Andreoli leaves her mark with Wash High rifle team
Joyce Eisiminger is a good volleyball coach and maybe an even better recruiter for Washington High School’s rifle team.
At volleyball practice one day, she noticed the calm and steady movements of one of her players, Kayla Andreoli. She did not get rattled under any circumstances.
Those qualities, Eisiminger felt, would be perfect to perform on the rifle team that she coached.
So with a little persuasion, Eisiminger convinced Andreoli to come out for the rifle team. The moved proved good for both. Eisiminger got a crack shot for her team and Andreoli blossomed at the range
“She was laid back and calm, the things you need to be for shooting,” Eisiminger said. “She has a really good demeanor and that’s why I encouraged her to come out. I thought she would do very well in it.”
How good a shot is Andreoli?
Toss a dime into the air and she can turn it into two nickles with one shot.
How good a shot is Andreoli?
Good enough to earn a scholarship to the University of Akron.
Andreoli became the first member of the Wash High rifle team to earn a scholarship to college. She picked Akron over Morehead State in Kentucky, West Virginia University and Pittsburgh Technical College, the latter a non-shooting school.
“The campus was really great,” said Andreoli, who will pursue a degree in accounting. “The education was great. I got to sit in on one of their classes. I got to see how they teach and that fit in on how I learned. And the bonus was they have a rifle team. And it’s close to home.”
Andreoli finished 17th in the WPIAL and seventh in the state tournament in this, her senior, season.
“I like the competition because I’m a competitive person,” said Andreoli, who uses an Anschutz rifle. “(When I shoot), I reset my mind and think about different things. This is something I’m good at. I’ve been able to travel to states I’ve never seen before.”
Andreoli overcame some hurdles to reach this point. An injury to her eye kept her out of the postseason as a junior.
“It got some gunk in it and wouldn’t move,” she said.
Andreoli made herself a better shooter by competing nearly year round. She shoots for Frazier-Simplex, the Mason-Dixon team at West Virginia University, the local 4-H team and the Pittsburgh Suburban League club.
“I try to shoot every other day,” said Andreoli. “I don’t have time for anything else. I have to keep up on my grades. I have a 3.9 grade-point average.”
Eisiminger said Andreoli is one of the hardest workers she has seen.
“She is extremely dedicated and she shoots a lot,” said Eisiminger. “It takes a lot of time and practice to develop that skill. There are multiple positions she has to do: prone, standing and sitting. She stuck with it and worked hard. She is very deserving of this.”