Women's Soccer Senior Bio

Zara Strayer My name is Zara Strayer, people call me "Z" and I am a senior here at Northwood. My parents are Mara and Andy Strayer, I have one younger sister named Ella, and one dog named Rocksy. I attended Bear Valley middle school in Escondido California before I moved here, and have been on varsity for 3 years. I'm a movie fanatic, making it impossible to pick one, my favorite food is Indian food, I love math classes (weird I know) and my favorite pre-game song would be Irresistible by Fall Out Boy.  My favorite moment at NHS was meeting people through soccer after moving here my junior year. I enjoyed making new friends and creating a soccer family. After high school I plan to attend either Cal Berkeley or the University of Kansas (my parent's alma mater) and study sustainable architecture.

Zara Strayer Photo by Nan Friedman of PSstudios

Ellie Saksa Elizabeth Saksa, more commonly known as Ellie, is a senior at Northwood High School and is excited to play in her fourth and final season on the Varsity Soccer Team. She is the only child of Anne Toohey and Paul Saksa. She attended Woods Charter Middle School and hopes to attend a college in the fall to pursue Political Science. Ellie is most proud of her dual enrollment with the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics. Her favorite classes are Journalism and Dance and she is excited to dance in this year's Spring Musical. While Ellie enjoys all types of movies and food, she especially enjoys watching Love Actually while sipping hot cocoa on a cold winter day. Some of her favorite parts about Northwood Soccer are all the new friends she makes and the warm up CDs. Her favorite song was from last year's CD, Centuries by Fall Out Boy. Of all her memories at Northwood, Ellie's favorite is drawing names and making playoff shirts each year.

Ellie Saksa Photo by Nan Friedman of PSstudios

Rachel Pedigo Rachel Pedigo is a senior at Northwood High School, and this is her fourth year playing for the varsity soccer team. Her parents are Cheryl Fayne and Bret Pedigo, who have both supported her through recreational and challenge soccer, as well as middle school soccer at Moncure Elementary, and high school soccer. At Moncure, Rachel was a captain 7th grade and 8th grade, and received the Coach’s Award one year, and MVP the next. During her junior year at Northwood, she received the Most Improved award for the varsity team. After graduation, Rachel plans to attend a four-year university in either North Carolina or Virginia to pursue Criminal Justice and Psychology. She enjoys musicals and basic nerd movies, including The Nightmare Before Christmas, Wicked, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Harry Potter. Her favorite TV shows are Criminal Minds and Sherlock, but spends much more time on YouTube watching SuperFruit and Tyler Oakley. She enjoys Starbucks frappachinos and anything sweet or salty, or pizza. Her favorite class is sports medicine II, and psychology. Rachel’s favorite pre-game pump-up song is Knights of Cydonia by Muse, but also listens to a lot of Pentatonix, Taylor Swift, Skillet, and Tori Kelly. Her favorite memory from Northwood soccer was in 2015 at the nonconference game at Union Pines High School, when it began to storm. The team waited on the bus for a solid hour before the game was finally cancelled, but that hour was filled with singing karaoke to Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, High School Musical, and select others. She is beyond grateful to be a part of a team that is able to have fun, become a family, and slay on the field.

Rachel Pedigo Photo by Nan Friedman of PSstudios

Paige Marro My name is Paige Marro. My parents are Lorrie and Danny Marro. My favorite movie is The Heat and my favorite food is pizza. Prior to high school I attended Pollard Middle School. While at Northwood High School, I’ve received several academic and athletic awards which includes A/B Honor Roll (9th, 10th, 12th), All-Conference (10th and 11th), All-Region (10th and 11th) and MVP (11th). Dance has been my favorite class and performing in the dance concert has been my favorite high school moment. After graduation, my plan is to attend Appalachian State University.

Paige Marro Photo by Nan Friedman of PSstudios

Natalie Hayman My name is Natalie Hayman (aka Taz). I am the daughter of Ken and Dixie Hayman. I attended Margaret B Pollard Middle School. While at Northwood High School, my favorite class has been math. I have also achieved “A” honor roll throughout my high school career. My favorite movie is Spirit and my favorite food is pasta. My favorite pre-game song is Centuries and my best NHS moment to date is going to Cook Out after games with the team. Also, making playoff shirts for others on the team while sitting around telling each other what we like most and what we would like on our shirts. After graduation, my plan is to attend either Purdue University or Adelaide University (South Australia) for Engineering.

Natalie Hayman Photo by Nan Friedman of PSstudios

Katelyn Cohen My name is Katelyn Cohen, and I am a senior at Northwood HS. I attended Pollard Middle School, go mustangs! My parents are Eric and DeLisa Cohen and I have three siblings. I have two rescue dogs (my oodles of doodles) and one leopard gecko. My favorite movie consists of anything scary! My favorite memory is celebrating my "birthday" with the team at Kanki so they could get free dessert. I plan to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and major in Biology BS. Go Heels!

Katelyn Cohen Photo by Nan Friedman of PSstudios

Breanne DiBernard My name is Breanne DiBernard (aka BREEZU$). My parents are Anne-Marie and Anthony DiBernard. I attended Horton Middle School. While at Northwood High School, I have served as president of the Class of 2016 for three terms and my favorite class was Physics with Dr. Raymond. My favorite movies are Pulp Fiction, Rain Man, Good Will Hunting and American Pie. My favorite song is Shabba by A$AP Ferg. My favorite foods are Chinese takeout, any and all pasta and margarita pizza. After graduation, my plan is to attend either UNC Wilmington or Appalachian State University.

Breanne DiBernard Photo by Nan Friedman of PSstudios

Chloe Gruesbeck Senior Chloe Gruesbeck is the daughter of Beth and Bryan Gruesbeck. She was born in Grand Rapids, MI and went to Fremont Middle School until she moved to North Carolina in 2012. During high school, she has won several awards writing for the school newspaper as well as being a 2015 Big Eight All-Conference soccer player. In the fall, she plans on attending UNC- Chapel Hill with a major in political science. Her favorite movie is Ferris Bueller's Day Off, but any James Bond film comes a close second. Anything topped with guacamole is her favorite food, so nachos are always a win in her book. Although she doesn't have a specific favorite pre-game song, Kanye West can usually be heard on her headphones on the bus ride to a game. She describes her most memorable moment at NHS as follows: "My freshman year, I was waiting on the bus with the rest of the team for the JV game to finish, and I ate a bag of salt and vinegar chips for a snack. Stupidly, I attempted to put in my contacts without washing my hands which resulted in me sobbing in pain. I feel like for the rest of the season the seniors thought I was just really emotionally unstable." Chloe hopes to make her last season of competitive soccer her best, and is excited to see what the future holds.

Chloe Gruesbeck Photo by Nan Friedman of PSstudios