MULTITALENTED DIXON VELTRI ’ S WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS
ox Chapel Area FOX CHAPEL AREA SCHOOL NEWS
MULTITALENTED DIXON VELTRI ’ S WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS
Dixon Veltri is the first to admit it . She . Can ’ t . Sit . Still .
She also figures her inability to remain sedentary for too long is what triggered her to play four interscholastic sports – soccer , gymnastics , diving , and track . That ’ s unique enough by itself , but the fact that she excels so skillfully in every single one of them is definitely a feat that will be hard for any other athlete to match for many years to come .
But amazingly , her athletic interests don ’ t end with just school sports . In the spring and summer she also plays with the Beadling Soccer Club and has traveled to high-level competitions throughout the country . In 2015 and 2016 , her team was back-to-back US Youth Soccer Region I champions , and last year placed third at the organization ’ s national championship .
The quad-sport athlete has played every sport all four years of high school , with the exception of a sophomore start in gymnastics , and when she graduates in June , she will have amassed a total of 15 athletic letters . In addition to Dixon ’ s varsity status in every sport , every year , she has also won numerous section and WPIAL postseason honors in all four
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sports , qualified for the PIAA track and field championship last year , and so far this year , has been a captain for each of her teams .
“ I don ’ t have time for much else other than sports , especially since I take Advanced Placement classes ,” says the star athlete who often times stays up late to get all of her studying done . “ In order for it to work , you have to manage your time wisely and really want to do those things . Then you ’ ll do whatever you need to do in order to get better . You have to make some sacrifices along the way , but it ’ s worth it .”
A Soccer Star
Of all her callings , Dixon ’ s first love is soccer . Her parents signed her up for youth soccer when she was five-years-old as a way to let her run off her abundant energy – and she is still just as enthusiastic about the sport today .
“ I ’ ve worked really hard all of these years to get better ,” points out the all-state midfielder who regularly catches fans ’ attention with her trademark flip throws that shoot from the sidelines like cannonballs . “ Soccer is my happy place .”
Thanks to her incredible talent , Dixon helped lead her team to a 9-1 section record this season and a spot in the WPIAL AAA semifinals .
Many colleges recruited her , but Dixon picked NCAA Division I University of North Carolina-Wilmington . It ’ s a reward for an impressive high school soccer career that included two all‐section and all-WPIAL designations . This past season , Dixon was named to the all-state team , Pennsylvania ’ s highest
Photo Courtesy Gordon Snyder Photography