Sports Hall of Fame to induct 11 during April 28 banquet

Eleven former athletes will be inducted when the Lawrence County Historical Society holds its 39th annual sports Hall of Fame ceremony.

The April 28 banquet at the New Englander Banquet Center begins at noon for social time and dinner at 1:30 p.m., followed by the program.

Anthony Ascione, Doug Bleggi, Mary Beth Acker Brecker, Paul Cameron, Matt DeSalvo, Sarah Shaffer Harrison, David Hasson, Allan Jackson, Ryenn Micaletti, Toni Wimer Prejsnar and Gary Roth are the 2024 inductees.

Alberta Kelly will be the Hall of Honor recipient while the 1981 Wilmington High baseball team is the Ellis Hoffman Team Award recipient.

Grant MacKay, Joseph Roth, Tori Atkins and Mia Preuhs will be honored as the New Castle News’ high school athletes of the year.

Tickets can be purchased online at lawrencechs.com for $40 each. Tickets also are available for purchase at the Historical Society on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. No tickets will be sold at the door.

ANTHONY ASCIONE

Ascione was a 1991 graduate of Neshannock High. He competed in baseball and football.

Ascione was a three-year letter winner in football but shined on the diamond.

Ascione was one of the most respected baseball players to don the Lancers uniform. He led Neshannock’s baseball team to its first-ever WPIAL and PIAA titles in the program’s history in 1991.

On the mound, Ascione captured a combined 19-0 record in his junior and senior seasons and earned section MVP in 1991. Ascione became the school’s first baseball player to compete in Division I when he received a scholarship to play at Winthrop University.

Ascione later transferred to Slippery Rock University to finish his collegiate career. Six years after helping the Lancers capture a WPIAL and PIAA title for the first time, Ascione died in a car accident on his way to start a new job as an assistant sports information director at Geneva College.

During the time of the accident, Ascione helped as an assistant coach for the Lancers under Mike Kirkwood. During his tenure at Neshannock, Kirkwood wore uniform number 26 in Ascione’s honor.

Ascione will be remembered as a tremendous athlete, leader and role model on and off the diamond.

DOUG BLEGGI

Bleggi competed in golf, basketball and baseball at Wilmington High. The 1981 graduate was a four-year starter on the links and hardwood and was a three-year starter on the diamond.

Bleggi helped the Greyhounds capture two section championships in golf. Bleggi led the basketball team in assists for four years and was named First Team All-Section his senior year.

Bleggi excelled on the diamond for Wilmington as he was named twice to the First Team All-Section and in his senior year he was a member of the section, WPIAL and state championship baseball team. Bleggi was 13-0 on the mound with two saves and he pitched in all eight WPIAL and PIAA playoff games with seven starts and one relief.

Bleggi pitched 91 2/3 innings and allowed seven earned runs, recording 115 strikeouts and walking 17 to produce a 0.53 ERA his senior year.

Bleggi took his expertise on the mound to Geneva College as a four-year starter, but his college career ended after two games into his senior year due to injury. Geneva captured two district championships and Bleggi was a three-time all-district pitcher.

Bleggi still holds the Geneva records for single-season wins (10), single-season complete games (10), single-season winning percentage (.909/10-1 record) and career wins (23).

After graduating Geneva in 1985, Bleggi was an assistant coach on the 1987 Wilmington WPIAL championship basketball team. He returned to the links and recorded nine career hole-in-ones, had several top-five finishes in the New Castle News Golf Tournament and won the 1998 Ellwood City Ledger Golf Tournament.

Bleggi also competed in the North County Baseball League.

MARY BETH ACKER BRECKER

Brecker excelled in cross country and track and field. The 1997 Neshannock graduate was a four-time WPIAL gold medalist in track and cross country.

Brecker won one gold medal in the 1600-meter race and one in the 3200 race in 1996 and 1997, respectively. She also won two gold medals for cross country in 1995 and 1996.

Brecker competed in four PIAA cross country championships and two PIAA track championships back when qualification was much more selective and difficult compared to recent years.

Brecker medaled three times in said championships. She placed seventh in the 3200-meter race (11:33) in 1996 and took sixth in the event (11:32) in 1997 to become Neshannock’s record holder at that time.

In the 1996 PIAA cross country championship, she placed fifth overall at 19:27. Brecker was one of seven women selected to represent Pennsylvania in the Mid-East Cross Country Championships in 1996.

After graduation, Brecker ran for Penn State and was an All Big-Ten Student Athlete. She also was part of the relay team at Penn State that won first place at the Patriot Games in Boston.

Brecker was an assistant track coach and previously was the head cross country coach at Wilmington where she also has taught for the past 15 years. As a coach for Wilmington’s track team, Brecker helped guide the team to several region titles, one District 10 team title and one PIAA team championship in 2008.

Brecker has taken numerous athletes and two teams to the PIAA championships.

Brecker still competes in 5K, 10K, sprint triathlons and marathons throughout the United States and Europe. She has competed in the Boston, the Mont Blanc and the Pittsburgh marathons several times and once finished as the second female in the 2012 Cleveland Towpath Marathon.

Brecker holds a USATF level three / IAAF level five coaching certification.

PAUL CAMERON

Cameron was a 1968 graduate of Neshannock and a groundbreaking long-distance runner for the school. Cameron competed in the one-mile, two-mile and two-mile relay races and was a consistent winner in all three events.

In 1968, Cameron was on the final Lawrence County honor roll for all three events.

Cameron also competed in cross country. He won the WPIAL championship in cross country in 1968 after finishing 50 yards ahead of the field and went on to qualify for the PIAA championship.

After graduating from Neshannock, Cameron competed in cross country and track for four years at Grove City College. He became Grove City’s first cross country All-American in 1971 after placing 17th in the NCAA College Division Championships.

Cameron received the national honor again in his senior year after finishing 23rd. Cameron was a captain on the 1972 squad that became the first Grove City cross country team to compete in the NCAA College Division Championships where the team placed 19th.

While competing in cross country at Grove City, the team accumulated a 38-3 record in dual meets. Cameron also helped lead his team to an 11-0 record at the Penn-Ohio Championship.

Cameron set Grove City’s record for 4.1 miles against Duquesne University in 1971 with a time of 20:19.0 and also set the one-, two- and three-mile records for the track and field team.

Cameron was selected for the Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society and was a two-time selection for the College’s Sportsman of the Year award in 1972 and 1973. Cameron’s teammates bronzed his track shoe with an inscription that read “More than just a runner.”

Cameron credited Grove City coach Jim Longnecker who recruited him. Cameron said he wouldn't be in the position he is on the track and becoming vice president at Technical College, where he also coached for eight years, if not for Longnecker. 

Cameron also credits his success to Bob Morris, Gary Weimer, Bob Bleggi and Donald Black.

Cameron graduated Grove City with a B.A. in social studies. He then went on to earn a master’s degree while also coaching cross country.

MATT DESALVO

DeSalvo played baseball for Union High. In 1998, he graduated from Union and played on the diamond at Marietta (Ohio) College.

At Marietta, DeSalvo racked up 603 career strikeouts which is ranked first among pitchers at any NCAA level. He finished his career at Marietta with a record of 53-6 which is the record of most wins by any pitcher at the NCAA level.

DeSalvo holds the Division II record with 205 strikeouts in a single season. He threw two no-hitters at Marietta and finished his career with an ERA of 1.80.

DeSalvo received Ohio Athletic Conference Kent Tekulve Pitcher of the Year in 2000, 2001 and 2003. He also was named Division III National Player of the Year in 2001 and Division III National Pitcher of the Year in 2003.

DeSalvo’s major league debut was with the New York Yankees in 2007, where he allowed one run and three hits in seven innings. DeSalvo also played for the Atlanta Braves and had a career record of 1-3 in the major leagues.

DeSalvo signed minor league deals with the New York Mets, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Miami Marlins. In 2014, DeSalvo was inducted into the Marietta College Athletic Hall of Fame and then the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016.

SARAH SHAFFER HARRISON

Harrison was a 2003 graduate of Shenango High and a four-year letterman on the softball team. She received First Team All-Section as a pitcher for all four years of her high school career.

In 2003, Harrison helped lead the Lady Wildcats to their first section title and first WPIAL playoff berth. She also recorded the highest number of regular-season strikeouts in the WPIAL.

Harrison was selected twice as one of 13 girls to play for Coast to Coast Stars to represent the U.S. in Australia, the Netherlands and Belgium to play against international teams.

Harrison took her talents in the circle to Susquehanna University, where she was also a four-year letterman. In 2004, she started all 31 games at either shortstop or second base.

Harrison received Second Team All-Conference in 2005 and then First Team All-Conference honors in 2006 and 2007. In 2006, Harrison Harrison broke the school record in home runs (5) and was the 10th player to ever record 100 hits which garnered her the Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year and NFCA Division III All-Region Third Team East Region.

Harrison broke the school record for career hits in 2007 at 152 which included 20 doubles, 12 triples, eight homers 68 RBIs and a .378 career batting average. She received second team (2005) and first team (2006, 2007) for ESPN Magazine’s Academic All-District listing.

Harrison also was inducted into the Susquehanna University Sports Hall of Fame in 2016. Harrison graduated with a degree in English and secondary education and is married with three children.

DAVID HASSON

Hasson played football and baseball at New Castle High. Hasson was a three-year letterman for football and a two-year starter at shortstop on the diamond for the Red Hurricane.

At New Castle, Hasson averaged 10.3 yards per carry in 1970 and is seventh all-time in total receiving yards. After graduating from New Castle, Hasson played football and baseball at Westminster College.

Hasson was a four-year starter on the gridiron for the Titans and a three-year starter in baseball. Hasson led the nation in punt returns with an average of 24 yards in 1973.

Hasson was named to the All-District 18 All-Conference team in 1973 and 1974. In those two years, Hasson also led Westminster College in receiving yards.

Hasson was named Lawrence County Outstanding College Athlete in 1974. The next year, Hasson led Westminster in scoring. In all four years as a starter, Hasson was the team leader in kickoff and punt returns for total yards.

Hasson finished his career at Westminster and is ranked sixth all-time in punt return yardage on the school’s list.

ALLAN JACKSON

Jackson played football and competed in track and field for New Castle High.

Jackson helped the Red Hurricane reach its 600th victory where he had 12 carries for 225 yards with five touchdowns in the game. Jackson only touched the ball twice in the second half of the game.

In his junior year on the gridiron, Jackson made 18 receptions for 289 yards and averaged 27.2 yards per catch. He holds the highest yards per catch in a single season in New Castle history.

Jackson was named all-conference wide receiver. Jackson had 123 carries for 711 yards and 21 receptions for 390 yards during his senior year on the football field.

On the track, Jackson held the 110-meter hurdles record from 1989-99 and was a member of the 4x100 relay team that held the record from 1990-98. He was a MAC champion in four events; won the MAC MVP honor.

In 1990, Jackson took fifth in the PIAA championships for the 110 hurdles and he took bronze in the 4x100 relay.

Jackson signed a National Letter of Intent to play two years with the Butler Grizzlies in El Dorado, Kansas. He started every game his freshman year in the Jayhawk Conference as a linebacker.

The Grizzlies won the Jayhawk Conference championship in Jackson’s sophomore year. Jackson won numerous defensive player of the week honors in 1993.

Jackson also led the conference with five interceptions and finished with 80 tackles and 12 breakups and Defensive Player of the Year and MVP of the Mineral Water Bowl honors.

Jackson also competed in track while at Butler and qualified for the NKCAA National Track Meet and was named All-American in the 110 hurdles in 1993.

Jackson moved on to compete at Temple University from 1994-96 after signing a National Letter of Intent. In 1997, Jackson had an opportunity to try out for the New England Patriots toward the end of camp. He signed with the Patriots but was released at final cuts.

Jackson took his talents to the NIFL Erie Invaders in 1999 where he was named All-Conference corner and played in the Pro Bowl in North Carolina. In the 2000-01 season, he signed with NIFL’s Johnstown J-Dogs which was a professional indoor league.

Jackson led the indoor league with 130 tackles, two forced fumbles and seven interceptions. Jackson then signed with the Ohio Valley Greyhounds in the NIFL and helped win two NIFL Championships in 2002 with a record of 15-1 and a record of 17-0 in 2003.

RYENN MICALETTI

Micaletti competed in basketball, track and field and softball at New Castle High. As a back-up point guard her freshman year, New Castle won the first girls WPIAL championship in Lawrence County history in the 2003-04 season.

Micaletti was the starting point guard for her sophomore, junior and senior years at Ne-Ca-Hi. The team won the first girls basketball section title in school history when Micaletti was a sophomore and she helped defend the title in her junior year.

As a senior-year captain for the Lady ‘Canes, Micaletti helped win the section title again, another WPIAL championship and finished the season with a 28-2 record, which was the most wins for girls — and boys at the time — in school history. Micaletti received numerous honors including Roundball Classic All-Star game MVP, Kenny Durrett All-Star Classic selection and she was ranked ninth in assists in Pennsylvania.

Micaletti’s overall high school record of 99-17 for the Lady ‘Canes marked the winningest girls basketball class in Lawrence County history.

Micaletti went on to play basketball at Seton Hill University after graduating from New Castle and was part of the first women’s basketball NCAA Division II recruiting class at the institution. She helped the Lady Griffins go 45-16 with the program’s first and only NCAA Tournament appearance in her final two seasons.

From 2007-2011, Micaletti won the WVIAC Scholar Athlete Award. Micaletti graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in history and social studies secondary education certification.

After graduating from Seton Hill, Micaletti played overseas for News Release Basketball. She competed in Germany, Belgium and Switzerland.

Micaletti worked for the following universities as an assistant coach: Point Park University (2011-13), Indiana University of Pennsylvania (2013-14), Slippery Rock University (2014-16) and the U.S. Naval Academy (2016-20). She then worked as an associate head coach for Longwood University from 2020-22 and St. Louis University from 2022-23.

Teams with Micaletti on their coaching staff have compiled an overall record of 209-15 with 11 postseason appearances, four conference titles, six championship appearances in 12 years. Micaletti has helped mentor 25 all-conference honorees including the likes of 2014-15 PSAC West Defensive Player of the Year D’Asia Chambers (Slippery Rock), two-time (202-21, 2021-22) Big South Defensive Player of the Year, and one-time Big South Player of the Year Akila Smith (Longwood) and 2022-23 A-10 Defensive Player of the Year Brooke Flowers (St. Louis).

Micaletti currently is the head coach for Slippery Rock after being hired in 2023. She held the first girls basketball camp under her tutelage at New Castle High School in honor of giving back to the Lawrence County community that she holds responsible for who she is today.

Other community engagement from Micaletti included being on the organizing committee that helped develop the first Juneteenth Celebration in Lawrence County in 2020. She also participated in the clean-up for Southside Community Garden and Bolinger’s playground clean-up and was a Sankey Youth Center Mentor from 2007-2011.

TONI WIMER PREJSNAR

Prejsnar, a 1989 graduate of Shenango High, competed in basketball, track, volleyball and cross country. She was a four-year letterman in basketball and won Section MVP her senior year where she averaged 23 points, 6.7 rebounds, five assists and 6.6 steals per game.

Prejsnar had 1346 career points and 469 steals for the Lady Wildcats. In track, Prejsnar was a four-year letterman and was a member of the 3200 relay team and set a school record at the Tri-County championship meet.

Prejsnar was a four-year letterman in basketball at Gannon University while studying to obtain a B.S. in elementary education. At Gannon, she finished her career ranking fifth on the school’s all-time list in assists (509) and ninth all-time in steals (213).

Prejsnar is a learning support teacher for Mars School District.

GARY ROTH

Roth competed in football, basketball and baseball at Laurel High from 1965-67. He was chosen as an all-section pick in all three sports.

Roth was a quarterback and a key component in the Spartans’ football team winning their first championship in 1966. On the Diamond in ‘66, Roth was the only unanimous pick for the Section VI WPIAL All-Star baseball team.

Roth led the league in strikeouts and only gave up three earned runs during the 1966 season. He recorded a 5-0 record on the mound.

Roth was given Lawrence County’s Top High School Pitcher honors from all the county schools. New Castle News sports editor Bob Vosburg dubbed Roth the “Giant Killer” for his outstanding pitching and hitting performance against New Castle.

In 1967, Roth was named to the All-Section 20 baseball team.

Roth went on to play football at Edinboro University and captured the passing record as a freshman. He earned three varsity letters as a running back and wide receiver for the Scots.

Roth helped his team in 1970 defeat West Chester to win the Pennsylvania Conference Championship. The 1970 team — which went 9-0 for the first time ever — also made school history by being crowned the Lambert Bowl recipient which was given annually in New York City to the best NAIA Division III team in the eastern United States.

In his senior year at Edinboro, Roth led his team in receptions.

After graduating from Edinboro, Roth became a teacher and football coach at Laurel. Roth was instrumental in putting Laurel High School on the scouting scene for college coaches.

Ever the athlete, Roth still competes in golf and plays in an over-70s baseball league in Colorado.

HALL OF HONOR: ALBERTA KELLY

Kelly is the 2024 Hall of Honor recipient. Kelly, a 1964 graduate of Mohawk, went on to graduate from Slippery Rock State College in 1968 with a B.S. in education with a major in English and later gained her M.Ed. in English from Slippery Rock University.

In 1968, Kelly returned to her alma mater of Mohawk to teach. Kelly’s brother played basketball and his friends wanted a girls team so they asked her to coach.

Kelly, who knew little about coaching at the time, read every scholastic coach magazine there was and even bought the Encyclopedia of Basketball Drills. She talked with Guy DeMaio about basketball on lunch duty and learned how to go against different defenses from Larry Haswell.

The 1969 team played interscholastically with Lawrence County teams with M.C. Zenobi and Kelly being the advisors. Prior to the 1969 team, Nancy Fair left her position as a Mohawk Physical Education teacher when told she could never have a basketball team and eventually went to Neshannock where she competed against Kelly’s team.

The Tri-County League Kelly coached played in the fall. An agreement for all the schools to play in the winter happened with everyone backing out except Mohawk.

Mohawk played in the WPIAL Beaver County league. After a few years, the Tri-County League went to winter ball and Mohawk played locally after competing against Beaver County and Mercer County teams.

In a one-and-a-half season span, the Lady Warriors worst record was 0-19, which coincidentally was their first year in winter ball. Then, the team started to win and become competitors.

The Lady Warriors reached playoff berths for 10 consecutive seasons. From the span of 1981-83, Mohawk recorded its best records at 24-2, 28-2, and 20-6.

In each of those seasons, Mohawk would fall to the eventual state champions of Brentwood, North Catholic and Mount Alvernia.

Not a team to shy away from competition, the Lady Warriors won the Turkey Bowl — a 10-team tournament played at Penn State Beaver — twice. In the second year of winning the tournament, Mohawk went 10-0 before the season began and eventually went to 26-0 in the playoffs before meeting North Catholic.

Kelly led the team before the 3-point shot was introduced and didn’t allow her team to run up the score or make 100 points. At the first officials’ meeting, Kelly attended at the Y with two of her players. The official running the meeting said “I don’t know what your rules are.” Her response was “They are the same as yours.”

Kelly had Pat Noto, Cindy McCullough, Dee Welker, Terri Flynn, Amy Howells and Debbie Welker as assistant coaches but only one assistant at a time. The team never had a trainer and sometimes Kelly had no assistants so she had to rely on her student managers like Amy Book or the Novad sisters and cousins.

ELLIS HOFFMAN TEAM AWARD: 1981 WILMINGTON HIGH BASEBALL TEAM

The 1981 Wilmington High baseball team is the recipient of the Ellis Hoffman Memorial Team Award.

In 1981, the Greyhounds finished with an overall record of 24-2. The first milestone captured by the team was the Section 15 championship which was followed by a Tri-County championship.

Wilmington went on to win the WPIAL Class 2A district title and then the PIAA Class 2A championship. The Greyhounds were the first baseball team in Lawrence County to win a state championship. They were the first to win a state title since Wampum High School won the basketball state title in 1960.

The 1981 team was the first state championship team ever at Wilmington and the only team since the inception of Wilmington baseball to win a district championship.

Six of the Greyhounds’ starters went on to play at the collegiate level: Catcher Scott Brush played at Westminster College, pitcher/shortstop and 2024 Hall of Fame inductee Doug Bleggi played at Geneva College, pitcher/shortstop Dan Smith went to Pitt-Johnstown, second baseman Tom Ryder also played for the Titans, centerfielder Brian Kauffman attended Geneva and third baseman Dave Wilson played for Pitt-Bradford.

The head coach of the 1981 team was Bob Mitcheltree who went on to coach two years at Westminster and 20 years at Slippery Rock University.