Abington High School’s Student Athletic Advisory Committee(SAAC) has decided to honor two athletes during each week of the 2020-2021 Fall II season. SAAC will recognize one male and one female athlete per week, from the Football, Indoor Track (run outdoors), Volleyball, and Gameday Cheerleading teams. Highlighted on the fourth week of these Fall II spotlights are Carolyn Doherty and Brian Tolan.

Carolyn Doherty

This week’s female athlete spotlight is on Varsity cheerleader Carolyn Doherty. She is a senior this year and has been cheering for thirteen years. Her position on the mat is main base, and Doherty’s favorite memory of the sport is hitting routines with her team at competitions. When asked why she chose this sport, she said, “My friend introduced it to me and ever since then I was hooked!” Doherty has also been awarded the MVP award twice, and the South Shore League All Star honor four times. Along with cheerleading, she also plays lacrosse. As for her plans in the future, Doherty plans to study nutrition and cheerlead in college. She hopes to maybe coach cheerleading herself one day, too. Her favorite teacher is Mr. Siegel, and her favorite classes are gym and sculpture. She also enjoys watching football, as well as cheering for it. When asked about her favorite high-school memory, Doherty said she had the most fun hitting a cheer routine in her home gym, as well as playing during her JV Lacrosse season freshman year. Doherty looks up to her coaches, and thanks her parents, coaches, and teammates for where she is today.

Brian Tolan

SAAC’s male athlete spotlight this week is senior Brian Tolan. Tolan participates in Track & Field during Fall II, which in a normal year would be Winter Track, run indoors during the winter season. Tolan is a 1,000-meter runner for the Green Wave, who has participated in the sport for three years. When asked about his favorite memory in the sport, Tolan highlighted, “Having to be an emergency 4 by 400 substitute at the end of my junior season.” He participates in this sport because he loves to run, and he has awesome teammates. Additionally, Tolan participates in Cross Country and Ultimate Frisbee. His favorite teacher is Mr. Cutter; “He taught me to be more explorative and creative as a student and as a person,” said Tolan. However, his favorite class is band. When asked who he credits his successes to, Tolan said, “My teammates, especially my fellow senior runners Krish Panjwani and Nick Graf.” His all-time favorite high school memory is winning the state championship in Ultimate Frisbee. In the future, Brian Tolan will study biomedical engineering in college and look to get a career involved in the designing/development of prosthetics.