JOSH NADZAM

SCHOOL: Monaca.

WHO IS HE? A top distance runner and four-sport athlete at Monaca.

LAST WEEK: Nadzam, a 6-foot, 160-pound senior, won the 800-, 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs at the Center Trojan Invitational Saturday. That night, he played in the Roundball Classic basketball all-star game at Geneva College, which included many of the top players in the WPIAL and City League.

PICK A LETTER: Nadzam will graduate in June with 10 varsity letters. He was a three-year starter in football (receiver/defensive back) and was a second-team all-Big Seven Conference selection as a senior. Also last fall, he finished 11th in the WPIAL Class AA cross country championships. He ran at the PIAA championship meet, one day after playing in a WPIAL football playoff game.

In basketball, he was a three-year starter and averaged 14 points a game this past season. In WPIAL Class AA track last year, he finished second in the 1,600 and 3,200.

BASKETBALL IS BEST: Nadzam says basketball is his favorite sport. "It's the one I've played since I've been old enough to dribble," he said. "I remember almost every day in the summer, I used to dribble maybe a mile to my grandma's house, just to shoot around."

A FOOD THING: Nadzam plans to attend either the University of Kentucky or North Carolina and hopes to run track and cross country. A 3.5 student, he plans to major in nutrition. "I've always been concerned with eating healthy," Nadzam said. "It's been three or four years since I've eaten any fast food. I don't really eat any candy, either."

By Mike White

KIM KANALA

SCHOOL: Hempfield.

WHO IS SHE? One of the top weight throwers in WPIAL girls' track.

PAST WEEK: A junior, Kanala won the discus and shot put events Saturday at the Lady Spartan Invitational at her school. Her distances, respectively, were 138 feet, 8 inches and 38-2.

SEASON: Kanala not only has the top discus throw in the WPIAL this year -- 144-2 --it is fourth-best in league history. She did that April 4 in a meet against Greensburg Salem, edging the Golden Lions' Corinne Free, whose 143-8 distance is sixth all time.

CAREER: This is Kanala's third varsity season. At the WPIAL Class AAA championships last year, she was fifth in the shot and ninth in the discus,

ROLE MODELS: Exceptional throwers have become a trademark at Hempfield. Senior Wes Banks has the best recorded discus (163-5) and fourth-best shot (59-2¹/₂) marks among Western Pennsylvania boys this season. A year ago, Samantha Fetter was the top thrower on the girls' team -- and virtually the state. She won WPIAL discus and shot titles, then at the PIAA meet she was first in the discus, second in the shot. Fetter is now competing at Marshall University.

MATTER OF MATURITY: Kanala worked out diligently with Fetter the previous two years, and apparently benefited physically and psychologically. "Watching Samantha win at states last year made me realize that hard work pays off," Kanala said.

FUTURE: NCAA Division I track is a distinct possibility for Kanala, who is in the school band but does not participate in another sport.

By Rick Shrum