The Pennant is celebrating 50 years of Title IX and Kingsmen Girls Sports by showcasing some of the top female athletes in Penn Athletics History. The athletes featured were selected by coaches and Athletic administrators.
By MEGHAN HICKEY
Coach Lisa Pawlik and her 2010 Penn Volleyball Team hoisted the first State Championship Trophy in Program History. She has spent 25 years at Penn coaching volleyball.
Coach Pawlik played at Warren Central, and while playing there, her team won sectionals for the first time in school history. Coach Pawlik also learned how she wanted to coach and what kind of coach she wanted to be. She went on to play at Ball State, which was a big accomplishment in itself because she was able to play at a Division I University. Coach Pawlik was also able to play with her sister there. She became a coach directly out of college.
Currently, Coach Pawlik teaches health, rec basketball, and physical education at Penn. She was a guidance counselor for 14 years. Her coaching achievements include ICGSA / IHSVCA – Hall of Fame 2014, State Championship 4A Volleyball 2010, having a record of 39-1 (the best in school history), and 2021 – Being named an AVCA – National Coach of the Year – Region 5.
Among the amazing athletes Coach Pawlik helped develop is Annie Drews, who led Team USA to its first Gold Medal in Volleyball at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Athletics have impacted Coach Pawlik’s life because it’s been a big part of what she is and what she’s done and it’s been an honor to be able to work with children and to help them become strong, independent women. Sports is just one of those things where you can learn so much through sports: dedication, focus, and goal setting.
According to Coach Pawlik, opportunities for athletic experiences are important for all students because it gives them something to focus on throughout their education. It also teaches them discipline, time management, the ability to work together and teamwork in order to achieve a common goal.
Coach Pawlik believes that there’s always progress to be made in any kind of opportunity for kids. It’s important for our women to be able to move forward and be able to coach in sports and help with that female sport. It’s also important for women to know that they can have everything: career, job, family. As you balance sports through high school, you learn you can do a lot of things. Having the sky to limit attitude is very beneficial for women in sports. Opportunities for women have gotten better, but there is always more that can be done.
