Sunday, March 19, 2017
By Greg Gulas
YOUNGSTOWN
Soccer standouts from Austintown Fitch and Lordstown have been awarded $500 scholarships courtesy of the Youngstown District Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association.
Fitch’s Tiffany Aliberti and Lordstown’s Garrett Behner are four-year letter-winners.
“Our company, U&B Investment Corporation, is dedicated to the development of opportunity in business,” said Joe Bleacher, YDSSCA representative. “Criteria that we look for in our recipients is that they exemplify benefits to other people and the community.
“The reason we chose Tiffany and Garrett is because they exemplify our core values,” Bleacher said. “Both have demonstrated scholastic and athletic excellence, two disciplines that are key ingredients for success.”
Aliberti plans on majoring in biochemistry in college and is looking into medical programs at Youngstown State, Kent State and the University of Akron while pursuing her goal of becoming a pediatrician.
She sports a 4.0 cumulative grade point average and is one of the valedictorians of her graduating class.
Last season, she scored eight goals and has 30 for her career. She also had 20 assists under the tutelage of head coach Tex Martin and assistant Carlo Traficanti.
Greg Mitchell, her club team coach, has also been a contributor to her soccer development.
“Coach Mitchell had a significant impact on my life and how I play,” Aliberti said. “Coach Tex and Coach T have also helped me grow as a person.”
Aliberti, who served as sophomore and senior class president, was an All-American Conference and all-Mahoning County first-team selection. She also won two first-place and two third-place awards at Press Day as co-editor for layout and design for her school’s newspaper.
”I have watched Tiffany grow into a hard-working, dedicated and determined young adult,” Martin said. “She will be one of society’s next leaders in whatever she pursues.”
Behner was a four-year starter for head coach Tim Malone, starting at forward his first three varsity seasons before moving to defense last fall.
He had nine goals — four game-winners — and nine assists as a senior and registered 51 goals and 41 assists over his varsity career.
“Garrett is one of the most unselfish players that I have ever coached,” Malone said. “He possesses tremendous foot skills and has a rocket of a shot, along with finesse.” Behner is in the College Credit Plus program at YSU and is earning both high school and college credits.
He hopes to acquire a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, minoring in mathematics while also playing four seasons for Soccer Vision Academy’s club team and the Penn West Olympic Development Program.
“Being able to play four years with a coach that knew the game was great,” Behner said. “It made me care more about each contest knowing that the coach cared as much as I did, not to mention that he cared about every player and tried his best to build a bond with all of us.”