Banner year for Aquinas Academy athletes in Hampton

At Aquinas Academy of Pittsburgh in Hampton, 2021-22 proved to be a breakout year for the high school athletic department.

Eleven of 13 Aquinas varsity teams competed in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League playoffs, with two teams finishing as runners-up in the WPIAL championships.

Fifteen athletes competed individually in WPIAL Championships in cross country, tennis, and track and field. One team and three athletes competed in PIAA state tournaments, with two individuals earning medals.

The boys varsity fencing team was runner-up in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Fencing Association’s Championship tournament.

Of particular note, both the girls basketball and field hockey teams competed in the WPIAL Class A championships for the first time in school history.

Individual highlights include three All-WPIAL athletes, 15 All-Section athletes, four field hockey WPIAL All-Stars, and three Roundball Classic All-Stars.

Junior Vinnie Cugini is the first Aquinas athlete to win First Team All-State awards for basketball, score more than 2,000 points, be named a Class 1A Fab 5 for three seasons, and lead all of WPIAL basketball in scoring for three seasons.

Related:

• Led by high-scoring Vinnie Cugini, Aquinas Academy having historic season

Aquinas athletes also achieved success in the classroom, with 32% of high school students earned the Aquinas Academy Scholar-Athlete Award for competing on at least one sports team and maintaining an unweighted GPA of 3.5 or higher for the first three quarters of the school year.

Athletic success has led the Class of 2022 to boast the largest group of students in school history who will be competing in collegiate athletics in the fall: John Griffith, Colgate University, cross country and track; Elizabeth Hardy, College of Wooster, lacrosse; Emma Queen, Bates College, field hockey and ice hockey; Laura Richthammer, Houghton College, soccer; Elizabeth Russell, Denison University, basketball; and Patrick Veazey, Franciscan University, cross country and track.