North Clarion’s Megan Baumcratz To Continue Academic And Athletic Career At Penn State DuBois, Joins Clarion’s KK Girvan And DuBois Duo For Signing Ceremony (Posted 08/18/20)

(All photos submitted)

North Clarion She-Wolves Volleyball player Megan Baumcratz, the daughter of Jim and Jean Baumcratz, signed to play for the Penn State DuBois Nittany Lions, in a special Signing Day Ceremony for the 2020 recruits, on Sunday, July 19th, at PSU DuBois.

Megan was joined at the signing by her mother and her She-Wolves Coach Heather Bish.

PSU DuBois, under Coach Dave Alberts, who has been with the program for the last five years, is a member of the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC) and the United States College Athletic Association (USCAA). The 2018 team made the PSUAC playoffs for the first time in ten years and advanced to the USCAA National Championships in Virginia Beach.

The Nittany Lions’ Assistant Coaches are Liz Snell of Dubois (seven years as assistant coach) and Andrea Clark of Clearfield (one year as assistant coach).

Coach Alberts mentioned, “Our overall record for the past 4 years is 59-37 and I expect many more wins to come.”

Coach Alberts had this to say about Megan, “I noticed Megan was transferring in this year and that she had previous volleyball experience.

“I was impressed that she was a four year varsity starter and that she had played at every hitter position. Being a versatile hitter she will have multiple opportunities to assist our offense.

“I think she will fit in well and I am excited to see what she can do.”

Megan will be majoring in Physical Therapy Assistant and plans to work with student athletes in a rehabilitation facility.

Why did she decide on PSU DuBois? “I chose Penn State DuBois because it is a smaller campus and the faculty and staff were very welcoming and helpful.”

And what does she like about the team? Megan said, “The PSD Volleyball coaches, Coach Alberts and Coach Snell have made me feel very welcome to be a part of the PSD Volleyball Team. I am excited and hopeful that we are able to play soon.”

As for the support and encouragement she had from her family and high school coach through the years, “I would like to thank my parents for their support both on and off the court.  I would also like to thank Coach Bish for encouraging me as a player.”

Megan’s parents Jim and Jean shared their excitement in her academic and athletic choice, “Megan has always been drawn to help others. We are happy that she has chosen to continue her education at Penn State DuBois in the Physical Therapy Program.  We are very excited that she will be joining the PSUD Volleyball team where she can grow as a player and be a part of an amazing team.”

Coach Bish shared her excitement on Megan’s choice, “I am thrilled to hear that Megan has made the decision to return to playing the game of volleyball at Penn State DuBois.”

Coach Bish commented on Megan’s drive to succeed and how it has served her well, “Megan is an amazing young lady with the will and determination to excel in all aspects of her life.  Megan was a freshman when I started coaching at North Clarion and I knew from the first couple of practices that she was a hard worker and was going to be an asset to the team.  Megan was determined to improve and took every direction I gave her and used it to improve her skill and gameplay. 

“All that hard work paid off when Megan became a varsity starter as a Freshman.  As Megan continued to improve her skills on the court, she also started to emerge as a great leader/captain.  The younger girls considered Megan to be someone they could trust and knew that she would push them all to be better on and off the court. 

“Over the 4 years that Megan played volleyball for me I saw her grow from a young, unsure, and timid girl to an amazing confident young lady.”  

About Megan’s strong support from her family, Coach Bish commented, “Megan didn’t do all this by herself, it helps that she has an amazing support system behind her in her family.  I don’t think there was a game whether home or away that at least one member of her family was not in attendance supporting Megan.” 

What does Coach Bish feel Megan brings to Penn State DuBois? “It takes Megan a little while to open up but as soon as she does you find out that she is very funny, kind, caring, and a little sassy when needed person.  Penn State DuBois is gaining a wonderful teammate in Megan and I know that she will apply the qualities I have seen in her to her future team and path as she moves forward in life.” 

And Coach Bish’s well wishes, “I am extremely grateful to have been small part of Megan’s life and look forward to coming to watch her play at Penn State DuBois. Congratulations to Megan and I wish her all the best of luck!”

Megan is joined in this recruiting class by Clarion Area’s Kyara (KK) Girvan and a DuBois teammates Sydney Kaschalk and Cate Gregory. Coach Alberts had this to say about the incoming class, “This is an extremely talented group of ladies we have signing today. All of them come from strong local programs that I follow. I’ve seen what they have done for their previous teams and I can’t wait to see them in action for PSUD Volleyball.”

Coach Alberts had this to say about KK, “I’ve followed the Clarion High School Volleyball team for the past few years as Coach Campbell runs a strong program and develops solid players.

“I remember the first time I saw Kyara was at an away match in which she played amazing… I was extremely excited when she called me and told me she was accepted and was committing to playing. She is very talented and besides being a great libero, she is a strong outside hitter. I expect her to make an immediate positive impact on the team and look forward to seeing her on the court.”

And about the DuBois High School program and Sydney and Cate, Coach Alberts said, “Jason Gustafson, the DuBois High School Volleyball coach, has developed an impressive volleyball program. I have followed the team for years and watched as he has developed multiple talented players and had a lot of success.

“I have had the opportunity to watch Sydney and Cate play many times. They both are very strong players.

“Cate, is a talented setter and knows how to effectively run the offense. Additionally, she is strong on defense as well. Sydney, is one of the strongest middle hitters I have had the opportunity to watch play. She is aggressive and fearless on the court and fun to watch. Paired up with Cate, who was her setter, they are a strong one two punch. I’m thrilled that they both will get to continue to play together at the collegiate level and bring that one two punch to the PSUD Volleyball team.”

Congratulations to Megan, her parents and her fellow recruits KK, Sydney and Cate!!!!