Jenna Kocsis admits it's going to be very difficult.
She is going to Fordham University, but for now does not intend to continue her sports career, at least on a varsity level.
The standout Central Catholic softball and basketball player says sports is her passion and admits that she is going to miss it greatly — unless she attempts to play either basketball or softball as a walk-on.
If this senior year was the end of her career, Kocsis definitely left an indelible mark as an athlete and a person.
Kocsis was named the Lehigh Valley Conference's scholar-athlete in both softball and girls basketball.
She was also saluted as the female winner of the LVC's Character and Sportsmanship Award (Liberty's Judson Smull was the boys recipient).
The Character and Sportsmanship Award, in its second year, salutes deserving seniors who excel in criteria such as wisdom and knowledge, courage, humanity, justice, temperance and transcendence.
"It's a great honor because the LVC is full of so many great athletes and scholars," Kocsis said. "Knowing that all of my work and everything I've done in my whole life is being recognized is very gratifying.
"I love playing sports … it's my passion. It's so much fun getting to know everybody, making friends, working with teammates. It has been a great time."
Kocsis, earned eight varsity letters at CCHS and played first base for Jeff Bernhard's Vikettes squad, but she did much more than hit and field.
"She's a fantastic kid," Bernhard said. "She's a take-charge person and was the perfect captain for us. When I was in a bind and needed to get something done, I turned to her. I've been coaching at different schools for 15 years and I have been around a lot of good kids, but Jenna was as good as any I've ever been around. She was really special.
"Are we going to miss her? Oh my gosh, yes. We really bonded as a team this year and had an enjoyable season even though we were 6-14. Jenna helped to make it so enjoyable."
Kocsis is the Honor Society president and ranks in the top five of her senior class.
What is impressive about her is that she realizes her responsibility as a student-athlete and wanted to give to the school as much as she took.
"I definitely wanted to represent myself, my family and my school well," she said. "Central Catholic has been important in my life and I'd like to inspire other kids to do the same things I have done. It has been a great four years."
AHEAD OF THE CLASS
In addition to Kocsis, these players were selected by their schools as LVC scholar-athlete nominees in softball:
Taylor Brady (Bethlehem Catholic); Haley Weller (Easton); Anna Corch (Emmaus); Ashley Eichlin (Freedom); Anastasia Frace (Nazareth); Gabrielle Smith (Northampton); Kristie Smerdon (Parkland); Kayla Bet (Whitehall) and Nilvia Vazquez (Allen).
ALL-AMERICAN GIRL
Northampton Community College sophomore Morgan Neel (Easton) has been named to the National Junior College Athletic Association All-American second team.
