Thanks to our continued partnership with Univest Financial, SuburbanOneSports.com is once again recognizing a male and female featured athlete each week. The recognition is given to seniors of high character who are students in good standing that have made significant contributions to their teams or who have overcome adversity. Selections are based on nominations received from coaches, athletic directors and administrators.
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Female Athlete (Week of Sept. 27, 2025)
Charlotte McNeill has energy, seemingly boundless energy. The Souderton senior - an honors student - could be taking advantage of senior privilege to leave school early. McNeill, however, had a better idea. “I work at a farm every morning,” she said. “I pick corn, pumpkins, eggplants, peppers, beans and other produce. It’s honestly really fun.” So instead of going to school after an early wake-up call, McNeill – in something of a reverse senior privilege - heads to a local farm where she works 7:30-11:30 a.m. These days she is working in a pumpkin patch not all that far from the high school, catching and then tossing pumpkins into a gator. All to be sold at R&J Farm Market. “I also saw the pumpkins off the vine,” McNeill said. “Honestly, it has given me such an appreciation for the labor that is behind all produce.” From R&J, it’s off to school for two block periods, and from there, McNeil heads to the hockey field where she is a captain.
Her days often don’t end there. “Charlotte lives fairly close to me, and within the first couple days of the season, I’m out walking the dog, and she’s out taking a walk, but she’s a big rucker, so after dinner, she’s putting 20 pounds in a backpack and going for a walk,” Souderton hockey coach Sue Casciato said. “She’s like, ‘It’s good for you, Coach Sue. You have to keep your metabolism going after dinner.’” McNeill’s work ethic is so intense that her coach actually encourages her to slow down a bit, but that’s not a consideration. In addition to competing on the track team last spring, McNeill and then senior Julia Blair swam before school last winter to ensure they'd stay in shape in the offseason, their mornings beginning at 5 a.m. This year, both plan to continue that rigorous schedule even though Blair is at Colgate University. “We will still hold each other accountable,’ MacNeill said. “I love physical activity, I love to work out.”
While there’s no mistaking McNeill’s passion for working out, it can’t top her passion for field hockey.
“It was always just field hockey for me,” she said. “My mom really never tried to force me and my brothers into sports 
unless we really wanted to play. “My older cousin Collette (Euksuzian) taught me how to play – I was in either second or third grade,” she said. “I remember telling my mom, ‘Oh mom, I really love playing field hockey.’ Collette has always been a mentor for me in field hockey, and it was super nice to have a family member that helped me out.”
Fast forward to her senior year. McNeill, a four-year varsity starter, has taken on more of a leadership role for the hockey team. “I’m always trying to upbring the girls, I try to lift their spirits,” she said. “I always am dancing or doing something fun, so they don’t feel the pressure on them. They can let loose a little bit and have fun on the field. Sometimes at this time of the season, you’re in the grind, but we’re also here on the field – we’re having fun. We won’t look back and have any regrets. We’re out there playing and having a good time.” And perhaps no one has more fun than McNeill. “She’s definitely our big rah-rah,” Casciato said. “You could even see that as a junior – you knew she was going to be a captain because when we’re running suicides or whatever, she’s always the one yelling, ‘Let’s go girls.’”
Apparently, her teammates recognized that as well. “I have quite a few seniors this year, and when we voted for captains, seven or eight got votes,” Casciato said. “I had everybody pick two – she got 34 votes, and there were 35 people at practice. I happened to see her that night – she was out rucking, and I was walking the dog. I said, ‘Charlotte, I have a question for you. Did you vote for yourself for captain?’ She said, No,’ and I was like, ‘Well, you’re the only person that didn’t vote for you.’ She’s enthusiastic about the game, she’s probably the head cheerleader on the team. She always has a little dance she’s got to do. She does the ‘Gritty’ after she scores a goal.”
A member of Souderton’s Athletic Leadership Council, McNeill will continue her field hockey career at the Division 1 level at Long Island University where she will pursue a degree in fashion merchandising. “Technically, she’s a very good player,” Casciato said. “She’s got a great aerial, a good drive. She’s a striker on corners, and even if she’s not scoring, she’s getting the ball hard on cage that somebody can tip it in.” McNeill brings more than technical skills to LIU. “She’s very likable, she’s very kind,” Casciato said. “You wouldn’t be able to say anything negative about Charlotte. She’s just a good person.”
To read McNeill’s complete story, please click on the following link: https://suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/charlotte-mcneill-00120959
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Sept. 27, 2025)
In just his second year of running cross country, Central Bucks West senior Harrison Cornwell has emerged at the front of the pack as both an athlete and as a leader. A prime example was when the foundling middle school team showed up a recent high school practice. Coach John Mahoney, a teacher at CB West, was not able to get out to the warm-up period of the joint session, but it didn’t matter. Cornwell, in typical fashion, had the situation under control. “Harrison had already pulled the middle school kids aside, the seventh and eighth graders, and was showing them all of the drills that we do and how to warm up properly,” said the coach. “Apparently, he had already introduced himself to the kids. He asked them what their names were and shook their hands. He’s just that kind of a kid. He did that completely on his own. I didn’t say, ‘Keep an eye out for these kids and run some drills.’ He just took that upon himself. That speaks very highly of his character and
who he is as a person.”
From his perspective, Cornwell explained that he was just doing what needed to be done. “I saw a big group of younger kids with their coach,” he said. “I just went up to them and asked if they were the middle school cross country team, and they said that they were, so I introduced myself. I asked them all their names. Then, I just showed them what we do to warm up. I went through all the stretches with them.” Cornwell, a devout Christian, added that it just went along with his core belief system. “I feel that when you treat people with kindness, it just makes the world a better place,” he explained. “You never know what someone is going through, and just simple acts can make their day. I’m a big religious guy. I lead our group prayers before our runs. I play the guitar for our worship team at church.”
A native of Arizona, where his father, Eric, grew up, Cornwell was more of a basketball player but decided to give track and field a go in the spring of his sophomore year by experimenting with various events. The following year, he was ready to run, literally, by joining the cross country team as a junior. The rest is history. “He came out for the track team as a sophomore -- for spring track,” said Mahoney. “He was just trying to find a place to fit in. It’s kind of funny because he started off running the 400 and the pole vault. He was just kind of experimenting, to see what he wanted to do with the sport of track and field. He never even did any distance events. When he came out for cross country for his junior year, I thought, ‘OK, you can give it a try. We will see what happens.’ I thought that maybe he just wanted to get in shape for track. Then, he ended up running varsity for us and doing well. Now, he’s our top guy.”
So, literally, Cornwell is making up for lost time with every stride. “Better late than never,” said Mahoney. “I think we both wish that, if we could go back in time, he could’ve ran for us all four years.” A year ago, Cornwell made districts. The goal now is states. “Qualifying for the state championship is always a challenge,” said Mahoney, “but I think that would be a good goal for him. He definitely has a shot at it, especially when you consider he’s still relatively new to the sport and he still keeps improving on a weekly basis. It certainly wouldn’t shock me if he improves to the point where, come late October, he’s vying for one of those individual spots and gets to the state championship. It’s certainly a possibility.”
Outside of running, Cornwell enjoys documenting trips with short videos from his footage. His work can be seen on TikTok (@harrisoncornwell). Cornwell also carries a 4.2 GPA and has his eye on schools in the ACC. He plans to major in finance, with a goal of gaining financial independence, and also minor in Spanish. As it is, he is the president of his school’s National Spanish Honor Society. “My family has done mission trips for the past five years,” said Cornwell, adding that the mission work is through Doylestown-based Bold Hope, where his mother serves on the board. “Four of the years have been in the Dominican Republic, and everyone there speaks Spanish. Understanding it has really helped me to connect with them.”
The clear leader of the cross country team, he is also president of the Bucks Finance Club. “He’s a great kid,” said Mahoney. “He’s the definition of a student-athlete. He’s applying to some really impressive colleges. He has some big goals – athletically and academically. He works hard, but he is also a great leader. Everybody on the team really respects him. He listens to everybody, and he just does a great job of creating that culture of a team atmosphere and a team environment. It just comes naturally to him, being a leader. Being that it is only his second year. We don’t have official captains, but I think everybody on the team views him as a captain.”
To read Cornwell’s complete story, please click on the following link: https://suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/harrison-cornwell-00120936
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