Walking through the field house doors, names are repeated over and over…Serafin. Miller. Jones. Holmberg. Tapper.
Hempfield has a long history of successful women, both in and out of the classroom. You don’t have to look very far to find the names of women whose achievements are a part of Spartan history.
Three young women who have continued that tradition are Ashley Hosni, Mia Shipman, and Ava Shipman. Although each of them are at very different points in their lives, they are very similar in the sense of their hard work and dedication. The girls are within the top percentile of their class, all while keeping up with being varsity athletes. Among the three of them, they all agree that it is incredible to have each other around at practice.
Ashley and Mia are teammates in both volleyball and basketball. Ashley says that Mia is “one of the most caring, hardworking, and outgoing people I know. She is always doing all she can to make our team successful and has helped push me into the teammate I was.”
Mia Shipman is a junior and is also on the volleyball and basketball teams. In addition, she plays softball for Hempfield Area. Mia is at the top of her class when it comes to her grades. Although she is a three-sport athlete, she keeps up with her AP and honors classes. Mia remarks that she is “super excited for senior year, but I’m actually starting to feel a little old. High school has really gone so fast, but I have had so much fun, and I know I will be so sad when I finally leave.”
Ava Shipman is coming close to becoming an upperclassman here at Hempfield. She is on the basketball team along with Ashley and Mia, but this season was a little different for her. Ava tore her ACL during a game in Charlotte, North Carolina. She says that this injury “is more of a mental struggle than anything, but throughout the process, exercising started to become enjoyable rather than something to get healthy again.” The recovery process has been long and hard, but she is determined to go back to being a varsity starter. As for academics, Ava is also a high achiever. She was in the top 10% of her class her freshman year, and, by the looks of it now, this year will likely be very similar.
The Shipmans have a very special dynamic as they are sisters just one school year apart. They are both very strong competitors, and together on the same team, they can play the sport they love. Mia says that being teammates with her own little sister “gets pretty heated sometimes, but I know we both have a good eye for the game. I honestly love it though; she’s my best friend, and I’m really bummed she missed out on this year” [due to injury].
Ashley Hosni is a senior at Hempfield Area Senior High School and is a very hard worker.
According to Ava, “having Ashley as a teammate was amazing. She pushed everyone to be the best version of themselves, and she has great discipline.” Even though they played together for just two years, Ava says that Ashley’s positivity and energy will be missed at every practice and game.
Winter sports coming to a close signified the end of Ashley’s high school athletic career. However, that doesn’t mean that she isn’t still putting in lots of hard work. Considering she wants to go to Pitt, she has to continue to put effort into keeping up with her academics. According to Ashley, she can’t wait for a new environment and a big reset, and is “excited to go and meet new people and pursue things that I really enjoy.”
Despite the fact that female athletics hadn’t become official anywhere until 1972, moxie is a characteristic of each girl. They are all on their own different paths, but they are all also very similar. Their work ethic, drive, and positive attitude all contribute to the type of student athletes that they are.
