Athlete of the Month
Sophia Chrnelich
Soccer Player
MARCH
Athlete of the month for March
This 13-year-old soccer player, who is in 8th grade at the Pennington School, has worked with us on and off over the last 2 years. Although Sophia was inconsistent in the first year (because of other commitments), over the last six months this young lady has hit the maturity/dedication button like no other. She has absolutely floored us with her dedication, consistency, work ethic, and commitment to achieving her goals that we couldn’t help but bring recognition to her and her accomplishments.
Sophia has a smaller frame, so her main goal has always been to get stronger so she can compete, and more importantly, prevent serious injuries. As you may know, in order to get stronger, you must stay consistent, follow the right progressions, be patient, and each time you are in the gym, you need to give it all you have. Well, this is exactly what Sophia has done over the last six months, and her results speak for themselves. Her strength, stability, and functionality has grown exponentially over this last half of a year. We are so happy that she gets to experience firsthand what hard work and consistency can give you in life.
You may look at Sophia and see a smaller frame, and a kind smile (that never stops), but please do not mistake this for weakness. Yes, she may be on the smaller side, and yes, she is one of the most pleasant people to be around, but her fire and grit will not be out done by anyone.
Watching her grow as an athlete and learn some really great lessons in the gym about work ethic and the results it can give you in life, has been such a pleasure.
Congrats Sophia! We are so proud to call you one of our own. We feel privileged to be able to be a part of your maturation process as a person and athlete and can’t wait to see where your journey takes you. Keep up the great work!
Quinn Brennan
Physical Fitness Enthusiast
FEBRUARY
Member of the month for February
Yes, we normally choose one of our student athletes, BUT this young man deserves so much recognition for his dedication, hard work, positive attitude, perseverance, and accomplishments.
Quinn’s PEAC story begins about 8 months ago. Before he came to us he really did not do much exercising, so to see him just flip the switch to become determined and push his limits in the gym was very admirable. After 5 months of training, Quinn transformed his body, energy levels, and started reaping all the benefits of being fit. Then a huge hurdle was thrown at him. He was diagnosed with a severe case of scoliosis. So severe that his doctor wanted to immediately perform surgery - before the condition worsened.
Three months ago, Quinn underwent an extremely invasive scoliosis surgery. An incision was made from the base of his neck all the way down to his lower back. He was immobilized for some time when stiffness and atrophy began to set in (not to mention severe pain). This sounds like a nightmare for most, but Quinn took it in stride, kept smiling, and stayed positive and patient so his body could heal. And guess what? Now standing 2 inches taller, Quinn is back in the gym! He started off slow and safe but is already making progress. It is like nothing ever happened to him. Truly amazing!
This young man is great to be around - his positive attitude, work ethic, and dedication to his overall health and fitness is something that must be recognized by everyone. He would never brag or tell you about it, so we took the pleasure to do it for him.
Quinn, we are very proud of you, and feel fortunate to have you part of the PEAC Performance Family.
Keep up the great work!
Alison Lee
Lacrosse Player
JANUARY
Athlete of the month for January
Unlike most of our previous athletes of the month, Alison has only been with us for about 4 months, so you can imagine the first impression she has made with our team. Alison is a lacrosse player at the Stuart Country Day School for girls and has serious potential to play at the Division 1 level in college. She came to us in September with one goal in mind; GET STONGER (the rest is history)!
Once Alison set this specific goal, we designed her program and she ran with it. If you want to talk about someone making an impactful first impression, Alison has floored us. She never cuts a corner, always gives 100% effort, never misses a day, and smiles the entire time. Her work ethic and dedication are admirable and inspirational for her peers and coaches. She has a quiet demeanor but her aggressiveness and intensity in the gym is quite the opposite and a breath of fresh air. We are watching her progress tremendously, which is a great example of what hard work gets you in the gym and in life.
Almost forgot, Alison is a straight A student as well! Actually, it should be no surprise to anyone that knows Alison and the type of person that she is, that she earns all A’s across the board.
Alison is a rare gem and the PEAC Performance family is fortunate and proud to call her one of our own.
Congrats Alison, KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!
Ava Brass
Soccer Player
DECEMBER
Ava Brass is our Athlete of the month for December...
… or should we say, “All-American” Ava Brass?! Ava is a senior at Pennington Prep where she was a captain of the undefeated, state champion winning soccer team. Not only did the team have an amazing season, but Ava was named an All-American (an honor given to only thirty high school soccer players) and was given the honor of playing in the high school All-American game in Panama City, Florida on Dec 10, 2022 where the East won, she played really well, and had a blast! In addition to these wonderful accolades, Ava has committed to playing Division I soccer next year at Rutgers University.
Although all of these accomplishments are tremendous, it doesn’t come close to who Ava is as a person. We have known Ava for close to 10 years. This girl is a 10 out of 10 in everything she does. Hard work… she defines it. Quality person… she lives it every day. Leads by example… every damn day. Put simply, Ava is just a pleasure to know and be around.
Ava is destined for greatness because over the past few years she has worked her butt off in everything she decided to do. Nothing happened over night, but she saw firsthand that if you really stay focused, disciplined, patient and determined you can accomplish whatever you choose.
Ava, we are SO PROUD OF YOU! Watching you grow has been such a great experience, and we look forward to seeing where your path continues to lead.
Aspen Swanson
Lacrosse Player
NOVEMBER
Athlete of the month for November
Aspen is a natural born athlete. This girl is so naturally strong, explosive, coordinated, fast, and has everything physically it takes to be a superior athlete. Aspen is a freshman at Hopewell Valley Central High School where she is a standout lacrosse player (yes, only a freshman). She came to us about 6 months ago because her biggest obstacle was continually getting injured. This happens a lot when young athletes are simply gifted such great abilities, yet their tendons, ligaments, bones, and muscles can’t keep up with each other. How do we combat this? For Aspen, a consistent strength training program to prepare her body for the heavy demands of her sport.
Over the last 6 months (especially the last 3-4 months) Aspen has been on fire! She is in the gym 3-4 times a week doing strength and speed/agility work. As most people know, just coming to the gym doesn’t work that well when your goals are like Aspen’s. You have to be focused and have a true desire to improve each day you walk in the door. It is hard to have this characteristic at such a young age, but she has it like no other. Her consistency and work ethic are second to none, and she is now starting to reap all the tremendous benefits that comes along with this. Yes, she is naturally athletic, but she has taken it to an entirely new level, and most importantly staying injury free!
Have I mentioned that this young lady is the sweetest person you will ever meet? She smiles the entire time she is in the gym (whether pushing plates or not) and is always so polite. She is a pleasure to be around, and we want her to know that we are so proud of her. Calling her one of our own is such an honor, and we are extremely excited to watch her journey over the next few years. Keep up the great work, Aspen!
Morgan Matthews
Basketball Player
OCTOBER
Athlete of the month for October
Five years ago, a young 12-year-old girl walked in our doors with her basketball sneaks, shorts, and tank top on, looking to take her athleticism to the next level, and the rest is history.
Now standing at 6’1, and a superstar standout basketball player at Pennington Prep High School, Morgan is absolutely dominating the hardwood. She is in her junior year and being heavily recruited by various Division 1 colleges including N.C. State and Mississippi State.
Morgan has always loved playing basketball. Shooting, dribbling, passing, and everything else that hoops require. As for the training side of things in the gym, she was never the biggest fan, but knew the work had to be done (so she forced herself to get it done). She is our athlete of the month because over the last 3 months, she has really turned it on. She is now in the gym three times a week, and not just coming in because she knows she has to, SHE IS NOW BUSTING HER BUTT every second spent with us. This sign of maturity and dedication has been so refreshing, and such a pleasure to watch. Not to mention, the extra hard work is really starting to pay off; her strength, power, and overall athleticism is sky rocketing! We couldn’t be more proud or excited to watch her this upcoming season.
As for Morgan, the person; it is hard to put in words how wonderful she is, but to put it simply, she is quiet and sweet, but get her on the hardwood and she is as fierce as can be. She continues to be a standout student in the classroom and an absolute pleasure to be around. Having a quality individual and athlete like her as a part of the PEAC Performance Family over the last 5 years has been such an honor. This journey is going to be a fun one to watch! Keep up the great work Morgan, we are so proud of you!
Zio Kim
Basketball Player
SEPTEMBER
Athlete of the month for September
Six months ago, a quiet, wiry, but seemingly hardworking young man walked through our doors because he wanted to get stronger. Well, this 6’2 basketball star not only got stronger, but his athleticism has skyrocketed! He is now a junior at Pennington Prep and a key component to the success of his basketball team (not to mention a straight A student, but who’s bragging).
Zio has been one of the most impressive athletes we’ve ever worked with. His dedication to never miss a workout, the effort he puts in while at the gym, the responsibility he takes to work independently on the exercises we give him, plus the fact that he is always smiling and a pleasure to be around has truly WOW-ed us! He is the perfect example of what consistency and hard work gets you in life. To say that we are excited to see this young man perform on the hardwood this winter is an understatement.
You are a great young man Zio, and we have built such a nice relationship with you over the last 6 months. We are so excited to watch you succeed this year since you earned every bit of it this off-season. Keep up the great work (2 months left until the season)! It is a pleasure to call you one of our own.
Ally Antonacci
Babson College
Franny Gallagher
Skidmore College
Sarah Yancy
Lehigh University
AUGUST
Our August Athletes of the Month are all heading to college to compete at the next level!
Good luck everyone!
MK Peters
Misericordia University
Aanya Ravichander
Emory University
Wes Legget
St. John's University
Morgan Murphy
Westminster College
Rafa Ponce De Leon
Villanova University
Matt McGeeny
Soccer Player
JUNE/
JULY
Athlete of the month for June & July
Matt is a rising senior at Hopewell Valley High School where he excels as a student athlete, playing soccer and maintaining a great GPA heading into his senior year.
Matt started with PEAC in the summer of 2021. He was coming 1-2 times a week for the first few months, making progress, but still somewhat reserved. About 6 months ago, this young man took everything to the next level - now he is training 4-5 days a week! Whether it be ALWAYS lifting with 100% effort or working his butt of during the speed and agility sessions, he continues to be a great example to his peers of what challenging work, dedication and sacrifice looks like. Matt’s improvements in athleticism have been astronomical, and any time we see hard work pay off like this, it not only makes us happy for the athlete, but so proud that they are a part of our PEAC Performance Family.
Of course, we always mention an athlete’s training, but being a good person is more important to us than anything else. Matt is one of the most humble, polite, and hard-working athletes at PEAC. This silent assassin has not only been impressing us with his hard work and athletic development over the last 6 months, but as we get to know him better and better, his contagious demeanor has us all enjoying every second we spend with him. If you want to talk about a “good person” - Matt is the ultimate example!
We are so thankful to have the opportunity to work with Matt and get to know such a great young man. Keep up the amazing work Matt. Your growth over the last 6 months has been a pleasure for us to be a part of, and we look forward to watching where your journey leads. Once again, we are proud to call you part of the PEAC Performance Family!
Max Brass
Multi-Sport Athlete
MAY
Athlete of the Month for May
This 22-year-old man started coming to us when he was just 14. He took a break when he went off to Northeastern University but has since made a striking come back. Just like when he was a kid, his work ethic is second to none. Max comes to work out 5-6 times a week, coming in twice daily most of the time.
Even with his broken hand & jacked up foot, nothing stops him. He always finds a way to get his work in and does it with flying colors each time.
Regardless of how great of an athlete Max is, it doesn't compare to the person that he is. Max is one of the most involved people in our PEAC community. He talks to, and has a relationship with, basically everyone in the gym. Dude goes around having fun with friendly banter like it's his job. He is a perfect example of what makes our community so great. He is nothing short of what we strive to be; friendly, consistent, and hard working. We are so proud to have witnessed Max grow into the man that he is & so lucky to have him be part of our PEAC family.
Continue the good work, Max!
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