A number of Hamilton athletes gained recognition during the Mercer County Girls’ Soccer Coaches Association’s 24th annual Mercer 33 dinner at Mercer Oaks Nov. 13.
Overall, 40 students were named to the Mercer 33 team, with two additional earning the Spirit Award, including Steinert High senior Tatiana Dorner.
Among the honorees were: Lauren Korpics (Hamilton West), Nicole Apuzzi and Kendal Dandridge (Hun), Grace Xiong and Kaeli Huesma (Lawrenceville), Megan Drum, Julia Rossi and Taylor Whitlock (Notre Dame), Ivonne Vasquez and Gia Girman (Nottingham), Madison Coyne, Tulsi Pari and Ariana Jones (PDS), Natalie Stralkus and Giulia Marolda (Peddie), Olivia Mahoney, Shannon Boyce and Gianna Lucchesi (Pennington), Lynzie Morgan, Michaela Miranda and Giana Pittaro (Steinert).
The Mercer 33 has its roots in the late 1980s. Then, several coaches, spearheaded by the efforts of Dominic Mastroianni (Hightstown) and Shelly Dearden (Ewing), decided to create the Mercer County Girls’ Soccer Coaches Association to provide recognition for the young ladies who play soccer in Mercer County. After choosing an inaugural All-Star team, which received little recognition, the association basically became dormant. After the 1993 season, Don ‘Moe’ Zelt, Jim Loper and Shelly Dearden revisited how girls’ soccer in Mercer County could be recognized. The Mercer 33 was born out of those discussions. It was decided that 11 prep and 22 CVC players would be selected annually by the coaches of Mercer County high schools.
On Nov. 14, 1994, the dream became a reality when the first Mercer 33 dinner was held at Sibilla Cumae Restaurant in Chambersburg. Well in excess of 200 people attended.
As the CVC has expanded, the Mercer 33 has been expanded to 12 prep and 28 CVC players, plus 2 recipients of the Spirit Award.
