Senior spotlight: Before college football starts, Seton LaSalle’s Shaughnessy savors memories on court

By: Jonathan Bombulie
Wednesday, April 8, 2020 | 6:01 AM

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Editor’s note: Each day, Trib HSSN will spotlight a WPIAL spring athlete whose senior year has been put on hold by the coronavirus pandemic.

Early in the recruiting process, Seton LaSalle senior Alex Shaughnessy realized the idea of playing two sports in college might be a little too much.

A 6-foot-3, 200-pound tight end, Shaughnessy chose football and committed to St. Francis.

He’s undoubtedly excited about the path he’s chosen, but he can’t help but feel there’s a little unfinished business on the volleyball court.

If the PIAA spring sports season isn’t canceled, he and his teammates would love to get another crack at Ambridge, the team that knocked off the Rebels in the WPIAL finals last season.

What’s your best memory playing volleyball for Seton LaSalle?

Last year, when we won against OLSH (in the WPIAL semifinals). I had the serve. I always look at the video my mom took. I serve it, and then over-pass-over, we bump it, and then our senior last year, Chris Sigg, gets a kill, hits off the block, gets out of bounds. Our point. We are going to the WPIAL championship. It was a great moment for all of us.

What’s your best memory as a sports fan?

I’ve been a big Steelers fan my whole life. Watching them win the sixth Super Bowl with Santonio Holmes in the corner, that was unbelievable.

Better pass or better catch?

It was a good pass. He was, like, triple-covered in the corner of the end zone. It was a good catch because he got both feet down. It was, all in all, perfect.

Who would you say is your school’s biggest rival?

Last year, our team’s biggest rival was Canevin. I came from Canevin. I transferred middle of my sophomore year. It would always get heated because they had Matt Menosky last year. He’s at St. Francis playing D-I volleyball. It would always get heated between us. They had one dude there and we had all cylinders on our team. It was back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. So last year, it was Canevin. Right now, we’re focused on Ambridge because they put a bad taste in our mouth last year.

What’s the best way to avoid boredom when stuck at home?

I’ve been doing a lot of different things. I’ve been doing online classes, but that’s pretty boring. I did get to do a puzzle with my mom. It was a Steelers puzzle. It was pretty cool.

You’re going to St. Francis to play football. What made you choose that school?

Early in the process, I was seeing if I could do both in college, volleyball and football, but I thought that would be too much for me. I went from looking at D-III to D-II and late in the process, a D-I. I found out that St. Francis was the best spot for me for what I want to do, which is play football at the highest level I can and get a great education.

What do you plan to study?

Exercise physiology.

If you could pick anyone to give a commencement speech at your graduation, who would it be?

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. He’s just the man. He could be the president. Put him on the ballot, it would be him. He can motivate people to do better.

If you were asked to give a speech, what advice would you give to underclassmen?

I would say to stay humble in whatever you do. Respect goes a long way in anything you do. Kindness goes a long way, too. It’s pretty bland, but it goes a long way.

Jonathan Bombulie is the TribLive assistant sports editor. A Greensburg native, he was a hockey reporter for two decades, covering the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for 17 seasons before joining the Trib in 2015 and covering the Penguins for four seasons, including Stanley Cup championships in 2016-17. He can be reached at jbombulie@triblive.com.

Tags: Seton La Salle