honor in soccer. Her teammates also voted her“ Rookie of the Year” as a freshman and“ Best Offensive Player” as a junior.
“ Dixon has made a huge contribution to our program and to the success of other players on the team,” says Peter Torres, the Foxes’ head soccer coach.“ Her strengths are her ability to win headers, see the field, and make the correct decisions with her passes. She knows where to pass it and how to pass it, and defenders have a difficult time guarding her because she is always moving. She will be remembered as one of Fox Chapel Area’ s top players.”
Plunging into Winter Sports
As Dixon hangs up her well-worn soccer cleats, she barely has time before moving along to her winter sports, diving and gymnastics. In sharp contrast to her tough and gritty play on the field, her winter sports are all about precision, power, body control, grace, and beauty. Her favorite dive, a somersault with two twists, was part of her set that qualified her for the WPIAL championship this season and last year as well.
“ Dixon has incredible natural ability and is probably the best all-around athlete I have ever seen in my many years as a competitor and coach,” marvels Vernon Yenick, her Foxes’ diving coach.“ She has been a top performer and a leader on the diving team, and is great at motivating her teammates.”
When Dixon added gymnastics to her repertoire in 10th grade, it was just a natural extension of diving, and with only three practices a week, she found it was possible to squeeze in that sport as well. She’ s a mainstay on the squad and an all-around performer, meaning she competes on the balance beam, uneven parallel bars, floor exercise, and vault. Even with limited practice time, Dixon is a two-time WPIAL championship qualifier.
As Fast as They Come
Part of Dixon’ s extraordinary quickness in soccer comes from years of running track as well as natural athleticism. She first started running in middle school and still holds the record there in the 800-meter run. Now, as the anchor for the high school’ s 4x800 relay team, Dixon has proven she’ s not only fast, but according to her coach Tom Moul,“ If she took the baton in second place, I usually could count on her running down the person in front of her to give her team the first-place finish.”
That relay team qualified for the PIAA track championship last season and she also qualified individually for the WPIAL championship in the 800-meter event. Coach Moul expects she will do a repeat performance in the upcoming season.
An Inspiration
Dixon’ s dedication to performing at the top of her game is innate. She’ s always been competitive and expects a lot from herself and her teammates. But she’ s also infused that burning desire with a hefty sense of humor and leadership skills that drive others to believe in her.
As far as her own inspiration, one person she credits is brilliant soccer player Crystal Dunn, a former star for the University of North Carolina and a member of the U. S. Women’ s National Team.“ She inspires you to never stop working hard until you get what you want,” Dixon says.
It’ s that very mindset that fuels her belief that all things are possible through hard work and dedication. It has served Dixon well these past four years, as it will in her future endeavors, and has resulted in an enduring legacy as one of the very best all‐around athletes in the history of Fox Chapel Area High School athletics. ox Chapel Area FOX CHAPEL AREA SCHOOL NEWS
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