shenandoah because the campus was really beautiful, and the academic and athletics felt like the perfect fit for me,” Arkans said. “Shenandoah has a really good sports management program with a competitive tennis team.
“I had always thought about playing in college but didn’t know at what level.”
Dylan Chauhan will continue his track and field career at Arcadia University where he will major in biochemistry.
“I chose Arcadia because my dad went there, and I can’t let him be the only one to leave a mark at Arcadia, plus I love the castle,” Chauhan said of the historic Grey Towers Castle on the campus. “Coach Mooney introduced me to (a college) track coach, and from there, I flirted with the idea of playing track and soccer at the collegiate level.”
Joshua Camacho, Andrew Klitsch, Carver Perrone and Daniel Qualteria – members of Quakertown’s SOL Liberty Division championship baseball team – will play at the collegiate level.
Camacho will major in engineering technology at Montgomery County Community College.
“I am going (to Montco) to set up a better starting spot for my job lined up after school,” Camacho said. “I started thinking about college halfway through senior year, and the recruiting process began with me playing for the coach last summer. He sees something in me and believes I will do good things moving forward.”
Klitsch chose Rosemont College from a final list that included Juniata, Messiah and Alvernia.
“I chose Rosemont because I liked the environment, and I got along with the coach really well,” said Klitsch, who will major in finance. “I’ve always loved the game of baseball, and I want to play competitively as long as I can.
“At the beginning of last summer, I attended a big showcase. From there, my travel baseball team and I went to team camps where I talked with several coaches.”
Perrone will also continue his baseball career at Montgomery County Community College where he will major in business.
“I feel this college is the best fit for me and my future,” Perrone said. “I have always thought about playing baseball in college my whole life, and about my junior year, I started taking it seriously and got myself out there to get scouted.”
Qualteria, the All-SOL Liberty Division shortstop, will continue his career at the Division I level at Saint Peter’s University where he will major in business/sports management.
“I chose Saint Peter’s because of the endless opportunities I see for myself,” Qualteria said. “I knew since I was very young that I wanted to play collegiate basketball because I fell in love with the sport.
“The recruiting process started my sophomore year, getting out to showcases and making a name for myself.”
Tanner Clancy and Brian Hendrzak both will continue their football careers at Moravian University.
“I chose Moravian because it’s close to home, and it was the perfect feel when I stepped onto campus the first time,” Clancy said. “I liked the feel of the campus, the community, the location, the coaching staff and the football tradition.
“The recruiting process started in November or December with meetings with college coaches who visited our school.”
Clancy will major in sports management while Hendrzak will major in criminal justice.
“I chose Moravian because of the campus, the people and the football program,” Hendrzak said. “I just really love the organization and the school, and I always wanted to achieve the dream of playing college football.”
Josh Einolf will continue his swimming career at Shippensburg University where he will major in physics.
“I loved their team, I loved their coach, and it had a good academic program,” Einolf said. “I’ve wanted to swim in college ever since I was a kid – I like it, and I was good at it.”
Ike Williams will continue his wrestling career at PennWest Clarion where he will major in business.
“It felt like a perfect fit when I went on my official visit,” Williams said. “Wrestling in college was a sudden decision when I realized that I had too much more to give to the sport than being done after high school.”
Truly Heft will compete in both volleyball and track and field at Gwynedd Mercy University where she will major in business and marketing.
“Everyone was really friendly and welcoming, and they have great coaches,” Heft said. “I never planned on going to college until this year when I was recruited.”
Anna Skogen will major in exercise science and continue her volleyball career at Life University.
“It felt like the perfect fit the second I walked on campus,” Skogen said. “It offers me my major of choice, my intended graduate program and a women’s volleyball team. It was everything I was looking for from a university.
“I started thinking college volleyball could be a possibility during my junior year. I started working really hard at increasing my physical and mental game. I also didn’t want to stop being a teammate after high school, and I wanted to create new volleyball memories with a new group of girls who I can learn from.”
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