Cross country, tennis stand-outs sign with Lenoir-Rhyne, Wittenberg
Published 12:40 pm Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Mesa, Arizona’s loss has been Polk County High School’s gain, as cross country and track standout Allison Swope (front row, center), who moved here last year, starred for the Wolverines as a senior, and is now off to run for Lenoir-Rhyne University on a scholarship. On April 17, Swope signed her intent to attend and compete for, Lenoir-Rhyne. Swope is flanked by her mom, Cathy Arnold and her stepdad Dave Arnold. Back row, from left: PCHS Director of Athletics Jeff Wilson, Head Cross Country and Track Coach Alan Peoples, Assistant Cross Country and Track Coach Jenny Wolfe, Assistant Track Coach Amanda Simoncic, and PCHS Principal Mary Feagan. (Photo by Mark Schmerling)
Two Polk County High school seniors — a first-year Wolverine runner who helped pace last fall’s women’s cross-country team, and a tennis player who will long be remembered for her courageous hours-long comeback victory in last fall’s conference championship — will both perform in college after signing April 17 to compete on the collegiate level.
Cross-country and track star Allison Swope, and tennis standout Alivia Livesay, will attend and compete at Lenoir-Rhyne University (Hickory, N.C.) and Wittenberg University (Springfield, Ohio), respectively.
“I moved here from Meza, Ariz. in July, 2014,” Swope explained. “I have a genuine love of running. It’s everything to me. I can’t imagine not doing it.“
Swope, who competes for the Wolverines’ track team in the 800 and 1,600-meter races, the 4X800 and 4X400 relays, played a pivotal role in last fall’s cross-county season, according to veteran cross-country and track head coach Alan Peoples.
Swope’s performance “made the difference in cross country for us,” Peoples said. “I’ve never had a kid come in just the senior year, and get (scholarship) money to run,” Peoples continued. She’s a joy to coach. She wants to absorb the knowledge.”
Peoples expects that Swope, with her natural talent, her love of running, and attention to technique, will keep improving.
Swope’s mother and step-dad, Cathy and Dave Arnold, credit a lot of Allison’s success to Coach Peoples.
While running track and cross-country for the Bears, Swope plans to major in nursing, with an emphasis in pediatrics.
Alivia Livesay (front row, center), the pride of Polk County High School’s women’s tennis team, signed her intent on April 17 to play tennis on a scholarship at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. With her at her signing are, front row left to right, her parents, Kenny and Mary Livesay, and back row, from left: PCHS Director of Athletics Jeff Wilson, brother Bailey Livesay, PCHS Head Tennis Coach Richard Davis, grandfather Richard Kearns, and PCHS Principal Mary Feagan. (Photo by Mark Schmerling)
Livesay’s skill and determination on the tennis court have brought lots of success to head coach Richard Davis, and to Polk’s tennis program.
She’s been the Wolverines’ top player, regularly defeating nearly all the top players from other schools.
Livesay said that all this year, she’s had to decide between Lenior-Rhyne and Wittenberg. Recently, she said, “I knew where I wanted to go.”
And that college will be Wittenberg, where, she reports, Coach Nick Rohner “is awesome.”
“I’m so excited. I cannot wait,” she beamed. “Since my sophomore year, I’ve wanted to play in college.”
Livesay, the daughter of Kenny and Mary Livesay, plans to study marketing, with a possible double major in sports marketing.
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