No matter how much success the Campagna siblings had competing for the athletic programs at Manheim Township — and they both had a lot of memorable moments — Brenna isn’t going to be one-upped by her big brother, Garrett.

Garrett Campagna, a former soccer and lacrosse standout for the Blue Streaks, earned the prestigious A. Landis Brackbill Award as the top male scholar-athlete in the Lancaster-Lebanon League for the 2021-22 school year.

Wednesday, his younger sister picked up the same honors, when she was tabbed the league’s female Brackbill winner for 2023-24 at a luncheon and awards ceremony at the Eden Resort Inn in Lancaster. Brenna Campagna is just the second female from Manheim Township to earn those honors, joining Carolyn Mann from 2015-16.

Now the Campagna home has a pair of shiny Brackbill awards on the mantle.

“It never really crossed my mind until they started talking about awards and being nominated for things,” Brenna said. “Since he won it, this has been a very big deal for our family. I thought there was a chance I might also get nominated, but you never know. I wouldn’t call it a competition with him, but this is nice. I’m very proud.”

Campagna, a field hockey and lacrosse standout for Manheim Township, is heading to Wake Forest, where she’ll play field hockey for the Demon Deacons.

This year’s male winner made a little history, as Camden Marquette became the first boys’ scholar-athlete from Elco to earn a Brackbill nod. He played five sports during his Raiders’ career, and Marquette will attend Lock Haven University, where he’ll play soccer and run track.

Marquette played soccer, ran track, ran cross country and played basketball and tennis during his Elco days. Like Campagna, he has a long list of all-star nods and athletic accomplishments.

“I’m definitely proud of my myself, and I’m definitely thankful to all of my teammates who pushed me and helped me get better,” Marquette said. “There have been a lot of great athletes to come through our school, so it’s an honor to be the first (male) selected for this.”

Only two other scholar-athletes from Elco have earned a Brackbill: Ryelle Shuey in 2018-19 and Kelly Jo Heiser in 1988-89, in the first year the award was handed out.

“Honestly, I’m pretty shocked,” Marquette said. “I was planning on coming here, getting a good meal, and getting off school for the day. So I was pretty shocked to get the award. But what a cool experience.”

Campagna and Marquette have both enjoyed plenty of cool experiences in athletics and in the classroom in their high school careers. Campagna sports a 4.2 weighted GPA, Marquette has a 3.9 weighted GPA, and they’re both in the National Honor Society.

Campagna and Marquette also have an impressive list of community service and school activities that stretch around the block and back.

Campagna, who has a twin sister, an older sister and two older brothers, said her favorite athletic memory was when Manheim Township won the District 3 field hockey championship in overtime last fall — “the most amazing feeling ever,” she said — and that it made up for the sting of falling in the PIAA title game a couple of weeks later.

“This kind of solidifies everything that I’ve done, and I worked so hard for all four years of high school,” Campagna said. “I can look back now and see that everything I worked so hard for is paying off. I’ve always put my best foot forward, and I’ve always worked hard in the classroom, just like in sports.

“Academics and athletics are both going to be useful in my future, and I’m proud of how I’ve used all the lessons I’ve learned in both.”

Marquette’s favorite athletic moment? When Elco won back-to-back section soccer championships in his junior and senior years, and he not only got to celebrate with his teammates, but with his dad, who is an assistant coach for the Raiders.

“I got to celebrate with him one last time,” Marquette said, “and that meant a lot. I always wanted to be active, and at Elco, because of our school size, we go from sport to sport together. So I have a great bond with everyone on those teams. I never wanted to be the one to break a bond and not play.

“But my parents always told me that grades came first and sports came second. Sometimes you lose sight of that every once in a while. But I always wanted to push myself in the classroom. I never want to fail — at anything. I always try and do the best I can, and I never sell myself short in anything.”

The Brackbill Award is named for the former Penn Manor principal and first executive director of the L-L League in 1972. Each school nominates two student-athletes, and to be eligible, nominees must carry at least a 3.5 GPA and participate in two or more varsity sports in their senior year.

Campagna and Marquette will each receive a scholarship from the Manheim Touchdown Club, and they’ll be recognized Friday at the Tri-Valley L-L League football all-star game at Manheim Central.

TWITTER-X: @JeffReinhart77

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