Female Athlete of the Week: Qynne Demler (Week Ending January 14, 2024)

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Qynne Demler

Qynne Demler may only be a freshman playing point guard for New Covenant, but she is quickly making a name for herself as the top-scoring option for a team that has won six of its last eight games. In the latest two victories, Demler scored 25 against Harrisburg Academy before dropping 33 points to lead the Flames to victory over Our Lady of the Cross. Those performances last week led to the LebCoSports.com voters choosing her as the LebCo Female Athlete of the Week.

While it is an “Athlete of the Week” award, it is becoming less of a secret that Demler is not contained to having a good game here and there. In fact, she has averaged 22 points over her last six games.

Even though Demler is racking up points, to her, what matters is how her play affects the team’s ability to win. The frosh said of her performance last week, “Last week was no different than any other; I just try to go out on the court and do the best I can and work alongside my team.” She went on to thank her teammates “for playing key roles that make the team work as one.”

Coach Nicole Buffenmeyer spoke about Demler’s overall character, stating, “Qynne is well-liked by coaches and teammates because she’s humble, positive, poised, and determined. You’ll often see Qynne with a big smile on her face.”

In terms of selfless play, Buffenmeyer said, “Even though she is the team’s leading scorer, many times she’ll pass up open shots in order to try to get a teammate an open shot.”

The coach finished up by saying, “Qynne really is a great kid on and off the court, and I love coaching her and watching her play.”

Demler is actually one of only eight players on the New Covenant roster. While this can be challenging at times, Demler sees this year as an opportunity to overcome, grow, and extend their season into the postseason. She is also hopeful that this season will help lay a foundation for the program’s future success.

Though only in her first year playing varsity basketball, Demler has a lot of experience playing in rec leagues and with her AAU club. She is also a soccer player in the Fall season. Beyond her own experience, she grew up in a household that values athletics and how it affects one’s overall development. Her parents were both three-sport athletes, with her mother, Abigail, having played softball at LVC and her father, Brad, having coached basketball at multiple levels over the last twenty-plus years. Demler also has two younger brothers involved in sports, including Braden, a member of the Northern Lebanon Little League team that finished 3rd in Pennsylvania last summer. It is also worth noting that her extended family includes several athletes, including cousin Olive Brandt, the Lebanon sophomore guard.

Demler said of her experience in sports, “I would like to use basketball and the hard work that it requires to come into my everyday life so that I can be the best I can.”

While those life lessons are filled with highs and lows, for Demler, it’s her Christian faith that helps guide her. Her favorite verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which she says helps her “remember to let all my fears go and trust that I’m in God’s hands.”

Demler and her New Covenant teammates will surely have challenges ahead of them, but they intend to push forward to new heights. We wish them the best of luck in this endeavor.

Photo Credit: New Covenant Athletics

Male winners will be announced shortly

For a full list of this week’s nominees, check out: Athlete of the Week Voting: January 8 – January 14

Previous Winners

Kenzie Eckhart (Week of 12/4)

Laci Lesher (Week of 12/4)

Morgan Kline (Week of 12/11)

Mya Doster (Week of 12/11)

Kailah Correa (Holiday Weeks)

Kylee Trostle (Holiday Weeks)

Olive Brandt (Week of 1/8)

Kasey Weimer (Week of 1/8)