H-S Athlete of the Week: Morgan Gesinski, Mount Pleasant
Submitted photo
Name: Morgan Gesinski
School: Mount Pleasant
Class: Senior
Sport: Soccer/basketball
Gesinski’s week: Gesinski continued to collect honors for her outstanding high school soccer career at Mount Pleasant as she transitioned into playing for the Lady Vikings girls basketball team. Gesinski was selected to the United States Soccer (USC) All-East Region team last week and for the second year in a row was the only local player to be chosen to the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association All-State Girls Soccer Team. She finished her career second on the Lady Vikings’ career goals list with 127 to go along with 48 assists. She is the point guard for her basketball team and has hit double figures in scoring twice, including 10 points in Mount Pleasant’s 41-29 victory over Yough on Thursday, as the Lady Vikings improved to 3-2.
Team success: Gesinski, a four-year starter in soccer who is the daughter of Jonathan and Jill Gesinski of Mount Pleasant, helped the Lady Vikings go on a historic run. Her team had a combined 67-13-2 record in her four years and never lost a section game, going a perfect 40-0 with four section championships. Mount Pleasant won at least one WPIAL playoff game in each of the last four seasons, reaching the final once and the semifinals twice, including this year. They also made the program’s first appearance in the PIAA playoffs when she was a freshman and reached the state final four. “Looking back, it’s pretty amazing to see what our team has done,” Gesinski said. “My freshman year to go to the WPIAL final and have a good run in states was great. We won the section and made it to the playoffs every year even if we didn’t get as far as we wanted to. To go undefeated every year in section, I don’t know how many schools can say they did that. It shows what a good all-around team we had every year I was here. We worked together so well.”
Impressive honors: Even the 17-year-old Gesinski, who scored her 100th goal in style last year with a hat trick in a win over Hopewell, is amazed at the individual honors she’s accumulated, including being named to the All-WPIAL team in addition to the region and state awards. “It was incredible to be named All-East Region,” she said. “It’s the highest recognition after All-American and I’m really happy and honored, but I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. To be All-State two years in a row is something that’s hard to get but I think with the team I had, with the support of my teammates, it all worked out for me to have a good season. I’m really grateful and happy for that.” Gesinski also is a two-time TikTok成人版 Player of the Year.
Super sisters: Gesinski has two sisters, Hannah, 21, and Riley, 19, who both play soccer at the University of Pitt-Greensburg so Morgan will make it three for three on the trio playing soccer at the college level when she becomes the first of the three to play at the NCAA Division-I level at Robert Morris University. “Riley and I were teammates when I was a freshman at Mount Pleasant and she’s the reason I started playing soccer,” Morgan said. “After going to her games and practices when I was a kid and realizing I thought this is pretty fun, the next season I said I wanted to join. A couple years later I played on a rec soccer team with boys and I thought I did pretty good against them and I think that helped me get better. That’s when I realized I could play at a pretty high level. Ever since that moment I thought of playing Division-I soccer and here I am getting the chance to.” The sisters stay in touch. “Hannah commutes so she’s home a lot,” Morgan said. “Riley lives on campus. I’m pretty close with them. We get along and talk all the time and discuss soccer a lot.”
D-1 dream fulfilled: Gesinski originally made a verbal commitment to Mercyhurst but when the coach that recruited her left for another job she decided to switch to Robert Morris University. “I visited Robert Morris and went to two camps there and I like the area,” she said. “The campus is amazing and closer to home, and with the people there and the coaches I just thought it was a better fit for me. Also my dad got a job five minutes from there. I just felt overall it was a better option.” Gesinski will likely remain an offensive player in college. “They have me for a forward so probably there or an attacking mid,” she said.
Odd and ends: Gesinski is a big fan of Brownsville graduate Tessa Dellarose, who helped lead North Carolina to the national championship last year, and looks up to several other soccer stars as well. “Tessa is a really big one for me,” she said. “Also Jordynn Dudley of Florida State, Sophia Smith from the professional team and (U.S. national team member) Rose Lavelle. … Although soccer is her main sport, Gesinski is happy on a basketball court also. “I like basketball and I enjoy playing it,” she said. “Both of my parents played so I’ve been around basketball probably more than I’ve been around soccer.” … Gesinski loves to bake. “Cookies and cake are what I like to make,” she said, “especially chocolate chip cookies and a chocolate chocolate cake.”
– Compiled by Rob Burchianti