Tondo has ups, downs, but is bouncing back

By John Kovach

The McDonald native was named to the All-University Athletic Association First Team for the second straight season.

After experiencing her ups and downs this past season with the Case Western Reserve University women’s basketball team, Ashleigh Tondo of McDonald will begin focusing on getting into medical school this summer.

A 5-foot-9 junior point guard from McDonald High, Tondo led her the Spartans in four major statistical categories, and was selected to the All-University Athletic Association (Pittsford, N.Y.) First Team for the second straight season.

But she was forced out of the final five games of the season because of mononucleosis, which also required her to take two weeks off from school to recover.

However, Tondo is nearly recovered from her setback and is looking forward to a summer of studying for her Medical College Admission Test and some basketball practice to get ready for her final season in 2009-10.

“I pretty much am done with all my pre-med requirements,” said Tondo, who is majoring in nutrition and pre-medicine with a 3.2 grade-point average. “I will be studying for the Med-Cat [Medical College Admission Test] this summer to get into med school.

“I will be applying this summer to take my medical exam to get into medical school,” Tondo said. “I will be applying to medical schools in the fall. I will take [the test] at the end of summer or the middle of fall when school is starting.”

The daughter of Mary Beth and Rocco Tondo, she also plans to play a lot of basketball this summer to get ready for her senior year.

“I am staying in Cleveland and a few of my teamamtes will be up there so we we are going to try to get into a summer league, and I plan to do some individual [basketball] work as well,” said Tondo, who co-led the Spartans (10-15, 2-11 UAA) in scoring average (12.5) with Erin Hollinger this past season. She led the team in rebounds (6.4) and assists (4) averages and total steals (63).

She also ranked No. 2 in 3-point goals on the team with 37 (for 117 for 31.6 percent).

Tondo was disappointed about missing the last five games, but said that, “I am pretty much recovered” now and is hoping for a heathy senior year.

“It was kind of a drawback,” she said. “It will motivate me to do better for next season.“

Tondo said that she assumed more of a leadership role with the team.

“Actually I played a different position this year. I was a team captain. We had a young team and I knew that I had to lead by example,” she said. “I came to practice prepared to work. That helped me to play a little better.”

Tondo’s father is an assistant boys basketball coach at McDonald, and she has re-visited the school.

“I saw the boys play once because my dad is an assistant coach, and I went to one of the girls practices,” said Tondo, whose older sister, Nicole, attends the University of Akron and is studying speech pathology with one more year remaining.

“[Nicole] ran cross country and track with me at McDonald,” she said.

As a sophomore in 2007-08, Tondo started all 25 games and led the Spartans in scoring (14.9), which ranked No. 2 in the AA, and assists (4.8) which ranked No. 1.

In her freshman year in 2006-07, she played in all 25 games and averaged 8.8 points with 57 assists for second-best on the team and 113 rebounds which ranked No. 3.

Also making the All-UAA women’s basketball team this year is Bryanne Halfhill, a 5-9 freshman guard for the University of Chicago from Canfield High. She was named to the All-UAA Second Team.

Halfhill led Chicago (17-8, 8-6 UAA) in two statistical categories: scoring average (11.6) and 3-point goals (48) of 141 for 34 percent. She was No. 2 in field goals (241) and assists (2.2) and steals (35), and No. 3 in rebounding (4.8).

Halfhill’s 11.6-point average ranked No. 9 in the UAA while her 2 3-point-goal average was No. 3 and her 34 percent for 3-point goals rated No. 10.

kovach@vindy.com