Aubrey Mahony made a big splash at the TJ pool, as the Jaguar swimming and diving team had a record-breaking night against Trinity.

At 9, Aubrey was the star of the meet. She served as an honorary team captain, head timer, picked the 50-50 raffle winner and even was named Jaguar of the Night. To cap the evening, she took a splash in the pool with her new friends.

“I really like that they let me be here. They’re all really nice,” Aubrey said during the Feb. 4 meet.

Thomas Jefferson High School athletics has embraced Aubrey, a fourth-grader at Jefferson Hills Intermediate School, after she was diagnosed in November with craniopharyngioma, a rare type of benign brain tumor found in the pituitary gland.

Aubrey, who was experiencing a stunt in her growth and headaches, underwent surgery Dec. 6, the day after the TJ Jaguar football team won the PIAA Class 4A State Championship.

With the removal of the gland and tumor, Aubrey’s body no longer can produce cortisol, which helps the body heal when a person gets sick or stressed, mom Susan said. Aubrey also suffers from diabetes insipidus and her thyroid hormone no longer works.

She will be on at least six pills a day for the rest of her life.

“I did not like it at all,” Aubrey said of feeling sick. Since the surgery, she feels much better.

The Jefferson Hills resident has neighbors who play TJ football and mom Susan knows parents of boys on the team.

She’s a big TJ sports fan.

“I love the TJ Jaguars,” Aubrey said.

The day the Jaguar varsity football team played in the state championship in Hershey, they sent Aubrey a message, wishing her good luck on her surgery. Then, after the big win, several players stopped by to visit.

TJ senior Logan Danielson, a standout offensive guard and defensive tackle, even gave Aubrey his state championship medal.

“I thought that was really nice,” she said. “It made me feel good. I got happy about that.”

The girls’ varsity basketball team made Aubrey their honorary team manager this season. They brought her a basketball, and she goes into the locker room and sits with them on the bench at every game she can attend.

Her brother Liam’s hockey team, the Pittsburgh Renegades in Harmarville, rallied around her with Team Aubrey stickers and various honors. The South Park Competitive Cheer team that Aubrey is on also honored her, along with her TJ Jag 10 U basketball team, which says “1-2-3 Aubrey” before every game. The fifth-grade basketball and soccer teams also honored her.

All of this means so much to Aubrey.

“That means that they care for me and that Jefferson Hills is a good place to live,” she said.

Swim head coach John Penn said all of the TJ athletics and the entire school want to show support for Aubrey. TJ traditions extend from the youngest in the district to alumni, he said.

“Tradition never graduates at Thomas Jefferson,” Penn said.

Members of the swimming and diving team were excited to have Aubrey be a part of their team.

“She’s kind of like a little celebrity,” said Melanie Colosimo, booster secretary. “Everybody loves her. Everybody loves having her. She’s always got a smile on her face. Some adults can’t even handle this kind of stuff with such grace.”

During the meet, TJ junior Hallie Findlan beat the school record for the 100 freestyle at 53:51. She had held the old school record.

Also during the meet, the boys 200 freestyle relay qualified for WPIAL cutoffs.

Members of the team started calling Aubrey their “good luck charm” and invited her back to every meet.

“I feel like she’s really pushing all of us to swim our best,” said Breanna Smith, team captain. “I can’t imagine going through anything like that. She’s such a fighter.”

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