S. ABINGTON TWP. — She is sometimes better known as “The big name.”

While it was probably just easier for the announcer to refer to her as that rather than trying to pronounce her name, AnnaLee Protasiewicz loves it and adopted it as her moniker. Wallenpaupack’s senior swimmer is certainly having a big impact in the Lackawanna League.

Encouraged to try the sport in middle school by coach Emily Kotcho, the 6-foot-0 Protasiewicz committed herself to becoming the best she could. It has paid off, as she recently committed to continuing her athletic and academic careers at Lock Haven University.

“I swam once in middle school, and then COVID hit,” Protasiewicz said after competing in a Lackawanna League dual meet against Valley View at Abington Heights High School last week. “Then, my freshman year, Coach Kotcho scouted me out. Every single day, she was handing me a flier to join the team. My sophomore year was my first year of swimming, and I loved it so much. It has become a huge part of my life and who I am.

“I love the atmosphere. I love the adrenaline rush. I love the competition. That’s why I wanted to swim in college.”

During her career, Protasiewicz, who also tried tennis and in the spring competes in the jumps for the track and field team, has trained and developed as a swimmer at Wallenpaupack and with her club team, Pocono Family YMCA. She set a personal best time in the 50-yard freestyle of 27.15 seconds at the Les Richards Championships last February and had a time of 1:00.07 in the 100 freestyle that placed her eighth at the District 2 Class 2A championships.

Earlier this season, she had a time of 27.65 in the 50 free and 1:01.66 in the 100 free for Pocono Family YMCA at a double dual meet. In a Lackawanna League meet against Valley View, she won the 100 freestyle.

“Swimming is really a great outlet to put everything on the line,” Protasiewicz said. “Your stress, your anger, your anxiety — you can let it all out. The adrenaline hit is too satisfying to let go. The connections you make are unbelievable. I love all of my teammates. They make this a really great experience.”

While swimming for Pocono Family YMCA, Lock Haven coach Jerry Hammaker reached out to Protasiewicz, and after a visit, the Lady Buckhorns standout made her decision official. She plans to study athletic training.

Lock Haven is a Division II program that competes in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference.

“I went to a bunch of college recruiting events last spring,” Protasiewicz said. “That is where I met Coach Hammaker, and he really stood out to me as someone confident and encouraging. He said that you can teach skills, but you can’t teach height, and he said I looked like such a good swimmer. After that, I visited the campus, and I fell in love with it, and it checked all my boxes.”

Giving back

Valley View swimmers took time out of their busy schedules to honor those who sacrificed for the freedoms bestowed upon the citizens in the United States of America.

On Saturday afternoon, the Cougars participated in Wreaths Across America at Cathedral Cemetery.

The Wreaths Across America program’s mission, according to its website, is to “Remember the fallen. Honor those who serve. Teach the next generation the value of freedom.”

For the Cougars, having the chance to honor the veterans meant a lot.

“I think it is kind of like our duty to do this for them, since they have done so much for us, whether we know what they did or not,” said Reilly Sprague, whose brother, Sean, is a member of the Army National Guard. “I think we can do more, and that they deserve way more than we give. They sacrificed their lives and time with their families for us.

“I feel like so many more people should participate in something like this.”

Schedule

On Tuesday, the annual City Rivalry meet between Scranton and West Scranton is scheduled for the West Scranton Intermediate School pool.

The brother combination of Roy and Jordan Ayala leads West Scranton.

Roy is a multiple All-Region selection. Last season, Roy finished second, and Jordan was third in the 100 breaststroke at the District 2-4 Class 3A subregional. Roy added a second-place finish in the 200 individual medley, and Jordan was 10th in the 100 freestyle.

Valley View is at Scranton Prep on Tuesday.

Dunmore is at Elk Lake, and Wallenpaupack is at Abington Heights on Wednesday. Holy Cross is at Delaware Valley on Thursday.

After this week, the Lackawanna League takes its holiday hiatus. League meetings resume Jan. 6.

One of the important Lackawanna League meets of the season was rescheduled. Elk Lake will compete at Delaware Valley on Jan. 15. The matchup was originally scheduled for Dec. 9, but was postponed.