Trib HSSN May Madness: Annessa Schnur, Butler vs. Maura Huwalt, South Park

By: Don Rebel
Monday, May 18, 2020 | 9:00 AM

Over the course of the next month and a half, May Madness will determine who you fans believe is the WPIAL Athlete of the Century.

HSSN has put together two 32-player brackets, one for the boys and one for the girls of WPIAL alums. Outside of a few exceptions, the field is made up of former district players who excelled in more than one sport.

Each weekday, May Madness will have one matchup each on the boys and girls bracket with a little background info on each athlete found in a daily tale of the tape.

Starting at 9 a.m. Monday and running through 9 a.m. Tuesday, you can vote on the HSSN twitter page on the two athletes featured in this first-round matchup.

Check the HSSN website at noon Tuesday for the matchup’s final results.

Here is the contest for the girls; Round 1, Day 12:

Annessa Schnur vs. Maura Huwalt is a classic battle of north vs. south and also a matchup of one of the earliest district stars of the decade against one of the latest all-around athletes in the last 20 years.

Annessa Schnur-Steele — Butler Class of 2000

(Track and field, basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis)

• She was a 10-time WPIAL champion in five different events and medaled as a top-three finisher 15 times in her sparkling career.

• She ranks in the top-three fastest times at tradition-rich Butler in the 100 meters, 200, 400, 800, 400 relay, 1,600 relay, 3,200 relay, 300 hurdles and long jump, in which she is first at 18 feet, 4 inches.

• As a senior in 2000, Schnur captured WPIAL gold in the 400 relay and the 3,200 relay and finished second in the 800.

• As a junior, Schnur won WPIAL gold in the 400, was on the winning 1,600 relay team and finished third in the long jump.

• As a sophomore, Schnur was the golden girl, winning WPIAL gold in the 200, setting a district record in the 400 and 1,600 relay and took third in the long jump.

• In her four years as a member of the Butler track and field team, Schnur helped the Golden Tornado win four consecutive WPIAL team girls Class AAA team championships.

• She played for four years on the Butler girls basketball team and also was a member of the Golden Tornado cross country, soccer and tennis teams during her scholastic career.

• She was inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame in 2017.

• Schnur was a member of the track and field and cross country teams in college at Michigan and returned to Butler a decade later to take over the coaching duties of the track and field team.

Maura Huwalt — South Park Class of 2019

(Track and field, basketball)

• 2019 Gatorade Track & Field athlete of the year finalist nationally.

• Huwalt was the top American finisher at the Penn Relays in high school discus and was a New Balance All-American in the javelin.

• She was a seven-time WPIAL champion in field events and medaled as a top-three finisher 15 times in her marvelous career.

• Huwalt was a top-three finisher eight times at the PIAA track and field championships, highlighted by winning state gold in the 2018 discus as a junior.

• She is the only female thrower in WPIAL history to sweep gold in the shot put, discus and javelin in back-to-back years as a junior in 2018 and a senior in 2019.

• She is the only female thrower in WPIAL history to be ranked in the Top 25 throws all-time in the shot put, discus and javelin.

• Huwalt holds the South Park school record in both the shot put and the discuss and helped the Eagles win the 2019 WPIAL Class AA track and field team championship.

• She scored more than 1,000 points in her South Park basketball career as she helped the Eagles reach the playoffs all four years and play in two WPIAL semifinals games and one PIAA semifinals contest.

• Huwalt is a member of the track and field team in college at Auburn.

Check out the updated brackets here.

Annessa Schnur – @Butler_Area_SD
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Maura Huwalt – @MauraHuwalt

— TribLive HSSN (@TribLiveHSSN) May 18, 2020

Tags: Butler, South Park