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Pavlik, Miller earn Giampetro award
By Greg Gulas
BOARDMAN
Lakeview senior Abby Pavlik and Champion senior Christopher Miller know what it takes to succeed on the court.
Off the court, too.
For their accomplishments on the hardwood this past season, combined with their academic success and volunteer work, both players were named this year’s “Byrd” Giampetro Scholarship Award recipients during Sunday’s annual all-league recognition banquet at The Georgetown.
Both players will earn a $1,000 scholarship from the Curbstone Coaches when they enroll in college this fall.
Pavlik hopes to major in biology/pre-med at Miami (Ohio) University while Miller will attend Kent State University and pursue a business/sports management double major.
“This is our way of recognizing local high school basketball players for the outstanding seasons that they just enjoyed, yet their accomplishments on the court remain a distant second to their classroom honors,” Sam Rogers, banquet chairman, said. “Both Abby and Christopher are very active outside the classroom setting as well, volunteering their time away from school for a variety of worthwhile causes.”
Pavlik, who also earned four letters in soccer and was a second-team All-Ohio selection last fall, was a three-year letterwinner in basketball where she served as captain and was all-state honorable mention this past season.
The All-American Conference White Tier player of the year as a senior, she joined friends Makenzie Grayson and Amber McCollum as they collected coats for the needy over the past two years with their ”One Warm Coat” philanthropy.
“I felt that this was an awesome way that we could give back to the community and help those in need,” Pavlik said. “We stood out in front of every home football game and had a coat collection, then put bins out in front of our schools and that first year collected over 100 coats and the second year 50 coats, so we were able to make a pretty nice contribution to the community.”
Miller sports a 4.0 grade point average, is a member of the school’s National Honor Society and ranks first out of 118 class members.
He is active in the Champion Christian Church, where he has been a Youth Diaconate the past five years. He finished with 981 career points to rank fifth in school history.
A tutor at Champion Elementary School and a volunteer at Windsor House where he works bingo with its senior residents, he was a first-team All-American Conference pick while earning district honorable mention honors this past campaign.
“There are a lot of people who could very easily be up here so I am most appreciative of this honor,” Miller said. “I try to volunteer to help people whenever I can. My parents have always pushed me get good grades so and they deserve a lot of thanks as well.”
YSU basketball coach Jerry Slocum served as guest speaker, asking honorees that as they go on to college and begin looking for as job, they must do three things to guarantee success.
“You must work on the ability to communicate, treat others like you’d like to be treated and remember that what you put into something you get to take out,” he said. “In life, in basketball and as a college student, what you put in is what you get to take out.”
The other boys scholarship finalists were Nicklaus James Bayer (Wellsville), George Billiris (Campbell), Paolo DePasquale (Lowellville), Tyler Hodge (Hubbard) and Mike Yourstowsky (Canfield).
Other girls finalists were Ashley Cline (Niles), Aleah Hughes (Western Reserve), Tiffany Ketchum (Lisbon), Emily Manion (Hubbard), Baylie Mook (Columbiana), Araceli Perez (Struthers) and Rachel Tinkey (Canfield).
All scholarship finalists received plaques from the organization.