Norwin alum Shasko Bonnett wins halftime kicking contest at Steelers game
The second kicker up in a three-person contest at Heinz Field on Saturday night — with 40,000-plus looking on — Ariel Shasko Bonnett lined up her field-goal try from the 5-yard line.
A chip shot? Not for someone who had only began kicking a week ago.
She is much more of a rookie than tight end Pat Freiermuth, but she received similar applause for her efforts.
Bonnett, a Norwin graduate who was proficient in soccer in high school and at Washington & Jefferson, split the uprights with her first attempt to win a halftime contest and the $10,000 prize that will go to United Way.
The two other contestants, both men, missed their kicks and felt more like the Detroit Lions as they left the field.
“I was the second kicker, so there was one more after me,” said Bonnett, 29. “I was just anticipating what the outcome would be. I tried to soak in the experience and moment. It was really unforgettable.”
Bonnett, a Smart Factory Deployment Manager for Kennametal, won a contest at work to kick at the Steelers third preseason game.
She had been practicing at Norwin Knights Stadium and on a grass field at her alma mater.
Bonnett was an assistant coach on the staff at Saint Vincent with her sister, Ashley, for two years.
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
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