A state champion athlete

IOWA CITY - Senior David DiLeo could be considered one of the most accomplished athletes at Iowa City West.

Not only has he competed at a varsity level for two sports, he has compiled five team state titles during his five seasons of tennis and basketball. That does not include a doubles state title in tennis he won with former West player Karl Wenzel.

He credits most of his success to his parents.

'(My parents) got me started with both sports at a very young age,” DiLeo said. 'They also were successful themselves growing up and have shared a lot of their knowledge with me.”

DiLeo practices basketball up to four or five times a week and practices tennis once or twice a week. When he must juggle all these activities, plus schoolwork, DiLeo finds himself staying up late at night in order to complete his homework.

'It is hard sometimes and I'm not the best at managing time,” DiLeo said. 'I have some late nights where I stay up to do homework, but for the most part I know what homework I have and I find time to complete it.”

He has high expectations for his last two seasons of West High athletics. He expects two state championships.

'(For basketball) I expect to have another successful year as a team and hope to make it to state and compete for another championship,” he said. '(For tennis) I expect to compete in every meet and hopefully have a very successful year.”

Though he has a passion for both sports, DiLeo slightly prefers basketball over tennis because of the team aspect. However, DiLeo prefers some aspects of tennis over basketball.

'I like how it is played outside and the weather can have an affect,” DiLeo said. 'It makes matches interesting.”

His efforts have not gone unnoticed. He was recently voted 'Most Athletic” by his classmates.

'It's an honor to be voted most athletic, especially since it's all up to my classmates to vote.” DiLeo said.

Outside of competing in sports, DiLeo likes to play video games and watch TV. He also enjoys playing other sports such as whiffle ball and football with his friends.

Although he is not sure about what his future will hold, college basketball is one of his biggest goals.

'I want to play (basketball) at the highest level I can for as long as possible, whether that means college basketball or traveling overseas to play basketball after college,” DiLeo said.

Click here for more West news, including photos and video of DiLeo in action.