Altoona stars Bethany Lender, Aaron Nadolsky make college commitments

 AAHS STUDENT ATHLETES SIGN DIVISION I LETTERS-OF-INTENT


    Bethany Lender and Aaron Nadolsky, senior members of the Altoona Area High School track and field teams, signed NCAA Division I letters-of-intent today during a news conference at AAHS.


    Bethany Lender will attend East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, TN, where she will major in nutrition with a minor in kinesiology. The Buccaneers are members of the Atlantic Sun Conference.


    Lender is a two-year varsity letter winner who has scored 504 points during her sophomore and junior years. She was the recipient of the 2008 Blair County Chapter of Track and Field Officials’ Outstanding Performer Award.


    As a sophomore, she was the District 6 long jump champion; the West Central Coaches triple jump and long jump winner; and placed seventh in the triple jump at the Penn Relays. In her junior year, she broke the District 6 triple jump record with a leap of 39 feet, ½ inch.


    She is a two-time PIAA state meet qualifier. She won the bronze medal in the triple jump in 2007 and placed fourth in the same event last spring.


    She is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lender.

Photo: Altoona Assistant Coach Steve Rhodes, Bethany Lender, Aaron Nadolsky, Head Coach Mike Adams


    Aaron Nadolsky will attend Penn State University as a secondary education major. The Nittany Lions are members of the Big Ten Conference.


    With nine medals won at both indoor and outdoor state championships over the past two years, Nadolsky is the most-decorated athlete in AAHS track and field history. He helped the Mountain Lions win the PIAA outdoor state championship in 2008 and the PA Track and Field Coaches Association indoor state crown several weeks ago.


    He currently holds four school indoor and outdoor track records and was a first-team all-state selection for the 2008 outdoor season and the 2008 and 2009 indoor seasons. Additional accomplishments include:


    *2008 and 2009 indoor runner-up in 400m.


    *2008 outdoor silver medalist in the 200m.


    *Member of the 2008 indoor state championship 4x200m relay team.


    *Member of the 2009 state championship 4x200m and 4x400m relay teams.


    He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Nadolsky.