Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Greensburg Central Catholic’s Liz Dlugos

By: Anthony DiFilippo
Monday, June 12, 2023 | 4:29 PM

A section title, a fifth-place finish at WPIALs and a 15th-place finish at states.

That’s the strong resume put together this year by Liz Dlugos, who competes in the shot put at Greensburg Central Catholic.

“I’m very proud of all my accomplishments this past season,” Dlugos said. “I know I still have a lot left in me, so I’m excited to see what these next four years hold.”

The next four years for Dlugos will be spent at Bucknell, which is no stranger to her family.

Liz’s father, Joe, and her aunt attended Bucknell, so she had a ton of exposure there throughout her childhood, but Dlugos said her decision was not entirely rooted in the family history with the school.

“I don’t like big cities, so the size and location were perfect,” Dlugos said. “I love where I live in Western PA and the nature that surrounds it, and Bucknell just reminds me of home.”

Across the board, there have been a number of relatives with the Dlugos name who have had success in sports.

It started with her grandfather, Donald Dlugos (football at Miami and Edinboro), who “instilled his love of athletics” into the rest of the family.

Her uncles, Matt Dlugos and Rob Dlugos, played at Princeton and Harvard, respectively.

In the current generation, her cousins Zach (Amherst) and Nate (Williams College), Nick Dlugos and Henry Detwiler (still in high school) play football.

Her older brother plays football at Mercyhurst, and her younger brother plays football in junior high.

She also pointed out her little sister, Abby, a rising sophomore, competes in volleyball, track and basketball at GCC.

Dlugos had to fight to get to where she is today, as she underwent a major reconstructive knee surgery a few years ago.

Outside of the sports world, Dlugos is also a strong student, finishing in the top 5% of her class.

Dlugos is planning on majoring in biology before attending graduate school and exploring her options in the medical field.

This week, Dlugos took some time for a Senior Spotlight Q&A:

How did you get started with the shot put?

I began my track career in seventh grade after my friend, Craig Brewer, told me that I should try it. I knew going into the first practice that I wasn’t built for running or jumping, so I tried throwing and fell in love with it.

What was the college recruiting process like?

The recruiting process was not easy by any means for me, especially with an individual sport like track. Being able to put yourself out there and reaching out to coaches and schools is very important. I was most heavily recruited by Bucknell, Holy Cross, St. Francis and Lafayette. After being in contact with the coaches from those schools, I visited all of their campuses and then returned to three of them for official visits. I truly liked all of the schools that I visited, but after all of the official visits, I knew that Bucknell was where I wanted to be for the next four years.

How much pride do you take in your academics?

I’ve placed a high importance on academics since I was young, and I take them very seriously. After just graduating high school and looking back at all the academic achievements, I’m very proud of myself. The opportunities that I have because of my academic achievements definitely makes me feel like the hard work and sleepless nights have paid off.

Can you describe the process working back from a big knee surgery?

I had reconstructive knee surgery at the beginning of my junior year to fix an ongoing issue that had caused damage to a ligament and cartilage. Recovering from knee surgery is one of the most draining things both physically and mentally. Working back from an injury like that, you need to find the perfect balance between patience and working hard, and that’s not easy. During that time, different people in my life really helped me get through. I couldn’t have done it without those people.

What is one thing that people might not know about you?

I have been playing the flute for nine years and also have been involved in the musicals at GCC. I was actually the president of our Music Honors Society at GCC this past school year.

Tags: Greensburg C.C.