LebCo Female Athletes of the Week: Mya Doster & Olivia Shutter (Week Ending December 8, 2024)

Sponsored by Lebanon Federal Credit Union & WiLBuR / Froggy Valley 100.1

If you like this type of coverage, please let us know by Following us on social media:

Twitter/X – @lebcosports1 and Facebook.

For any questions, comments, or discrepancies, please reach out to dan@lebcosports.com.

Mya Doster

The Palmyra Girls Basketball season got their season started at the Fleetwood Tip Off Tournament, bringing home the championship trophy following wins over Berks Catholic and Fleetwood. In those two games, Mya Doster scored 20 points followed by a 17 point performance. In the championship game, the junior also hit a half-court shot at the end of the 1st half, points that proved critical with the Lady Cougars winning in overtime on a buzzer-beater by teammate Addi Salus. When all was said and done, Doster was named the tournament MVP. For her outstanding efforts, Doster was also voted as a LebCo Female Athlete of the Week.

About her performance in the first two games of the season, Doster called it “super exciting” that the team got off to a 2-0 start. She also went on to praise the team effort, saying they “worked as one.”

As a team, the Lady Cougars have high expectations entering 2024. Last season, they finished with an 18-9 record and made an appearance in the PIAA State Championship Playoffs, ultimately losing to Armstrong in the 1st Round. The success of last season was an amazing improvement after they had just won five games during the 2022 season.

In terms of what she hopes for the team this season, Doster said she hopes they “make it through Districts and into States, making it further than last year.” In doing that, she also hopes they can “continue to build as a team.”

When it comes to how Doster sees her role on the team, she told LebCoSports.com, “I can use my height as an advantage (nearly 6′), and I can finish inside. We also preach about defense, and that is something I work very hard at.”

Doster also looked beyond her play on the court in how she hopes to help the team, stating, “I am dedicated to putting in work, but I also am able to have fun.”

Being one of nine children, Doster is accustomed to navigating the dynamics of a large family, skills that transfer to the family dynamics that emerge within an athletic team setting.

Moreover, Doster has always been surrounded by passionate athletes, growing up in a sports-oriented family. Her mother, April Doster, achieved the milestone of scoring 1,000 points in high school and went on to play at Kings College. Her father, Rubin Doster, was recognized as a Division III Football All-American Defensive Tackle during his time at Kings.

She reflects on how her family’s influence has motivated her to excel, stating, “My  mom, dad, and grandma have always believed in me and have helped me grow into a better person and a confident player.”

Doster aspires to join her mother as 1,000 point scorer and dreams of the chance to compete at the collegiate level while pursuing a nursing degree, just like her mother.

If Doster could be granted one wish, it would be for her to win the lottery so that she could spend time traveling the world with her family.

For now, the younger Doster can focus on helping her team reach their goal for this season. Currently, the Lady Cougars are 3-1 and are poised to take on the challenges that await them the rest of this season. We wish Mya and her teammates all the best.

Photos provided by the Doster Family

For more on the Doster family, check out this 2019 article from PSU Health.

Olivia Shutter

Northern Lebanon Girls Basketball got off to a 3-0 start, which included winning their Tip Off Tournament. In the championship game against Solanco, Olivia Shutter scored 22 points. The first three pointer she hit in the game was extra special as she eclipsed the 1,000 point milestone for her high school career. As a result, Shutter was voted as a LebCo Female Athlete of the Week.

Last season, the Lady Vikings made States without any seniors on their roster. That simple fact translates into high expectations this season, where the team is hoping to push even deeper into the postseason.
Shutter, whose nickname is “Red”, told LebCoSports.com that each player has “a job to do, and when we play as a team, we are unstoppable.” In terms of her job, Shutter knows she can help the team reach its goals by being a “leader” and “primary scorer.”

Head Coach Ken Battistelli said of his top scorer, “Red has battled her very nature for almost four years to become the player she is. She doesn’t have a mean-spirited bone in her body and is selfless to the core. She has allowed me to hammer away on her every day of her career to make her into something she is not…a predator without a conscious on the basketball court.”

Throughout her high school career, there have been several games where Shutter has gone full beast mode, knocking down three pointer after three pointer to push the Lady Vikings across the finish line after trailing at halftime.

As Battistelli put it, “She has never wanted accolades or praise; she just wants to win. To win, though, she needed to be a relentless and fearless scorer who would end up always being the center of attention. She has willingly faced every challenge I’ve set before her, confronted every insecurity she has, and continues to be the tip of the spear for NL Girls’ Basketball….all without losing that special heart of hers. One could say that I’m just a little proud of the person and player she has become and that I love her with all my heart.”

For as good as she has been in basketball, it is only one of many sports where Shutter has excelled. In the Fall, she has been a member of the school’s varsity soccer team. In the Spring, she has been a key member of the softball team that will be back in the hunt for a spot in the States Championship Tournament this season.

In constant competition mode, there is a need for a strong network to support her. Shutter is well aware that she cannot accomplish what she has been able to do without the support of her family and coaches, which she cites as “for always being there for me and supporting me through my ups and downs.

After she graduates this Spring, Shutter plans to attend York College, where she will continue her basketball career and further her studies. Based on her personality of being a fierce competitor who, at her core, is a compassionate individual, one may have been able to guess that Shutter’s future career goal is to become a registered nurse.

However, before Shutter can worry about earning her college degree, she will be focused on pushing Northern Lebanon Girls Basketball to find their true potential. We wish Red and the entire team the best this season in achieving their goals.

Read about this week’s LebCo Male Athlete of the Week: Jason Foutz

For a full list of this week’s nominees, check out: Athlete of the Week Voting: December 2-8