The Herald’s 2022-23 Girls High School Athlete of the Year: Abby Surowiec

Abby Surowiec was a heavily involved athlete during her time at Cascade High School.

The recently graduated senior and three-sport athlete was an 11-time varsity letter winner for the Bruins in softball, basketball and soccer. The Pacific University (Oregon) fast-pitch commit helped lead a program turnaround that saw Cascade etch back-to-back Class 3A state softball tournament berths during her junior and senior seasons.

For her stellar two-way standout season on the softball field and overall commitment across three sports, Surowiec is The Herald’s 2022-23 Girls High School Athlete of the Year.

“Honestly, it was just a super fun time being able to meet so many new people and compete at that high level against so many different people,” Surowiec said. “And I had some amazing coaching (too).”

Surowiec was also named the Everett School District Female Athlete of the Year for the 2022-23 school year.

Her contributions as a standout pitcher and batter helped spearhead Cascade’s gradual rise as a top team in Wesco 3A/2A over the past two seasons. After a two-win campaign during the 2020-21 COVID-shortened season, Surowiec was named second-team all-league as a sophomore before the Bruins claimed back-to-back state tournament berths in 2022 and 2023.

“It was so cool because a lot of the girls have never played before or competed at a high level,” Surowiec said. “So seeing them see some of the opportunities that we didn’t even know existed before … that was a once in a lifetime experience.”

The Bruins finished 17-8 overall and 13-2 in league during Surowiec’s final season at Cascade. She was named first-team all-league and to The Herald’s All-Area first team.

Surowiec blossomed into a do-it-all type of player in her senior year. She recorded 169 total strikeouts in the circle, including a no-hitter in a start against Everett. At the plate, she batted a scorching .512, belted nine home runs and added 37 RBI and 14 stolen bases.

“She’s made it look easy to be completely honest with you,” Cascade softball coach Mike Perrine said. “She not only lettered in three sports, but she comes out and plays a sport for us that she plays year-round (softball) and not only plays it, but excels in it. She’s just as important of a player in all her sports as she was for us on the softball field. I know the school really appreciates everything she did.”

Her abilities and bulky resume on the softball field ended up helping the 5-foot-10 prospect land a commitment to Pacific University in Oregon, an NCAA Division-III school. Her mother, Carrie Surowiec, as well as her aunt, Jen Gibbons, both played for the softball team at Pacific.

Surowiec, who started playing softball at the age of 3, also drew interest from schools such as Saint Martin’s, Linfield and Western Washington before choosing to follow in her family’s footsteps.

“That’s what got me first looking at it,” Surowiec said. “When I first showed up to Pacific, this place really felt like family and all of that, the coaches were nice. … And I felt like ‘Yeah, this is the place.’”

As a freshman, Surowiec participated in the school’s marching band and was a member of the volleyball team before switching up her preferred fall sport to soccer as a sophomore. She made a friendly deal with teammate and fellow senior Taylor Browne that if Browne went out for softball then Surowiec would return the favor on the soccer field.

Surowiec played primarily as an attacking midfielder, notching a hat trick in one of her games as a senior.

“If you can just picture a smiling face all the time, you got her,” Cascade soccer coach Michelle Crews said. “We’re just so thankful because she’s just a positive, friendly girl and works hard. Softball is clearly her number one sport, but she was dedicated to the team. … I’m really happy for her.”

Surowiec brought some of that same energy to the basketball program, serving as a captain for head coach Dave Roberts.

“She is a great person, a very good basketball player and her teammates love her,” Roberts said. “For me, it’s her quiet leadership and being a good person on and off the floor. I could give you seven or eight girls in the program who would say she’s the person they look up to because of the way she acts, the way she carries herself and the way she plays.”

At 5-10, Surowiec was often the go-to defender who matched up against opposing teams’ best offensive players. She averaged 8.6 points per game while leading the team in assists as a senior.

“She always did the hardest thing that needed to be done defensively,” Roberts said. “Whatever was the most challenging thing that we needed for our team to have a chance in a game, it was her job to do it. I knew she had the ability to do that, and she also had the smarts and understanding of what needed to be done. She was one of those kids who could play any position for us.”

In addition to her work as a three-sport athlete, Surowiec was also dedicated as a volunteer for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, a program that helps amputee athletes get involved in sports.

Surowiec helped coach sitting volleyball and wheelchair basketball for youth athletes with her father, Sam Surowiec, who is an amputee athlete and plays for the USA sitting volleyball national team as an outside forward.

The two travel to sports camps held around the country whenever available to do so.

“I coached this girl who was actually a softball player and a pitcher. She had no legs and she also skied and was a snowboarder, which was so cool,” Surowiec said. “Just stuff like teaching them new sports and getting them involved, showing them there aren’t any limits to what you can do.”

When Surowiec was announced as the Everett School District Female Athlete of the Year she accepted the hardware in front of her family and coaches in the Cascade cafeteria.

“I wasn’t expecting it to be honest,” she said. “When they called my name, it felt like I couldn’t move my legs, it was really nerve-racking. But, it was super cool just watching my family cheer me on.”