The number of college offers received by Quaker Valley basketball standout Mimi Thiero seemingly increases from week to week.
“My recruiting process has been going really well,” Thiero said. “I enjoy talking to all of the college coaches and hearing about their programs.”
An updated list of offers the 6-foot-5 junior has landed consists of: Duquesne, Robert Morris, Boston College, Kent State, Monmouth, East Carolina, Manhattan, Rhode Island, Providence, Delaware, Purdue, Harvard, Radford, Penn, Michigan, Buffalo, Iona, Temple, Cleveland State, Arkansas, Rider, Lafayette, Florida, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Marquette, Pitt, Princeton, Sacred Heart, DePaul, Fairfield, Memphis, Rutgers, Cal Berkeley, Columbia, Syracuse, Kansas State, Miami, Clemson, Northwestern, Texas A&M, Penn State, Illinois, Wisconsin and North Carolina.
Thiero does not have a set timetable for making her college decision.
“I’m not 100% sure right now,” she said, “but I’m thinking of committing during the summer.”
When discussing her college ambitions, the 17-year-old hoopster has two great confidants in her mom and dad, Mariam and Almamy.
“My parents have been the biggest influence on my basketball career,” Thiero said. “My mom has coached me since I was in fourth grade, and my dad would go to the gym to work out with me whenever I asked. They have a lot of basketball knowledge that they transfer to me and my siblings.”
Girls teams win
The Sewickley Academy and Quaker Valley girls basketball teams both registered their first win of the season Dec. 4 in nonsection games.
The Panthers defeated Moniteau, 35-27, at home behind sophomore point guard Emma Eannarino’s 23-point total.
The Quakers ran past Eden Christian Academy, 48-14, as Thiero and freshman guard Keira Watson led QV with 20 and 15 points.
The 5-6 Watson is one of two freshmen on this year’s QV squad along with Leasia Karto, a 5-10 forward.
QV athletes crowned
Quaker Valley’s homecoming queen and king for 2024 were seniors Kwilai Karto and Willy Winnowski.
Karto is a four-year member of the QV track program, Black Student Union, Key Club and student council and also is a school board student representative.
In her free time, she works as a lifeguard at the Edgeworth Club and volunteers at her church. Her favorite QV memory was celebrating the boys and girls track and field teams’ WPIAL 2A championships last season.
Karto plans to continue her track and field career at Emory next year while majoring in finance.
Winnowski has participated on the QV football, cross country, bowling and track and field teams along with the Best Buddies club.
Outside of school, he enjoys practicing on the piano and playing iPad games.
QV’s homecoming court consisted of Kiera Cowher, Nora Hammond, Karto, Mia Modrovich, Jay Olawaiye, Vanessa Pickett, Amelia Pribik, Jack Cindrich, T.J. Debelak, Thomas Fuener, Matt Henry, Jack Miller, Oscar Roig and Winnowski.
Eden teams prevail
Eden Christian’s boys and girls hoops teams secured their first wins of 2024-25 on consecutive nights.
The girls defeated Carrick, 35-31, on Dec. 6 in the opening round of the Brentwood tipoff tournament.
The next night, Eden’s boys edged Carlynton, 59-56, in overtime in the consolation round at Carlynton. James Wilkin and River Bartram scored 14 points apiece for the Warriors. Mason Dean added 12.
Wrestler earns win
Sewickley Academy sophomore Andrew Rhode pinned Elizabeth Forward’s Konner Hummel in a 114-pound consolation match at the Chartiers-Houston wrestling tournament held on the weekend of Dec. 6-7.
Rhode achieved the fall at the 2:08 mark.