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PVHS’s Katie McNamara Wins Con Ed Honors: Third Award this Year for PVHS Athletics
by Dillon Chesnut
PVHS Varsity Softball senior hurler Katie McNamara is the third Putnam Valley High School athlete to receive the coveted Con Ed Athlete of the Week Award this academic year.
According to Con Edison, the Con Edison Athlete of the Week Award program recognizes students in Westchester and Putnam schools who excel athletically. Academic achievements, leadership, citizenship, school, and community activities are also factors. The winner is selected each week by a panel of athletic directors, coaches, and sportswriters who review ballots submitted to them by each athlete’s athletic director or coach.
"Katie Mac," as she is known to her teammates and fans, was nominated by her varsity softball coach Tracy Parchen, who is herself a former champion pitcher from Walter Panas High School.
McNamara, the co-captain of the PVHS girls’ varsity squad, has pitched the Tigers to a near-perfect season, with just one loss, by only one run, to John Jay Cross River in a tightly contested tournament final game in late April. The PV team is the odds-on favorite as they head into their sectional games this week.
PVHS Principal Raymond Cooper commented, "Katie Mac is the kind of student that every Teacher, Coach, Principal and Parent hopes for. She is a quiet role model who goes about her daily activities without fanfare, avoiding the spotlight while quietly setting the world on fire with her scholar-athlete performances. Katie Mac is one of the students who continually raise the bar for others to aspire towards."
Assistant Coach Heather Miench, another former star pitcher from Walter Panas, had this to say: "Katie is a true team player and plays with a lot of heart. She works hard every time she sets foot on the field and not only pushes herself, but motivates and encourages her teammates to do the same. Her dedication to the team and in the classroom has made Katie a role model for her peers.
Katie’s season stats are remarkable. With a .58 ERA she is second in the league. Her batting average of .635 puts her in third place overall. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In 63 at bats she has scored 30 runs, 40 hits, 32 RBIs, and 3 home runs, and an astounding slugging percentage of 1000! She is a near-perfect base runner who regularly rounds first on a walk to get to second base without even swinging the bat. Her years of high-level summer play have given her amazing softball instincts, and she leads the team with a firm but encouraging attitude.
Her catcher for much of the past three years, PVHS junior Maggie Chesnut, commented, "At first, catching for Katie wasn’t easy. She has a fastball that comes in very hard, and it hurts. The first two years I caught for her, I was sharing the catching with Jenna Leader and Katie Flor, but Katie graduated and Jenna isn’t playing this year. I’ve gotten some catching relief this season from our shortstop, Katie Eyring, but I’ve caught for Katie Mac more this year than ever before. She has a lot of great pitches and raises her level of play when she’s under pressure. But it’s really her attitude that glues this team together. She has taught me a lot about how to think positively in order to improve my own game. I’ll miss her next year!"
Earlier this year, Katie Mac was signed for a 5-year ride at Southern Illinois University, but first, she hopes to finish up her high school career with a Sectional crown.
Coach Parchen concluded, "She has gone above and beyond athletically as well as academically. Katie is dedicated to her teammates and to the sport of softball. She has the ability to do well on a daily basis and also to be supportive of her team at all times. She will be greatly missed."
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