Sigonella Student Awarded DoDEA Female Athlete of the Year

By Janine Scianna NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

Photos by Randy Latimer

Photos by Randy Latimer

Photos by Randy Latimer

Jessica Jacobs, a senior last year at Sigonella Middle/High School, was recently announced as the DoDEA-Europe Female Athlete of the Year. This is the third year in a row that a Sigonella student has been recognized for this award. Averi Chandler won the award last year, and her sister, Kisiah Chandler, won two years ago.

Jacobs is a three-sport standout at Sigonella on the girls’ volleyball, basketball, and softball teams. In volleyball, she boasted a 95% serve percentage and 116 aces, as well as being named Division III tournament MVP. In basketball, she was team captain. She led the team in steals and averaged 13 points, seven rebounds, and two assists

per game. In softball, she also led the team as captain. She had an incredible season batting average of .660, adding 7 home runs and 37 runs batted in. Almost unheard of, she didn’t have a single strikeout. As a pitcher, she had a 9-2 record and allowed on average only 2.07 runs per game. For all three sports, she was honored with being selected to the ceremonial All-Europe first teams.

Michelle Chandler, athletic director at Sigonella Middle/High School, spoke about how rare of an athlete Jacobs has been for Sigonella.

“She is one of the premier, standout athletes in Europe and her accolades have been proven,” said Chandler. “She has a mental and physical toughness, with a calm demeanor that has only intensified over her high school years.”

Equally as important was her classroom performance. Jacobs earned a minimum of a 4.0 GPA in each quarter of her senior year.

“She is a superb example of what all student athletes should strive to be,” added Chandler.