Olivia Pisacano is always on the run.
And it’s not because she runs three seasons at Little Flower High School, doing cross country, indoor track and outdoor track.
It’s because she’s always going from one sport to another.
Running three seasons in high school is tough. But when you consider she’s not a three-sport star, but a six-sport star each year, it explains why she’s always in a rush, and it’s not just to the finish line.
Pisacano, a senior, plays field hockey in the fall, swims in the winter and plays lacrosse during the spring.
Not only that, she’s pretty darn good at all of them.
In the fall, she made first-team All-Catholic in both cross country and as a midfielder in field hockey.
She’s busy, but couldn’t be happier.
“I’ve always been a runner, and I didn’t play field hockey until high school,” said Pisacano , who lives in Rhawnhurst. “I think that’s a great thing about getting (All-Catholic) in field hockey, because it shows everyone that we had a pretty good team. We did all right and most of us didn’t play field hockey until we got to high school and we were competing against teams that have girls who have played their whole lives.
“I think my future is in running, that’s what i’m going to do in college, but I loved field hockey. I loved playing it and it meant a lot that we got recognition for All-Catholic. I got it, but it showed that our team was good. That’s how I took it.”
Pisacano isn’t just proud of the Sentinels’ accomplishments in field hockey. She is the ultimate team player who was a captain in both of the fall sports, which says a lot considering she competed in only two Catholic League cross country meets, the minimum number needed to compete in the All-Catholic race.
The reason she missed many of the meets is because races were held on the same day as field hockey games, and it was decided she should play the team sport.
She ran one race when her team enjoyed an off day, the other one was a crazy day for her and a few other teammates who play both sports.
“There were a few of us, and we had a night game at O’Hara,” Pisacano recalled. “So right after school, we ran, and then we got in a car and went up to the game. It was a long day, but it was fun. We wanted to do it.”
Pisacano admits playing so many sports can be challenging, especially when you consider she’s a top-notch student in advanced-placement courses.
Sometimes, something’s got to give and a lot of time that’s rest.
“I sleep, but sometimes I need to catch up,” said Pisacano, who enjoyed most of last week off before starting optional swimming practices this week. “I won’t go hard in swimming, I’ll just get in the pool and get ready, just get loosened up and ready to start training.”
The good thing about playing six sports is you don’t have time to get out of shape.
Sure, you’re using different muscles in field hockey than you do in swimming, and being in cross country shape is different than being in lacrosse shape, but all the sports go hand in hand. And every sport ends up helping the other sport out in some way.
“In field hockey games, I was running miles every game, especially because I was a midfielder and that’s a position where you do a lot of running,” said Pisacano, who took second place in the All-Catholic race and was the top finisher in District 12 during the PIAA Class 3A race in Hershey, where she placed in the top half of runners while posting a personal best time of 20:41. “During the fall, I would do field hockey every day, practice and everything, but I would make sure I would do a few long runs every week just to stay ready for cross country. I wanted to be ready for every race.
“I probably could have been better prepared if I did one sport, but I love doing multiple sports. It’s hard, but it’s worth it.”
When her high school career is over, Pisacano will have earned 22 varsity letters. She went two years without competing in track, but has done every other sport every year since she was a freshman, and she was on varsity each year.
That’s a lot of practice, a lot of games and a lot of hard work. But she’ll also exit high school with plenty of great memories.
She also has high hopes beyond high school.
She wants to continue to run, but she’s also on track to do something in science, perhaps with animals, though not a veterinarian, or in some type of environmental studies.
“I like science a lot, I do pretty well in that and I want to make a difference in some area,” Pisacano said. “Those are some of the things I’m interested in.”
She’s also interested in having a fantastic end to her senior year.
And she’ll exit Little Flower with a lot of achievements, but even better, many friends.
“I have met so many people by playing different sports, and all of them will be my friends forever,” Pisacano said. “I can’t pick a favorite sport. I love them all, and I’m glad I was able to do it. I had a great fall and I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”
