By Tom Peace and Chris Goldberg
TopLaxRecruits,com, Posted 1/21/17

Pro standout and former NCAA national champion Bridget Bianco said it’s an honor to be training Loyola Academy (IL) senior goalie Delaney Oliveira.

“Delaney is one of the hardest working athletes I have had the privilege of coaching,” said Philadelphia Force goalie Bianco, who starred at Northwestern and was an assistant coach at Richmond University. “Each session she comes with a fantastic student mentality ready to learn and grow not only as a goalie (player), but also as a leader heading into her senior year.

“Her work ethic is what has gotten her to the Division 1 level and will propel her to success at American University. She is the definition of an all around person and athlete: quiet, humble, tenacious and confident.”

On Wednesday Oliveira – a member of the eight-time defending state champion Ramblers – was honored by the Positive Coaching Alliance as a 2016 Triple-Impact Competitor® Scholarship Winner in a special awards ceremony at the Chicago Sports Museum. Oliveira was one of 200 National finalist who received scholarships based on high school student-athletes in all sports that meet the standard defined in personal mastery, leadership and honoring the game.

The Positive Coaching Alliance received 3,600 entries (included were essays, testimonials and references) and selected 200 finalists nationwide. Wednesday’s event was a fundraiser for PCA-Chicago, the Illinois Chapter of the PCA, which develops Better Athletes, Better People through youth and high school
sports.

The PCA executive council includes many well-known and respected coaches. Two from the lacrosse world are Amy Bokker (head coach at Stanford), and Janine Tucker (head coach at Johns Hopkins).

Oliveira was a member of last year’s Rambler squad that went 23-5 and has not lost an in-state game since 2014. A club player for Denver Summit’s Summit Elite 2017 team, Oliviera is also a Varsity Lightweight Rower with the nationally ranked Chicago Rowing Foundation. She volunteers with the Friends of Lakeview Pantry and a Toy Drive Junior Volunteer Director she recruited and managed volunteers for annual Toy Drives by collecting approximately 500 toys each year from 2012-16.

“Delaney is a joy to have on our team she leads quietly by example is not overly vocal or in anyone’s face,” said Loyola coach John Dwyer. “That is not to say she is not vocal on the field – she is and that is one of her strengths.

“She knows where the offense is attacking from and does a great job of directing her defenders and positioning them. Delaney made herself into a Division 1 lacrosse player by outworking the competition; she does an amazing amount of off the field training. Our coaches and her teammates are just happy we have her back for our upcoming season.”

Tai Duncan, Executive Director of the Positive Coaching Alliance of Chicago, was pleased to present Oliveira with her scholarship.

“We are delighted to honor Delaney as one of our Triple-Impact Competitor Scholarship finalists,” Duncan said. “She has a positive attitude and it is clear that her participation in sports has helped her learn valuable life lessons. We wish her the very best at American University, and hope she will continue to be a strong leader and teammate playing lacrosse at the next level, and most importantly, a good person.”

About Positive Coaching Alliance
Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) develops BETTER ATHLETES, BETTER PEOPLE through resources for youth and high school sports coaches, parents, administrators and student-athletes. In addition to nearly 1,500 free multimedia tips and tools at www.PCADevZone.org, PCA has partnered with roughly 3,500 schools and youth sports organizations nationwide to deliver more than 20,000 live group workshops, along with online courses and books by PCA Founder Jim Thompson that help those involved in youth and high school sports create a positive, character building
youth sports culture.