Amanda Ponsonby takes great pride in being a student-athlete at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, where for the past four years she has competed on the women’s track and field team as a pole vaulter.

Ponsonby, a graduate of Norwin Senior High School, has had a stellar career as a pole vaulter both in high school, where she broke the school record, and on the collegiate level.

Ponsonby explored the possibility of attending other schools, but is glad to be attending Seton Hill University. “I liked the opportunity of obtaining an athletic scholarship and attending a small school that was relatively close to home,” Ponsonby said.

In addition, she says that competing against student-athletes from the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference is extremely challenging.

During her freshman year at Seton Hill, Ponsonby was one of the high point getters for the Griffins and had more than her share of first place finishes.

In 2009, Ponsonby had the distinct honor of representing the school at a national completion in San Angelo, Texas. She came through with a 17th place finish, competing against young women from across the U.S.

“I’ll always remember that going to the nationals was a great thrill because the level of competition was tremendous,” Ponsonby said. During her years at Seton Hill, Ponsonby has competed in outdoor and indoor track and field, but says she enjoys competing outdoors the most.

“Competing in track and field has provided me with a lot of wonderful memories. I’ve been fortunate enough to have competed for Seton Hill University,” Ponsonby said. Ponsonby maintains a 3.83 grade point average. Because of her high academic standing, Ponsonby is a member of the Lambda Pi Eta, an honor society for students who maintain a high academic standing. With graduation in May 2012, Ponsonby says she will explore career opportunities in teaching and electronic journalism.

“I will leave Seton Hill University with a lot of great memories and have made many friends during my stay on this campus,” she said.