Lampe twins select Carlow University
Edward K.Thompson
West Greene鈥檚 McKenna Lampe connects for a single against Monessen in this April 6 file photo. Lampe and her twin sister Madison signed letters-of-intent to attend Carlow University this fall.
Edward K.Thompson
West Greene鈥檚 Madison Lampe safely slides into third base during a WPIAL Class A semifinal game against Union at Peterswood Park in this May 23, 2018, file photo. Lampe and her twin sister McKenna signed letters-of-intent to continue their athletic and academic careers at Carlow University.
Adam Brewer
Madison and McKenna Lampe will continue their softball and academic careers this fall at Carlow University. Attending the letter-of-intent ceremony were (seated, from left) Stephanie Lampe (mother), Madison Lampe, McKenna Lampe, John Lampe (father), (standing, from left) Carlow assistant softball coach Larry Miller and head coach Glenn Zinsmeister.
The Lampe name should be familiar to anyone familiar with Greene County high school athletics over the past four years.
West Greene鈥檚 McKenna and Madison have made history and have carved out sensational careers with the Lady Pioneers on the cross country course, the basketball court and the softball diamond.
Both their individual and team accomplishments are something not often seen in a small school in southwestern Pennsylvania.
The twin sisters were at it again Monday afternoon at West Greene High School, as they both formally announced they will continue their academic and softball careers at Carlow University next fall.
Both will major in nursing.
鈥淐arlow was just a great opportunity for us,鈥� Madison said. 鈥淭he nursing program is really good and that kind of got our attention. There鈥檚 a lot of hospitals in that area and I think that will help us out a lot. It鈥檚 just down the road. We always wanted to go to the same school.鈥�
Picking the same school is something that the sisters had in mind for a number of years.
鈥淭hat was the plan the whole time,鈥� McKenna said. 鈥淲e wanted to go to the same place ever since we started looking into colleges. It was the right fit for the both of us. It helps coming from a small town, because Carlow is a small campus. It feels like home. We have always been together.鈥�
Altogether, the Lampe twins visited 12 colleges, were offered scholarships by six and narrowed down their choice to three, which also included Waynesburg University and Saint Vincent College.
鈥淭he first thing that jumps to my mind when I think of these two is that they are just good kids,鈥� said West Greene athletic director and softball coach Billy Simms. 鈥淎nd then, you can talk about how good they are in basketball, softball or cross country. Throughout this whole process, they really focus on the academics. I think it鈥檚 a great fit for all parties involved.鈥�
Over the last three seasons, the Lady Pioneers have won three section crowns, three WPIAL titles and two PIAA championships. In that three-year span, West Greene is 75-7 on the softball diamond.
Other than playing stellar defense, the Lampe are the table-setters for the West Greene lineup.
McKenna, centerfielder, has a career batting average of .609 with 165 hits, 54 extra-base hits, including 17 home runs, 88 RBI, 177 runs scored and 116 stolen bases. Not to be outdone, Madison, third basemen, has a career batting of .522 with 142 hits, 68 extra base hits, including 21 home runs, 140 RBI and 153 runs scored.
鈥淭hey are just special athletes,鈥� Simms said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 like to compare apples to oranges, but this group these last four years have been special. We are thrilled to have them here at West Greene. They got it all from the softball prospective. They got speed, but they both can hit for power and average. They both are just phenomenal on defense. I鈥檓 not sure what Carlow is going to do with them, but they are versatile. McKenna can pitch, and she hasn鈥檛 even pitched for us yet. Madison can really play any position in the infield or outfield. I think they will both excel at Carlow.鈥�
Shifting to basketball, both have scored over 1,000 career points and have been a part of a senior class that now owns the school record for wins.
Heading into its WPIAL Class A semifinal contest against Vincentian Academy Tuesday night at Peters Township High School, West Greene has collected a record of 78-19 on the hardwood.
The Lady Pioneers have won three section titles, own a 33-game unbeaten streak in section play, is the first Greene County girls team to make it to a basketball final (in 2018), and has advanced to the PIAA playoffs three seasons in a row.
As of right now, McKenna has the second-most points in school history with 1,579 and Madison is currently fourth on the scoring list with 1,391.
Both of their stat lines this season are almost identical. McKenna has averaged 13.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 4.4 steals per game, while Madison鈥檚 stat line is 13.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 4.5 steals per game.
鈥淭hey obviously have a lot of talent,鈥� West Greene girls basketball coach Jordan Watson said. 鈥淏ut what separates them from others is their work ethic. They are hard workers. They are constantly motivated, and I don鈥檛 know how many times they call me over the years to see if I could open the gym up on a Saturday so they can shoot around.鈥�
Moving to cross country, the Lampes were an integral part to West Greene grabbing the school鈥檚 first-ever undefeated section title last fall. The Lady Pioneers also finished third in the WPIAL as a team and qualified for the PIAA meet for the first time ever in school history.
McKenna advanced to the state championships four times. Her best finish in the WPIAL Championships was in 2016 when she placed ninth with a time of 21:03.
Madison also boasts two appearances in the PIAA meet and her best time in the WPIAL Championships was also in 2016 with an 18th place finish and a time of 21:30.
鈥淭hey just have been a joy to coach over the years,鈥� West Greene cross country coach Marcia Sonneborn said last fall. 鈥淭hey are just dedicated kids. They grew up and have really been our leaders. They lead by example and the younger kids really look up to them. I can鈥檛 say enough good things about them.鈥�
Both twins said that all their athletic accomplishments couldn鈥檛 have been done without the support of their parents, John and Stephanie, as well as their younger siblings Katie (freshman), Johnny (seventh grade) and Emily (four years old).
The Lampes, who are also honor-roll students and spent last summer with the U.S. Army Reserves, said they want to accomplish a little more in their final couple of months at West Greene.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just special to have the run we have had,鈥� said McKenna, who hit for the cycle in last year鈥檚 PIAA softball final victory. 鈥淲e are really bless to be around so many great people here at West Greene. We wanted to put West Greene on the map and its fun to see all of our hard work pay off. I think our immediate goal is to win a basketball title and to get that first state playoff win in school history.鈥�
鈥淲e both know this type of success in a small school doesn鈥檛 happen a lot,鈥� noted Madison, who is the first athlete at West Greene to become all-state in two sports (basketball and softball). 鈥淭he bond we have with our teammates and coaches is just special. In softball, we know we have high expectations. We take it one thing at a time, we want to win our section, the WPIAL and the state title again.鈥�