Hall of Fame announces candidates

Sussex County —The Sussex County Sports Hall of Fame has announced its candidates for the Class of 2007. JEFFREY BARNHILL 1975 Graduate of Newton High School; 1979 graduate of Rollins College; nominated for his accomplishments in baseball, basketball and cross country; in high school, earned nine varsity letters in three sports, four in baseball, three in basketball and two in cross country; in baseball, was Newton MVP in 1974 and 1975, was two time NJ Herald 1st Team All Area selection, was two time Dover Advance 1st Team All Area, third team Star Ledger All State Group III and was named as one of the top baseball players in New Jersey by the New York Daily News; as of 1975, ranked 2nd all time in number of hits in Sussex County high school baseball Led the Sussex County American Legion team to three league championships and three state tournament appearances; from the age of 16, played for the Newton AA baseball team of the Morris County Majors; named MVP in the North Jersey Babe Ruth Regional State Tournament in 1975 At Rollins College, annually ranked as a top 10 team in the NCAA rankings for Division II colleges, was a three year starter as an Infielder and Designated Hitter with a career .300 plus average; first college hit was off Jim Baumgartner, Rookie of the Year with the Pittsburgh Pirates; first college home run was a “walk off” versus Florida Southern University and Bill Nelson who was the number one draft pick of the NY Yankees in 1978. CRAIG BLACKMAN Graduated Sparta High School 1977; graduated Franklin & Marshall College 1981 and Penn State University 1985; being nominated for his accomplishments in wrestling A four year starter in high school with over sixty-five victories, he won the 1977 NJSIAA State Championship at 188 pounds; he was only the third wrestler in the history of Sparta High School to attain such an honor He was a two time NJ State Freestyle Champion and, as a member of the NJ team, toured Turkey in 1976; he advanced to the National AAU Elite Freestyle Wrestling Championships in 1977 and won the gold medal in the 220 pound weight class and the silver medal in the Greco-Roman division; touring Iran with the National Team, he finished with a 4-0 record; in college, he placed sixth in the 1979 Junior World Freestyle Wrestling Championships at 198 pounds In college, he amassed 117 victories and currently holds the school record for career victories; he was a three-time Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association place winner and gained the 190 pound crown in 1981, one of only seven F&M wrestlers to do so; participating in his third NCAA Division I Tournament, he placed fifth, upsetting many highly touted wrestlers along the way; he was voted the most underrated wrestler in the United States by the Amateur Wrestling News for his exploits; he was inducted into the Franklin and Marshall Sports Hall of Fame in 1989. Assisting George McGuire at Sparta High School, the Spartans beat Delaware Valley for the Group II Dual Meet Championship in 1983; he was a graduate assistant for the nationally ranked Penn State Nittany Lions from 1983-1985; he took over the wrestling program at Indian River High School in Chesapeake, VA in 1987 and compiled a record of 48-21 and finished fifth in the 1991 state meet; he coached three collegiate style state champions and two freestyle state champions while at Indian River MARGARET “PEG” ROY EWING Graduated George School, Newtown, Pa., in 1954; graduated Brown University 1958 and graduated Smith College 1960 with a Masters in Physical Education; being nominated for her accomplishments in field hockey, swimming and tennis as an athlete and as a field hockey coach. In high school, was a three sport athlete and captained the swim team as a junior, and as a sophomore broke the eight year old age group record for the 50 meter freestyle; she was President of the Girl’s Athletic Association her senior year At Brown University, she participated in four sports, field hockey, swimming, basketball and softball; she was selected to the All New England Field Hockey Team her senior year and was elected President of the Women’s Athletic Association her senior year; at Smith she played field hockey on the club team and participated in the United States Women’s Lacrosse Association 29th Annual National Lacrosse Tournament in Philadelphia in 1960 In 1960, she came to Sparta High School to teach physical education and introduced field hockey to Sussex County in the fall of that year; since there were no interscholastic sports for girls at that time, she was the pioneer of girls sports under the banner of the Girls’ Athletic Association at Sparta High School; that program remained in effect until 1965; in 1977 Sparta entered the Sussex County Interscholastic League and she became Sparta’s first field hockey coach; the Sparta High School filed hockey team was dropped in 1983 and she then turned her energies to field hockey officiating and officiated girls’ filed hockey across New Jersey for ten years She excelled in tennis and won many singles and doubles championships at the Newton Tennis Club in the 1970’s and 1980’s She retired from teaching in 1998 and moved to Georgia where she continues to participate in competitive tennis. KEITH FLETCHER 1978 graduate of Newton High School; 1982 graduate of James Madison University; nominated for his accomplishments in football and baseball; in high school football, played three years varsity; in 1977, was SCIL rushing leader with 1,027 yards; first Newton back and first African American SCIL back to rush for 1,000 yards in a season; led SCIL with 8.1 yard per carry average, was second in scoring with 80 points, second in punting with 37.1 yard average; first Newton back to rush for 220 yards in a single game and average 13 yards per carry; was Co-MVP Running Back at Newton; voted Most Versatile Newton High School Athlete in 1978; 1977 2nd Team All SCIL, All Area & All State; in college, member of the James Madison JV football team in 1978 and 1979. In baseball, three year varsity player in high school; 1976 Newton HS team was Sectional and State Runner-Up Champions; 1978 team won County Championship; in college, member of James Madison JV team in 1978 & 1979; played with Newton Braves 1983-1985 in AA Baseball and Max’s softball team in ASA Softball 1986-1994 which was Modified Class A State Champions for five consecutive years (1990-1994) Coached girls basketball from 1982 through 2003; Member of North Jersey Football Officials Association (NJFOA). JEROD FORD Graduated Newton High School 1986; graduated Penn State University 1990; being nominated for his accomplishments in tennis. In high school, he had a career record of 78-6 with only two losses in SCIL play in four years; he finished his career as the All Time Career Victory Leader in the SCIL; in 1985, he became the highest seed ever from the SCIL in the state high school tournament; was named 2nd Team All State by the Star Ledger and 1st Team All Group 2 in 1986; was a four time All SCIL 1st Team selection and three time Daily Record All Area 1st Team; he won the first ever SCIL Tennis Festival Championship in 1985 and repeated as a senior in 1986. During his high school career he also was a highly ranked player in the Middle States Tennis Association achieving an overall ranking of 3rd during the season; he played in national tournaments throughout his career qualifying for Nationals on several occasions between 1980 and 1986 in Juniors; he was the recipient of the SCSHOF Athletic Award in 1985 and 1986. In college, he played varsity tennis for three years. ROBERT FORD Graduated Newton High School 1957; graduated Harvard University 1961; graduated Rutgers University Juris Doctorate 1969; being nominated for his accomplishments as a tennis coach at Newton High School. He had a thirty seven year tennis coaching career at Newton High School and started the boys tennis team in 1964, the first in Sussex County, and started the girls team in 1967; his combined (boys and girls) win total was 346 and included four SCIL Titles; for boys tennis, he had three SCIL Titles and 190 victories; he was named NJ Herald Coach of the Year in 1983; his girls’ teams had a 156-103 won/loss record and were SCIL Co-Champions in 1990 He was honored posthumously in 2002 by the United Way of Sussex County with the Scholar Athlete Hall of Fame Award for his outstanding contributions to the youth of Sussex County. GUNNER FRAUENPREIS 1978 graduate of Pope John; 1982 graduate of East Stroudsburg University; nominated for his accomplishments in football, basketball and track; in high school lettered all four years in all three sports for a total of twelve varsity letters; in football, All State Parochial B in 1977; All County, All Conference sophomore, junior and senior years; in basketball, three time Christmas Tournament MVP, All League, All County; ended career 1,330 points, 1,100 rebounds; in track, All County, All Conference last three years. In College, played basketball at Keystone Junior College; starter both years; team captain, team MVP, Christmas Tournament MVP 1978-1979 season; All Conference Player First Team Region 19; At East Stroudsburg University, lettered in football. Coached football and basketball at Pope John in 1985, 1986 and 1987; Coached football, softball and soccer in Sparta Recreation 1994 to present. LAURIE GAZDALSKI GENNA 1991 graduate of Pope John High School; 1996 graduate of William Paterson University; nominated for her accomplishments in swimming; in high school, was seven time County Champion (out of a possible eight) in four different events; won the Outstanding Swimming Award at the County Championships in 1991; held five individual PJ team records upon graduation; was County Record Holder in the 100 meter freestyle; was MSG High School Athlete of the Week and was named New Jersey Herald Athlete of the Month three times; was NJ Herald All Area Team and All SCIL all four years; still holds the Pope John team record in the 100 meter butterfly and 100 meter freestyle. At William Paterson, still holds seven team records; was Metropolitan Conference Champion and MVP of the Conference Championships for three years (1993, 1994, 1995); qualified for Division III National Individual Championships in all four years; she was nine a (9) time All American; NJAIAW Woman of the Year in 1996; inducted into the William Paterson Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. Coached the Pioneer Aquatic Club at William Paterson College for several years and four years at Pines Lake in Wayne during which period the team was league champions three years in a row. Currently a sixth grade science teacher at Schuyler Colfax Middle School in Wayne, N.J. MICHELE (FISHER) GRUBB 1985 graduate, Jefferson Township High School; 1989 BA Mathematics-Psychology, Franklin & Marshall College; 1997 PhD Neuroscience, University of Virginia. Nominated for accomplishments in High School Field Hockey, Basketball, Softball, and College Basketball. Currently girls High School basketball official. High School: 12 Varsity letter winner; •Field Hockey: 3 year varsity starter, captain (1984); SCIL conference #13 scorer (6 goals, 6 assists, 1984); Daily Advance honorable mention (1984), all area honorable mention (1984). • Basketball: 4 year varsity starter, captain (1984, 1985); all SCIL conference (1983, 1984, 1985), all Passaic Herald (1982), all NJ Herald (1983, 1984, 1985), all Daily Advance (1985); career points 1,045. •Softball: 4 year varsity starter (2B, SS/P, P, P), captain (1983, 1984, 1985); all Skyline conference (1982), all SCIL conference (1983, 1984, 1985), all Morris County 1st team (1983), 3rd team (1984); all NJ Herald (1983, 1984, 1985), all Daily Advance (1984); 4 conference titles (undefeated in SCIL 1983, 1984, 1985); 2 state sectional titles (1982, 1984); 1 sectional final appearance (1985); career stats: batting average 0.452, RBI’s 107, hits 137, stolen bases 65, HR 10, pitching record 31-8, 6 no-hitters (including 1 combined no-hitter). NJ Herald Athlete of the Month (April, 1985), 1985 NJ Herald High School Athlete of the Year. College: 4 year varsity starter; ECAC 1st team; MAC All Star; Team MVP (2 seasons); Franklin & Marshall College Women’s All Era Team (1983-1992); Franklin & Marshall College All-Time Team (1975-2003); career stats: 354 assists (#1 all time); 345 steals (#1 all time); 1,250 points (#8 all time); 326 rebounds (#18 all time). Tae kwon do Blackbelt, 1st Dan (1992). Girls high school basketball official, New York State Capital District Girls Basketball Officials Association (2003-present). JILL HARDEN 1983 graduate of Wallkill Valley Regional High School; 1987 graduate of Niagara University; 1990 graduate of Western New England College School of Law; nominated for her accomplishments in high school basketball, track & field and field hockey. In high school basketball, her teams were 1983 SCIL Champions with an 18-0 record and 1983 Group I North I Champions; individually in 1983, she averaged 13.6 points and 7 assists per game; she was All SCIL First Team, NJ Herald All Area First Team, Newark Star Ledger All West Jersey First Team and All State Group I First Team, selected to play in NJ North/South All Star Game and the Delaware Valley River Conference/SCIL All Star Game; was NJ Herald Athlete of the Month in February 1983; she lettered three years. In high school track & field was selected All SCIL First Team in 1981, 1982 and 1983, NJ Herald All Area First Team in 1982 and 1983; was SCIL Champion and undefeated in the 100 and 400 hurdles in 1983, SCIL Champion in the 100 hurdles in 1982 and competed in the NJ High School Meet of Champions in 1983; she lettered four years. In high school field hockey, her teams were Group I North I Champions in 1981 and 1982; individually, she was All SCIL First Team in 1981 and 1982, in 1982 was NJ Herald All First Team, Newark Star Ledger All West Jersey First Team and All State Group I Third Team; was chosen NJ Herald Athlete of the Month in September 1982; she lettered three years. Was one of only five female athletes to make three NJ Herald All Area Teams in a single year in the 1979-1983 period. She attended Niagara University on a basketball scholarship and lettered four years; and was Freshman of the Year in the 1983-84 season; holds Niagara single game assist record of 16. TINA KEMETHER 1979 graduate of Newton High School; attended Cortland State two years; 1985 graduate of Eastern New Mexico University; nominated for her accomplishments in softball, basketball and field hockey; in high school softball, lettered all four years, All County and All Area three years; as sophomore, batted over .500, eleven home runs and no errors; as junior, batted .483, fielded .943, 31 RBI’s and four home runs; as senior, batted .622, fielded .965, 46 RBI’s and six home runs; All State Group 2 second team; 1979 Newton High School Coaches Award and MVP. In high school basketball, lettered three years; second team All Area as junior with 13.4 point average; as senior, First Team All Area with 490 points, 21.3 points and 18 rebounds per game; MVP of Christmas Tournament, Athlete of Month December 1978, Newton High Coaches Award and Senior Girl Athlete; finished high school career with 1,033 points and 1,054 rebounds; led Sussex County in scoring (490 points) and foul shooting percentage (87%) in senior year. In high school field hockey, lettered two years; All Area Honorable Mention 1977. Lettered in Rugby for two years at Cortland State; coached CYO basketball 1977-1979. SCOTT KLINGER Nominated for his accomplishments as a karate coach and competitor; has been training for 33 years; in 1982 was promoted to First Degree Black Belt and began teaching in Kenvil, NJ; a 7th Degree Black Belt in Isshinryu Karate, 1st Degree Black belt in Okinawan Weapons. Scott has traveled to Okinawa, Japan for special training. He opened East West Karate Academy in Byram in 1989 and then Sparta in 1993 and currently has a student population of over 200; he is Chief Instructor at the Academy; he has developed, trained and promoted 54 Black Belts and maintains and continuously improves an intensive Jr. Black Belt program for early teen Karate development. Since 1995, has been a top National forms, weapons and fighting competitor; director of the annual Karate camp at Camp Canadensis, PA, which is an intensive five day program for over 100 students. Some of his awards include Instructor Award from Okinawa, Japan in 1994, American Council of Martial Arts Certification in 2000, Tactical Master Instructor in CDT “Non Lethal Force Certification in 2001, “Survive” Instructor Certification in Last Resort Tactics and NJ State AAU Champion in forms, fighting & Weapons in 2002 and 2007. Instructor Certificate from LIU in 2003, Chief Referee AAU Championships. Recipient of the Samurai Spirit Award in 1997. Inducted into the AOKA in 1999 as a Master Instructor and Silver Lifetime Achievement Award 2004; Grand Champion - New Orleans 2004. The remainder of this article in its entirety as well as the remaining bios are posted on our Web site. He has brought his expertise to many age groups in the community such as Woman’s Self Defense and Rape Awareness seminars; has designed a program for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy for Overlook Hospital and has held demonstrations and lectures on martial arts, self defense and family protection for many educational, athletic and social organizations throughout New Jersey. KAREN SUE SWISTACK KRAWCHUK Graduated Lenape Valley Regional High School 1985; graduated Centenary College 1988; being nominated for her accomplishments in field hockey, basketball and softball. In high school, she earned a total of eleven varsity letters; in softball, her team won the Group II, North I Sectional Championships in 1983 and 1984 and were SCIL Champions in 1982 and 1983; she was Star Ledger All West Jersey in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985; in 1983, she was selected All Area by the NJ Herald, Daily Record, Daily Advance and Star Ledger; she was NJ Herald All Area in 1984 and 1985 and Daily Record All Area in 1985; she was All SCIL in softball in 1982, 1983, 1984 and 1985 and in field hockey in 1984; she was named the US Army Reserve Scholar Athlete in 1985. In field hockey, she was named All Area by the Daily Record in 1984; she was chosen by the Netcong Sports Club as Outstanding Female Athlete in 1985. JOHN KUNTZ 1974 graduate of Metuchen High School; 1978 graduate of West Virginia University; Masters, New Jersey City University 1995; nominated for his accomplishments as coach and athletic director; responsible for the development of a competitive intercollegiate program at Sussex County Community College as Athletic Director since 1988; at SCCC he started the men’s basketball program in 1988 and served as coach for thirteen years; started the baseball program in 1989 and coached for four years; started men’s soccer in 1991, women’s softball in 1992, and women’s soccer in 1994; during his tenure at SCCC, he has had eight All Americans, three in soccer, three in men’s basketball and two in softball, seven Academic All Americans, three Garden State Athletic Conference Champions, and four NJCAA Regional runners up. At Pope John High School from 1980 to 1988, he was head boy’s basketball and baseball coach; named Boy’s Basketball Coach of the Year by the NJ Herald in 1987; led the baseball team to Parochial B runner up in NJ State play. He served as Garden State Athletic Conference President from 1994 to 1996 and as President of the Collegiate Athletic Administrators of New Jersey in 1997 and 1998; from 1997 to 2002 he was Assistant Director of Region XIX National Junior College Athletic Association; from 2002 to present he has been a member of the NJCAA national committee and is Chairman of the Division III basketball committee and a member of the Division II baseball and soccer committees; in 2003 he was the Garden State Award Winner from the NJ Athletic Administrators for his substantial and enduring contributions to NJ collegiate athletics; from 2002 to present he has been NJCAA Region XIX Men’s Director; in 2007 he was awarded the George E. Killian Award of Excellence by the National Junior College Athletic Association. Began Skylander Summer Sports Camp Programs for children eight to fourteen years of age in 1998, built on campus softball field, oversaw completion of on campus gymnasium and built soccer fields , all at SCCC. JOHN L. KURLANDER “Jack” brought skiing and ski racing to Sussex County; he designed and constructed Great Gorge Ski Area in Vernon in 1965; he is being nominated for his contributions as a benefactor to skiing and ski racing in Sussex County. He recognized the need for ski racing in northwest New Jersey and encouraged high schools to designate skiing as a varsity sport; the New Jersey Ski Racing Association (NJSRA), the governing body for New Jersey skiing today, was inspired by him. With his leadership, ski racing expanded which allowed New Jersey based racers to compete as part of the Eastern Ski Association and the United States Ski Team; as a result, hundreds of NJ ski racers competed with distinction in the Mid Atlantic and New England states As a result of the success of Great Gorge, another major ski resort, Vernon Valley, was constructed in Sussex County in 1967; both Great Gorge and Vernon Valley have merged to become Mountain Creek Resort; in 1976 he and his wife Peg opened the Hidden Valley Ski Resort which is today recognized as offering one of the most outstanding ski racing programs on the East Coast with many ski racers from the Hidden Valley ski racing program going on to be members of major college racing programs and candidates for the US Ski Team All of this would not have been possible had it not been for Jack Kurlander, the major benefactor to the sport of ski racing in Sussex County JAMES N. LAME 1991 graduate of Wallkill Valley Regional High School; attended University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Class of 2000 of the Police Academy; nominated for his accomplishments in high school cross country, wrestling and track & field; won eleven varsity letters including four in cross country, three in wrestling and four in track & field In cross country, was the only runner in SCIL history to be a SCIL Festival Champion for four years (1987 Freshman Champion, 1988-1990 Varsity Champion); at the state level, was 7th at Sectionals in 1987, 5th in 1988 2nd in 1989 and 1st in 1990 and was a state qualifier in 1988-1990 and a Meet of Champions qualifier in 1989 and 1990; his career dual meet record was 32-1; named All SCIL all four years, NJ Herald All Area 1988-1990 and Star Ledger All West Jersey in 1989 and 1990. In wrestling, placed 3rd in Districts as sophomore and finished the year 18-6-1; as a junior, placed 2nd in Districts and finished 18-4; as a senior, placed 1st in Districts and finished 22-4; was selected All SCIL 1990-1991 In track & field, won 3200 meter SCIL Festival three years (1988, 1989, 1991) and placed third in 1600 meter and fourth in 3200 meter at sectionals as a sophomore; as a senior, won the 1600 meter and 3200 meter championships at the SCIL Festival and Sectionals and established a new SCIL record of 4:22 at the State Groups Meet; placed 2nd in the 1600 and 3rd in the 3200 at the state meet; finished 11th in the 3200 at the Meet of Champions with an SCIL record of 9:33.22; was named All SCIL and NJ Herald All Area in his freshman, sophomore and senior years; he could not compete his junior year due to appendicitis. Was named Male Athlete of the Year by WVRHS in 1991. Served as assistant wrestling coach for the Wallkill Valley Panthers for three years. RONALD LEE LEHMER 1966 graduate of Sparta High School; attended Hiram Scott College 1966-1968; nominated for his accomplishments in baseball and softball coaching; in high school, won ten varsity letters, four in baseball, three in football and three in basketball; his teams were Skyline Conference Champions in baseball in 1966 and in football in 1965 In high school baseball, led the league with 70 strikeouts in 42 innings pitched in 1966; in 1966 was New Jersey Herald All County, Daily Record All Area and Newark Star Ledger Sectional All State; was the first Sparta High School athlete to be drafted by a professional baseball team; in 1966, went undefeated in Sparta High School and Franklin Legion baseball competition with an 11-0 record for the season. In American Legion baseball, was on two County Championship Teams in 1965 and 1966 teams for Franklin; was on the Newton AA Morris County Championship team in 1967. In high school football was New Jersey Herald All County in 1965. Was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1967 and 1968. Coached four championship softball teams in Byram Girls Softball League in 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979, three championship softball teams in the Sparta Girls Softball League in 1985, 1986, and 1987, two championship softball teams in Florida Union Park Softball League in 1989 and 1990 making the state finals in 1990; also coached the Newton midget football Super Pee Wee team to a 10-1 season in 1994. SABRINA McCHESNEY LUCAS Graduated Franklin High School 1981; graduated Bloomsburg University 1985, BS; Lehigh University 1987 with M.Ed; being nominated for her accomplishments in high school basketball, college basketball, cross country and track and field and coaching in high school and college. In high school, lettered for three years in basketball and was a starter on the 1981 undefeated SCIL Championship team; she was awarded Honorable Mention All Area by the NJ Herald in 1981. In college, she ran cross country for three years and was named captain her senior year and awarded “Most Improved” and “Most Dedicated”; lettered four year in basketball; ran track as a junior and broke the school record in the 10,000 meters and remains ninth on the All Time Top Ten list; qualified for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championships in the 5,000 and 10,000 meter events junior year; named “Outstanding Senior” for the graduating class of 1985 at Bloomsburg. In graduate school at Lehigh, she was Assistant Women’s Cross Country Coach and was a contributor to Runner’s World. She began her high school coaching career in 1988 at Wallkill Valley Regional as Freshman Girls Basketball Coach; named Head Coach in 1989 and remained three years; Assistant Track and Field Coach from 1988 to 1992 and returned in 2004; became head Boys Cross Country Coach in 1988 and established the first Girls Cross Country Team at WVRHS; coached for ten years, took a four year hiatus and returned in 2003; she was selected NJ Herald Coach of the Year in 1992, 2003 and 2006; was Star Ledger West Jersey Coach of the Year in 2003; in 2004, chosen as a cross country coach by Tourney Sports USA, national competition in Hawaii. Over the years, she has coached a three time SCIL Champion and five NJ State Sectional Champions and has had athletes qualify for the Meet of Champions. GEORGE MORVILLE 1972 graduate of Newton High School; 1976 graduate of Plymouth State College of the University of New Hampshire; nominated for his accomplishments in lacrosse and coaching; in high school, earned four varsity letters in lacrosse and two in football; in lacrosse, led team to 4th in the State as captain in senior year; was Star Ledger First Team All North Jersey and Second Team All State in 1972; was starting attack man on 1972 North South All Star Game. In college, earned First Team All Colonial and First Team All New England honors in both 1975 and 1976; led team as captain in his senior year qualifying for the NCAA playoffs for the first time in school’s history; recorded at least one point in every game in his junior and senior year and was the 9th leading scorer in the United States Division II & III in junior year and Top 20 in his senior year. Currently listed as the 10th all time leading scorer in Plymouth State College history; scoring 90 goals and 50 assists in his four years. At age 45, while playing for the Woodland Warriors in the Sussex County indoor league, helped promote lacrosse in Sussex County by sponsoring tournaments for all ages at the Sparta Athletic Club; worked with players from Pope John, Sparta, Vernon and Jefferson refining their skills and introducing them to players past and present from all over North Jersey; began coaching career as a volunteer assistant for Newton High School in 1975 & 1976; was an assistant coach for Sussex Technical School in 1977; started coaching for Sparta HS as volunteer varsity assistant to Pat Brennan in 1999 helping Sparta win championships in 1999, 2003 & 2005; team qualified for State playoffs eight times. ANGELA PATERNOSTRO 1994 graduate of Pope John High School; 1998 graduate of Franklin and Marshall College; 2001 graduate of Rutgers School of Law; nominated for her accomplishments in basketball, field hockey and softball; in high school., was an eleven letter winner (4 basketball, 4 softball, 3 field hockey); in softball, as a senior catcher, batted .465, threw out 24 base runners, had 7 triples, 8 doubles, 37 RBI’s, 16 walks and 34 runs scored; she was Team Captain , MVP, Star Ledger All State and All West Jersey, NJ Herald All Area, All SCIL; as a junior, was Captain, MVP, All West Jersey, All Area, All SCIL; as a sophomore, won the Coaches Award and was All Area and All SCIL. In basketball, as a senior, was Captain and led the team in scoring, rebounding and was second in steals; was PJ MVP, Red Rush Christmas Tournament MVP and All Tournament Team, All SCIL, All West Jersey and All Area; as a junior, was MVP, All Area and All SCIL; as a sophomore won Coaches Award and was All SCIL. In field hockey, as a senior, was Captain, MVP, All Area, All SCIL; as a junior won the Coaches Award, All SCIL. Was an SCIL Academic Athletic Award Winner in all her sports her last three years In college, was a GTE Academic All American Nominee as junior and senior; a four year varsity letter winner in basketball, three years in softball; Captain of the softball team as a junior and senior; holds school softball rankings at third in career triples, fifth in career RBI’s, fourth in season triples, fourth in season walks and fifth in season home runs; was a Centennial Conference All League Catcher in 1997 and 1998; had a career .329 batting average, 43 runs scored, 54 RBI’s, 36 walks and 21 stolen bases; in basketball was captain as a senior and ranked in the Top 15 in career rebounds at F&M. STEPHANIE ANDRASEK-PAVLICK 1992 graduate of Newton High School; 1996 graduate of the United States Military Academy, West Point; MS degree from the University of Missouri-Rolla; nominated for her accomplishments in triathlon, track, and cross-country. Triathlon: Competed in the 2004 Ironman Triathlon World Championship n Kona, Hawaii. Track: 1989: 2nd Place - SCIL Festival (1600 & 3200 meters), 2nd Place - State Sectional Meet (1600 & 3200 meters), 3rd Place - All Group State Championship (1600 & 3200 meters); 1990: 1st Place - Sussex County Coaches Fresh/Soph Track Meet (1600 & 3200 meters), 1st Place - SCIL Festival (3200 meters), 3rd Place - State Sectional Meet (3200 meters); 1991: 2nd Place - SCIL Festival (3200 meters), 2nd Place -State Sectional Meet (1600 & 3200 meters), 5th Place - All Group State Championship (3200 meters). Cross-Country: 1989: 2nd Place - SCIL Festival, 1st Place - Passaic County Coaches Invitational, 1st Place - State Sectional Meet, 2nd Place - All Group State Championship, 4th New Jersey finisher n Kinney Northeast Regional Championship; 1990: 1st Place (Overall Female) - Ogdensburg 5K Run, 2nd Place - State Sectional Meet; 1991: 1st Place (Overall Female) - Morris Township Country Squire 10K, 1st Place - State Sectional Meet. Awards Include: NJ Herald All-Area Track: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992; NJ Herald All-Area Cross-Country: 1989, 1990, 1991; SCIL All-League Track: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992; SCIL All-League Cross-Country: 1989, 1990, 1991; 2nd Team All-State Cross-Country: 1989; SCIL Academic Athlete Achievement Award: 1991 & 1992; Daily Record All-Area Cross-Country: 1991; Carl Ulmer Memorial Award (NHS Outstanding Freshman Girl Athlete): 1989; NHS Coaches Award: 1989; NHS Outstanding Team Achievement Award: 1990; Hazel Gordon Memorial Award (NHS Outstanding Female Student-Athlete): 1992; Youth Merit Award (Rotary Club of Newton, NJ): 1992. At West Point competed on the indoor/outdoor track, cross-country, & marathon teams. JAMIE KURLANDER PETERS 1975 graduate of Pope John High school; being nominated for her accomplishments in alpine skiing At age ten, she won the gold medal in girl’s slalom at the National Jaycee Competition in Duluth, Minnesota; at age eleven, she won the New Jersey State Junior Chamber of Commerce giant slalom race earning a berth on the state team which went to Iron Mountain, Michigan in 1969 where she won a gold medal in the giant slalom despite having one arm in a cast In 1973, at the age of fourteen, she was named to the United States Alpine Ski Team Training Squad; in 1974 she was named to the National B Team and was a member of the National A Team from 1975 to 1980 During her high school years, she competed for the Pope John ski team when not traveling with the US Ski Team During her tenure on the US National Ski Team she competed in national and international events, including the World Cup Circuit as a downhill specialist; she continued on the team until 1980 when she retired from the National Team and joined the newly formed Women’s Professional Ski Racing organization where she finished consistently in the top three of women professionals While competing on the World Cup Circuit, she was in the top seed (top fifteen racers) in the downhill discipline; among notable finishes were 2nd at the US National Championship Giant Slalom at Copper Mountain, Colorado, 14th at the 1978 World Championships Downhill in Garmisch, Germany, 7th at Badgastein, Austria and 6th in the World Series in 1978 She retired from the circuit in 1985, married and moved to Park City, Utah where she and her husband own and operate three ski shops; their three children are active ski competitors JEFFREY J. PIER 1977 graduate of West Milford High School; attended University of Maine 1977-1981; graduate St. Lawrence University 2005 BA Economics; being nominated for his accomplishments as a ski racer and as a ski coach He was a member of the Great Gorge Alpine Racing Team from 1968 to 1975 and a member of the Hidden Valley Alpine Racing Team from 1975 to 1977; he was New Jersey State Slalom Champion in 1976 At the college level, he competed for the University of Maine Division I ski team; in 1978 he was Maine State Giant Slalom Champion As a coach, he was head coach and Program Director for the Ford Sayre Academy in New Hampshire and coached multiple athletes to New Hampshire State Titles; many of his skiers went on to compete for NCAA Division I ski teams; one of his skiers went on to become a three time NCAA All-American, NCAA SL Champion and member of the US Ski Team; he coached numerous skiers to USSA Jr. Olympic Medalists and Champions He was Head Coach/Program Director at Hidden Valley from 1981 until 1990 and coached numerous State Champions during that time; he was National clinician and examiner for the Coaches Education Department of the US Ski Team running clinics since 1996; was on the NCAA Skiing Committee from 2003-2007 and Chairman form 2005-2007 He was named to the Board of Trustees of the New Hampshire Alpine Racing Association (1992-1999) and Chairman of the Coaches Council (1991-1993); He is currently the Head Coach of the Men’s and Women’s Alpine Ski Teams at St. Lawrence University; two of his skiers have achieved distinction at NCAA Men’s and Women’s Championships He has been active with the US Ski Association since 1984 serving as a Level III Alpine Official, National Alpine Competition Committee Member (2000-2002) and Eastern Alpine Competition Committee Chairman (2001-2004) JOHN PIER III Graduated Vernon High School 1980; graduated Williams College 1985; being nominated for his accomplishments in ski racing and as a ski coach At Vernon High school, was an All League soccer player as a senior, All Area tennis player as a junior and an All State skier as a senior; while in high school, he was the NJ State Slalom Champion in 1978 and 1979, NJ Giant Slalom Champion in 1979 and High School State Meet Champion in 1977, 1978 and 1979 He began his ski racing career as a NJSRA competitor at age 5 and by the time he reached 18 his outstanding performance gained him recognition from prominent racing programs in New England leading to his participation in the famed Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont for two winters (1980, 1981) At Williams College he earned NCAA Division I All American honors as a ski racer in 1984; in the US Skiing Senior National Championships in 1980 he finished 13th in the giant slalom After completing his competitive skiing career in 1985, he returned to NJ and coached ski racing in 1985 prior to attending Dartmouth Medical School; at Dartmouth, he started the Ford Sayre Ski Academy in 1986 which was a half day public school offering ski racing training in the afternoon to students He continues to coach skiing at Wildcat Ski Area in New Hampshire and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Burke Mountain Academy in Vermont KYLE POYER 1991 graduate of Newton High School; 1996 graduate of Wagner College; 1999 graduate Carson Newman College, Masters Degree; nominated for his achievements in football, wrestling, baseball and coaching; in high school, was a member of the 1991 State Sectional Championship baseball team and earned three varsity letters; in football, earned three varsity letters; as a senior, was a member of state playoff team, All SCIL, Herald All Area First Team and Star Ledger All West NJ 2nd Team; in wrestling, lettered four years at 189 lbs. and was 7-4 as a freshman, 13-10 as a sophomore, 26-6 as a junior and 28-3 as a senior; was All SCIL and All Area as a senior; was Junior Freestyle State Champion; was state regional qualifier as a junior and District Champion and Regional Runner Up as a senior In college, wrestled at 190 lbs. career record of 65-35; wrestled four varsity seasons and was two time All-New England Conference and All-New York State; two time New Jersey Open Champion An assistant wrestling coach for five seasons at Carson Newman College in Tennessee where he coached 26 NCAA Tournament qualifiers, 17 Regional Champions, 12 All Americans, 3 National Finalists and 1 National Champion; coached the last five years at Highland High in Anderson, Indiana and head coach for the last three years; since his arrival, his teams have won five Olympic Conference Championships, three Madison County Championships and a State Sectional Championship; three time Olympic Conference Coach of the Year; in 2004, set school record with a 30-3 record; this past year his team has been ranked as high as 15th in Indiana and had its first state place winner in fifteen years; 2005-2006 Herald Bulletin Area Coach of the Year Created the Scots Wrestling Club for children four to eighteen years of age; 2004-2005 Indiana Cadet National Team Assistant RICHARD ROY 1976 graduate of Sparta High School; nominated for his accomplishments in boxing; he made his professional debut on May 26, 1977 at the Playboy Club in Vernon; fought professionally for three years; fought in Madison Square Garden many times; was Ring Magazine’s Fighter of the Month in April 1978 at which time he was undefeated with a 6-0 record; was rated number one in the heavyweight division in the State of New Jersey; was honored as Sparta’s Citizen of the Month in October 1977 He was a sparing partner for Muhammad Ali before Ali fought Earnie Shavers and before he regained his title against Leon Spinks TRACY POMBO SCHRAMM 1994 graduate of Vernon High School; 1999 graduate of Penn State; nominated for her accomplishments in cross country, swimming and track; in high school cross country, was 1st once, 2nd twice and 4th once in Sussex County Championships; was 4th, 3rd, 3rd and 1st in four Group Sectional meets; finished 4th in the All Group meet and qualified for the NJ State Meet of Champions; she was All Area and All League all four years In high school swimming, was County Champion in 50 and 100 free as junior and 50 free as a senior; took second in 100 free as sophomore; qualified for the MOC all four years and was All Area and All League all four years In high school track, seven time County Champion in individual events including the 100, 200 and 400 and 800 meter runs; took 2nd in the 800 at MOC her junior year and broke the county record and was 4th as a senior when she broke the county record again; track awards included All Area and All League all four years; was selected NJ Herald Athlete of the Year as a sophomore She lettered all four years in track and field at Penn State University. DONNA WOLF TOMPKINS 1984 graduate of Wallkill Valley Regional High School; 1988 graduate of Pfeiffer University; nominated for her accomplishments in basketball, field hockey and softball; in basketball, as a junior forward, she scored 11.5 points per game and shot 59% from the field; averaged 13.6 rebounds per game and had six “double doubles” (points/rebounds); had a 22 point performance in the State High School Tournament; team finished 18-0 in the SCIL and 26-3 overall, won the SCIL Tournament Championship and Group I, North I Championship; she was selected second team All Area by the NJ Herald and All SCIL Honorable Mention; received the McChesney Most Improved Player Award from WVRHS As a senior power forward, co-captained team to it’s second 18-0 season in the SCIL and to an overall 25-3 record; team won the SCIL Tournament and Group I North Sectional Championship; team played in finals of the NJSIAA Basketball Tournament (lost by 2 points) and was the first Sussex County team to make the finals in the fourteen history of the Tournament; individually, she scored 13 points per game and averaged 11.6 rebounds; had fifteen “double doubles” (points/rebounds) and 20 double digit rebounding games; her best SCIL games were 25 points and 19 rebounds Awards included Star Ledger All State Group I second team and All West Jersey third team, first team All SCIL and NJ Herald All Area team, WSUS Radio Athlete of the Month in 1983, the Sussex State Bank Athlete of the Month for December 1983 and the 1984 Lady Ranger Scholar Athlete Award-Senior Class presented by WVRHS; was one of five finalists for the NJ Herald “Decade’s Outstanding Female Athlete Award” In addition to basketball, in her senior year she was named to the NJ Herald All Area teams in field hockey at center halfback position and softball where she batted .523 with 17 extra base hits and 29 RBI’s; she was one of only five female SCIL athletes to have been named to three NJ Herald All Area teams in the same year over a ten year period DONNA LYNN WEINBRECHT 1983 graduate of West Milford High School; attended Ridgewood School of Art and Design 1984; being nominated for her accomplishments in freestyle skiing She won a gold medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France in mogul freestyle skiing; she began skiing at Hidden Valley Ski Resort in Vernon at age seven and skied there through high school; she is the most successful skier to ever compete for the United States Ski Team; in thirteen years of competition, she stood on the podium 96 times to claim a medal, trophy or award She has won 46 individual Gold medals in World Cup finishes, 12 Silver and 12 Bronze; she won a World Championship Gold medal in 1991 and two World Championship Silver medals in 1989 and 1997; she was World Cup Champion five times; she was the United States National Champion seven times In addition to winning the Olympic Gold Medal in 1992, she was 7th in the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway and 4th in the 1998 Olympics held in Nagano, Japan Some of her awards include: *Seven time “Freestyle Skier of the Year” by Ski Racing Magazine *Three time “Ski Athlete of the Year” by the U.S. Olympic Committee *Appointed to the Board of Directors of the NJ Sports Hall of Fame *Induction into the United States National Ski Hall of Fame in 2004 ED WYNNE Graduated Bergen Catholic High School 1964; attended Seton Hall University 1964-1967; being nominated for his accomplishments as head swimming coach at Pope John XXlll Regional High School As Pope John girls and boys head swim coach from 1985 through 2007, he has a career record of 297-97-2 including 14 SCIL Championships and 10 SCIL Tournament Championships; he coached his girls team to the Parochial B State Championship in 1995, the only Sussex County swim team to ever win a state championship; both his boys team and his girls team currently have 28 dual meet winning streaks in SCIL competition Twenty eight of his swimmers have won eighty SCIL Festival Championships and fifteen of them have qualified to swim at the State Championship Swim Meet for Individuals, The Meet of Champions; his teams have been named Team of the Year eleven times by the New Jersey Herald Some of Ed’s personal awards for his coaching success include New Jersey Herald Boys Coach of the Year in 1990, 2004, 2005 and 2006 and Girls Coach of the Year in 1994 and 2002; he was named Star Ledger and Daily Record Girls Coach of the Year in 1994; he was named the National Federation Interscholastic Association Sectional Boys Coach of the Year in 1997