“Hearing them announce his name, I knew it was definitely something I wanted to win,” Jessica said.
The Butler High School graduate's wish became reality as Sacks, along with J.T. Cherpeski , were recently recognized as recipients of the award, which takes into account academic strength and community service as well as bowling success. The scholarship is awarded annually by the Greater Dayton United States Bowling Congress in the name of the longtime bowling coach who instilled a love of the game in countless young Miami Valley bowlers.
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On the lanes, Sacks accumulated numerous honors as both a youth and high school bowler. She tallied five GDUSBC city youth titles from 2012-17 and posted a 287 high game and 678 high series. As a member of the Aviators, Sacks earned first team All-GWOC honors during both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons. And she was named the Ohio High School Coaches Association Southwest District Girls Senior Bowler of the Year this season.
The four-year varsity bowler also excelled in the classroom with a 3.5 GPA.
“Jessica provides an excellent role model for other students in the class,” Butler math teacher Emily Dadey wrote in her recommendation of Sacks. “She has worked hard enough in her academics to make honor roll all four years of high school.”
Bowling wasn’t her only school activity – far from it. Sacks competed on both the cross country and track teams and was a member of the Junior National Honor Society, the Future Educators Association Club and the service-oriented Interact Club.
Her community service ran the gamut from serving as an election poll worker to volunteering at the Vandalia Senior Citizen Center. She also shared her love of bowling with vacation bible school students.
She will build on her love of the game at the collegiate level as a member of the Duquesne University women’s team. Sacks, 18, is excited to face the challenges of competing in an NCAA Division I program.
“I think I’m more excited than nervous,” she said. “The team aspect is what I’m most excited about. They are all there to compete and so am I.”
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