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Wojdowski entering Mars HOF

Basketball, soccer, track standout becoming 3rd family member to receive induction

This is the third in a series of seven articles profiling the Mars Athletic Hall of Fame's Class of 2017.WASHINGTON, D.C. — Haley Wojdowski and Mars High School sports were the perfect fit.So is her upcoming induction into the district's athletic hall of fame.A 2003 graduate, Wojdowski starred in soccer, basketball and track and field. She will take her place among the school's all-time greats Sept. 8.“It was a great surprise,” she said of learning of her induction. “Having my accomplishments recognized like that, I'm very appreciative. It's an honor to be selected.”Wojdowski referred to basketball as her first love.“I generally liked team sports, but basketball in particular, I liked coming up with plays and being able to contribute on both offense and defense,” she said. “I guess that's the case with soccer, too, but not as much as with basketball.”Wojdowski averaged 10.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Planets her junior year and was named to the Butler Eagle's third team. She stepped into a leadership role as a senior and scored 13.1 points and earned a spot on the first team, helping Mars reach the WPIAL playoffs for the fifth straight year and finish with a 20-6 record.A 5-foot-10 swing player, she proved to be a matchup problem for most opponents. While adept at corralling rebounds and scoring inside, she also drained 23 three-pointers during her senior campaign.Wojdowski emerged as a reliable earner of points in jumps and relay events in the spring and also contributed as a sophomore defender on Mars' first-ever WPIAL girls soccer title team in 2000.“At the start of every season, Coach (Dale) Giovengo would set a pyramid of goals for the team,” she said. “Winning the WPIAL was at the top and to go out and actually do it, it was a big deal. The school was very supportive of us.”Wojdowski would switch to goalie for her last two years on the pitch and graduated with a then-record number of career shutouts for the program. She was rewarded with Mars' Maude Neithercoat Award in the spring of 2003, recognizing her as the school's top senior female athlete.She also earned a $5,000 scholarship as one of four recipients of the WPIAL Scholar Athlete of the Year Award.“Every team I played on was a solid program,” said Wojdowski.When it came time to choose which sport to play in college, the decision was an easy one.“Basketball always resonated with me,” she said. “It was my best sport.”Wojdowski's college of choice, Johns Hopkins University, did nothing to lessen her workload, but she was ready for it.“My parents, Richard and Leslie, were very big on academics,” she said. “I did not hold a job in high school. My parents said that school and sports were my job. All those years of playing sports growing up helped me learn how to schedule my time. It prepared me. My (older) sister, Jaime, and I were both valedictorians at Mars.”Wojdowski played on Johns Hopkins' women's basketball team all four years and tallied career numbers of 145 assists, 67 blocks and 60 three-pointers — all while double-majoring in economics and international relations.“It was challenging and a very humbling experience,” she said, “but I loved college.”Haley Wojdowski's selection to the hall of fame completes an athletic trifecta for the family. Her older brother, Neal (2011), and Jaime (2015) were previously inducted.“I never felt any pressure to meet what they accomplished, but they were great role models to follow,” she said.Last year, Jaime had a kidney removed and given to Neal, who was in need of a transplant.“They tested me and I was a total mismatch,” said Haley. “I spent time with both Jaime and Neal during their recoveries. It was a lot for them to go through and made me appreciate what siblings can do for each other.”Wojdowski attended law school at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated in 2012. She is currently an attorney in Washington, D.C.

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