Preparing Pets for Emergencies
Cherry Festival Kicks Off in Sant'Alfio This Weekend
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Sigonella Students Earn Thousands in Scholarships
N A S SIG O N E L L A
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JUNE 29, 2018
Vol. 35 No. 25
Sigonella Student Named DoDEA Europe Athlete of the Year
By MC2 Christopher Gordon NAS Sigonella Public Affairs
NAS SIGONELLA, Sicily – Averi Chandler, a high school freshman at Sigonella High School on Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella, was named the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) Europe Female Athlete of the Year for 2018. “It means a lot to me, especially because last year my sister won it and we have a friendly rivalry going on,” said Chandler. “It’s really good to catch up to her and get some of my own achievements. It really means a lot.” Not only did Averi follow in her sister Kisiah’s footsteps, who won DoDEA Europe Female Athlete of the Year for 2017, she was named MVP for volleyball, basketball and softball for all of Europe. Additionally, all three of her teams earned the Division III European championship title. No other student in the region got two MVP titles,
and no other student has ever earned three MVP titles in one year. Additionally, the MVP is almost always a junior or senior. To put it simply, Averi Chandler is the top student player of the best women’s volleyball, basketball and softball teams in the European region. Chandler’s 2017 volleyball season began with an entirely new crew, with only one returning starter and no setters with game experience. “Even as a freshman, her athletic prowess, ability to set, block, hit, and serve assisted us greatly while we worked to train setters who could free up Averi to hit,” said Michelle Chandler, Athletic Director for Sigonella High School. “Averi’s excellence at the net in volleyball is equaled by her skill driving to the hoop in basketball and her prowess behind home plate in softball.” Later in the year during the winter sports season, Chandler played as point guard, swing guard, and for-
ward, on the basketball team, giving her strong statistics in all categories of the game. “Basketball is a sport that runs in my family; my dad and mom coach it and both of my sisters played before me,” said Chandler. “It’s my favorite sport and it will probably be the one I play after high school.” Finishing off the school year, Chandler played softball as a catcher. Even though she’s only a freshman, she was among the best on the team in runs scored, hits, batting average, and runs batted in (RBIs). On top of her great athletic achievements, Chandler maintained a 3.7 GPA throughout the school year. “I heard it was going to be really hard to balance school and athletics, because you come home from practice at 5:30 and you just want to eat and go to bed,” said Chandler. “But it really wasn’t very difficult, and usually after I got home I would either do school
work or go to another sports practice out in town.” With two of their daughters achieving the top sports award in the region, it’s understandable that Chandler’s parents are thrilled. “As a father you want your children to do better than you and that’s what they’re doing,” said Darryl Chandler, Averi’s father. “There is so much opportunity for her to grow and continue to set DoDEA records. Her mother and I are very, very proud.” NAS Sigonella, “The Hub of the Med”, is a U.S. Navy installation and an Italian Air Force base in Sicily, Italy. NAS Sigonella is the Navy’s second largest security command, second only to that located at Naval Support Activity Bahrain. Because of its location near the center of the Mediterranean Sea, NASSIG is well placed to support operations by the U.S. 6th Fleet, other U.S. military units, and U.S. allies and coalition partners.