Ava Renninger’s ‘internal drive’ has guided Archbishop Wood to Catholic League final

The 5-foot-6 senior guard, who’s headed to Fairleigh Dickinson next year, had to earn her spot as a starter on the Vikings. Her work ethic sets an example for others.

Archbishop Wood's Ava Renninger is a senior guard who's committed to Fairleigh Dickinson University.Read moreIsabella DiAmore

by Isabella DiAmore

Published Feb. 23, 2024, 9:00 a.m. ET

Jim Renninger frequently recalls the time he told his daughter, Ava, then a sixth-grader, what made her older brother “really good” at basketball. If she wanted to be that good, she would have to learn to do the same thing: use both hands.

The next morning, Jim walked downstairs at their home in Lock Haven, Pa., to find Ava on the concrete slab in the backyard with her right hand strapped around her waist by a belt and playing strictly with her left hand. She practiced like that for about three hours.

“That tells a lot about who she is, and she always took input,” said Jim, who previously coached football at Central Mountain High School and Lock Haven University. “She was always willing to hear not just me but what coaches had to say. If you told her something that she thought was going to make her better, she’s certainly going to try.”

Ava, the Archbishop Wood senior who transferred in her sophomore year, still has that mentality. It’s that work ethic that helped the undersized 5-foot-6 guard become a starter for the powerhouse Vikings by her junior year, attract Division I interest, and ultimately sign with Fairleigh Dickinson.

On Monday, Ava will lead Wood to its 14th Catholic League title game in the last 17 seasons, where it’ll take on Archbishop Carroll. The Vikings defeated Nazareth Academy, 63-45, in the semifinals, and Ava scored 18 points.

Despite the loss last season to Lansdale Catholic, Ava said the memory of playing in the Palestra for the Catholic League final has stuck with her.

“Just being out in that environment and playing is unlike any other place I’ve ever played in,” said Renninger, who hopes to help Wood capture its first championship since 2020-21. “Ten thousand people in there, you get that experience, and it was just so unbelievably exciting.”

Last year’s meeting at the Palestra also stuck with Vikings coach Mike McDonald. It wasn’t the emotions of the loss, however, it was recognizing Renninger as a dominant all-around player.

“We’re in a game, we’re losing big, then we’re coming back, and she just continued to play with flair, hit big shots, throwing a three up in the air,” McDonald said. “Just having fun with it on one of the biggest stages that you could play in.

“It’s fun to watch her play, and it’s definitely fun to coach her because you don’t have to make her play basketball. You don’t have to ask her to go hard or ask her to come to the gym and compete. She just loves doing it.”

Ava’s competitiveness stems from being around a family of athletes. Her brother, Cole, 29, played basketball at Lehigh then Lock Haven. Watching him play in high school and college made Ava realize she wanted a similar path.

But that didn’t come without commitment at a young age. In sixth grade, Ava asked to play AAU. Her parents then had a conversation with her about taking the game more seriously, making her aware of the time and cost that go into playing travel ball.

“There’s a rule in our house; when you start something, you finish it. But she was all in from the jump,” Jim said. “She really deserves all the credit. She was the one asking me to take her to the gym. She’s the one who asked me to get her up early and go to the YMCA before school started. She had that internal drive. I was just willing to help her with whatever she needed.”

Her name was known in the girls’ basketball community in the Lock Haven area. She started on varsity for Central Mountain as a freshman, was first team all-conference, and a made a league championship appearance. At the end of the school year, her parents started looking to move closer to the Philadelphia area for work and now live in Yardley.

While Ava could have attended a public school in the Pennsbury School District, she wanted to challenge herself and play against national competition.

Her family knew about the historic Catholic League. McDonald’s brother in-law, Mike Nestor, the head coach at Lock Haven, made the Renningers aware about Wood’s successful program.

“We made the decision to move down here for work and give her some more opportunity,” Jim said. “It’s tough when you’re in ninth grade to leave all your friends, but she was all in and really wanted to do it.”

Joining the Vikings as a sophomore was an eye-opener, Ava said. It was fast-paced, disciplined, and she wasn’t the best player of the group as standouts Ryanne Allen (Vanderbilt), Bri Bowen (Quinnipiac), and Shannon Morgan were seniors.

However, Ava didn’t care about being the star. Her priority was winning, and she learned from those three along the way. Coming off the bench her sophomore year was an adjustment. But by the end of the season, she made it a goal to be an impact player every game.

So in the offseason, she took up on McDonald’s offer to work out in the gym at 6 a.m. all summer. At the start of her junior season, Ava was named a starter.

“Being a new player, you definitely have to prove yourself right away,” Ava said. “Show that you can compete with these types of athletes. He put me on varsity and gave me that shot.”

McDonald added: “She puts in the hours, and that’s where she gets her confidence from. The kids look up to her because she plays with some flair. When I put subs in, she always tries to sneak away and stay on the court. She loves playing, loves competing, and her teammates feed off of her because they respect that.”

This season Ava stepped into a leadership role for a squad that’s undefeated in the Catholic League (11-0), showing that time and hard work pay off. She has a few goals remaining before the end of senior year, including surpassing 1,000 points.

But when she steps onto the historic Palestra floor Monday, her focus is set on winning a PCL crown.

“We definitely want to put it away and get that one,” Ava said. “Finally be the one to hold that plaque that I’ve heard so many things about, but I’ve never [gotten] to see, never [gotten] to take down the net — It’s a feeling that we’re chasing.”