Student Spotlight: Matthew Cavanaugh
A junior here at VHS, Matthew Cavanaugh is always found with a smile on his face. He has grown so much as an individual as he has involved himself in STEM club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and DECA, also accumulating many accomplishments on both the cross country and track teams. Cavanaugh is a well-rounded student that still has two years to look forward to for the rest of his high school career.
Cavanaugh has always been the person to crack a joke at the best times. For example, this past year, at the annual talent show April Antics there were some technical difficulties before one of the performances. After about a minute or two of silence, Cavanaugh stands up and begins to tell knock-knock jokes to keep the audience entertained. I do not think there is any single moment that describes Cavanaugh better than this, because without a doubt, he is always found making those around him laugh.
I sat down with Cavanaugh to talk about his upcoming year.
Cavanaugh said, “I’m most excited for being an upperclassmen leader on the cross country team.”
Cavanaugh has been running for the cross country team since freshman year and is excited for what this season is going to bring after all of his hard work.
His favorite teacher is Mr. El-naggar, an engineer teacher at the high school. Cavanaugh is very inspired by the engineering field and this teacher in particular is very knowledgeable. He has learned a lot from him that has made wanting to learn more very enjoyable.
Overall, Cavanaugh has made VHS a better place because of the positive atmosphere that he brings and how his sense of humor truly can please an entire audience in the best of times. Thanks for being you, Matt!
Up Next for the Vikings
While you may think that nothing is going on at the high school over the summer, you could not be more wrong. It is well known that Valparaiso High School has always taken great pride in their athletics, and the Vikings are no different this year. This upcoming fall season brings forth all sorts of new talents for boys and girls cross country, girls golf, football, boys tennis, volleyball, and boys & girls soccer. The summer is not a time of relaxation for these athletes, it's when all the hard work is put in for the season ahead of them. These athletes are working tirelessly everyday to prepare for their chance to grab the DAC titles.
For the girls soccer team, they hope to successfully overcome the top-ranked teams in the conference, and come out on top for the season.
Stephanie Sgouroudis, a senior on the team who will be playing her fourth and final year on the team, said, “I’m excited to see what we can accomplish this fall. I think as a team we are going to focus on winning the DAC and reclaiming the sectional title.”
In the past few years, the Lady Vikings have served their talent and made it to the Final-Four as well as the Regional Championship. With new talent brought to the table, and a fresh season ahead of them, the Vikings are looking very promising this fall.
To keep the ball rolling, the boys soccer team continues to grow in success as this year brings even more accomplishments.
Junior Chris Bower said, “I'm most looking forward to getting stronger as a team, both on and off the field, while taking on the opportunity to shock a lot of teams. It’s been a couple years since Valpo has won a DAC title, and we're hungry for a title this year.”
The Vikings have come close to grabbing the title for many years in the past, but they hope that this year will finally be their shot because their eyes are on the prize.
Bower continued, “We've set high expectations for this year, and both our players and coaches are on board to accomplish them.”
Football is always exciting for the Vikings, and within the last couple years, our team has done nothing but continue to improve more and more.
Patrick Kelly has high hopes for the team as he said, “I'm most looking forward to having fun and spending time with my teammates while also repeating as DAC champions.”
Last year the freshman, JV, and Varsity teams were all able to successfully win the DAC title for the first time.
Kelly continued, “Some goals for our team are to beat Penn and win our sectional.”
I am more than excited to see them do so.
Boys Tennis are likewise shaping to be highly successful. Two strong players, Max Behrend and Ray Kreloff share their thoughts on what's next for them. Kreloff, a senior this year, hopes to have a solid spot as the teams #2 singles.
He also said, as a team, “We could have one of the best singles trio in the DAC, given that we all have great experience.”
The team is very close and has so much experience playing together, which will help them to make connections not only on the course, but off the course as friendships continue to grow as well.
Behrend, also a senior this year, said, “I'm looking forward to the fun we have as a team, the excitement of new competition, thrilling exhausting matches, and cheering on my teammates.”
Overall, the team hopes to get the win this year, specifically for Coach Shielder, who has been hoping to come out on top in the DAC the past two years.
Be sure to stay up to date with all things Valpo Sports because you will not want to miss what these students have to offer. Go Vikes!