Lycoming News

The Lock Haven University Athletics Hall of Fame Committee has announced the Classes of 2020, 2021 and 2022.

 

The Class of 2020 features eight inductees while the Classes of 2021 and 2022 are made up of team selections. Billy Arre, Tim Davey, Maylouise Dixon, Shannyn Gillespie, Sandy Hess, Ron Insigner, Leigh (Titus) Leaf, Michael Parker and Steve Podgajny make up the 2020 inductees. In the 2021 class, the 1966 and 1967 men's wrestling teams will be honored, and the 1981 and 1982 field hockey teams are set to be inducted.

 

The three separate Hall of Fame Classes will be inducted at the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which after a two-year hiatus because of COVID-19, will once again be part of LHU's Homecoming Weekend festivities.

 

The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is slated for Saturday, September 17, 2022 at 7 p.m. with the registration/social beginning at 6 p.m. in the Poorman Ballroom of the Durrwachter Alumni Conference Center on the LHU's campus.

 

To register for this year's special event, click here:

 

 

LHU Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2020

Billy Arre (men's basketball, athlete)

Tim Davey (contributor)

Maylouise Dixon (coach/administrator) - The Golden Era Inductee (Pre 1950)

Shannyn Gillespie (men's wrestling, athlete)

Sandy Hess (softball, athlete)

Ron Insinger (men's basketball, coach/contributor)

Leigh (Titus) Leaf (lacrosse, athlete)

Michael Parker (men's soccer, coach)

Steve Podgajny (men's cross country and track & field, athlete)

 

2021 Inductees:

The 1966 & 1967 Men's Wrestling Teams

2022 Inductees:

The 1981 & 1982 Field Hockey Teams

 

MEET THE LHU ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASSES:

 

2020 Inductees:

 

Billy Arre (men's basketball, athlete)

Arre ('09) is LHU men's basketball's all-time leading scorer and he's also fifth all-time in rebounds, and second all-time in points per game at 19.9. His 2,112 points rank No. 8 all-time among all Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) men's basketball players and at LHU, Arre is 396 points clear of the No. 2 scorer in school history. Arre was a four-time All-PSAC selection and was named PSAC West Freshman of the Year in 2005-06 and the PSAC Player of the Year in 2006-07.

 

Tim Davey (contributor)

The late Davey ('74) was a student of LHU Hall of Famer Dave Tomasi. He interned with the New York Jets from 1971-74 as an assistant athletic trainer while he was still a student at Lock Haven State College. Davey was employed by the NFL for 35 years, and was an athletic trainer for the New York Jets from 1974-1988. Davey also served as the Director of Football Operations in the NFL from 1991-2010.

 

Maylouise Dixon (coach/administrator) – The Golden Era Inductee (Pre 1950)

The late Dixon served as a coach and director of all women's sports at LHU from 1925-43, and was responsible for founding the first field hockey program (intramural league) at the Central State Normal School (now LHU) in 1925. She was head coach of the women's basketball, archery, field hockey, tennis, volleyball and rhythmic gymnastics teams, and was an officer of the Women's Division of the National Amateur Athletic Federation. In 1935, as Director of Women's Athletics at LHU, she helped create the Health and Physical Education major, which quickly became a signature program at The Haven.

 

Shannyn Gillespie (men's wrestling, athlete)

Gillespie ('94) became an NCAA Division I All-American in 1993 by way of a third-place finish at 142 pounds. A four-time NCAA qualifier and a two-time Eastern Wrestling League (EWL) and PSAC champion in 1992 and 1993, Gillespie was named the Outstanding Wrestler at the 1993 EWL Championships. He compiled a career record of 116-35-1 as an athlete and moved on to great success coaching both men's and women's wrestling. Gillespie has coached teams at 34 national championships, four World Championships and one Pan-American Championship.

 

Sandy Hess (softball, athlete)

Hess ('89) was the first LHU softball player to be named All-American when she earned Second-Team honors in 1989. She is second all-time at LHU in career ERA with a 0.83 and top-five in career strikeouts. She pitched two perfect games. Hess led her team to the NCAA Division II National Championship game in 1988, and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Hess's ERA of 0.45 in the 1988 season is third all-time in LHU history and her 1989 season sits sixth at 0.93.

 

Ron Insinger (men's basketball, coach/contributor)

Insinger ('74) is the winningest high school basketball coach in the history of the sport in Pennsylvania. Insigner has over 1,000 wins as head basketball coach at Loyalsock, Pa. He has been coaching for over 45 years and his win percentage is above 75 percent. In 2017, he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame, and Insinger has led his teams to 19 District Titles, including five in a row from 2001-2005, and 25 Conference Championships. Insinger was named conference "Coach of the Year" 27 times.

 

Leigh (Titus) Leaf (lacrosse, athlete)

Leaf (2010) is the LHU Lacrosse all-time leader in goals with 269 and points with 369. Leaf was named a First Team All-American three times, and her 100 assists are seventh in school history. Leaf was the PSAC Rookie of the Year in 2007 and was named the PSAC Player of the Year in 2009 and 2010. She was also a nominee for the Tewaaraton Award, given annually to the top collegiate women's lacrosse player, and she helped propel the Bald Eagles to the NCAA Final Four.

 

Michael Parker (men's soccer, coach)

Parker served as the men's soccer assistant coach from 1972-75 and as the head coach from 1976-83 he led the Bald Eagles to three NCAA Championships in 1977, 1978 and 1980. The 1977 title was the first in program history. Parker led the team to six NCAA tournament appearances in his time at LHU, and he holds the school record in winning percentage at .791. As head coach at UNC-Greensboro (1984-2010), he won three more NCAA titles. In 1993, while head coach at UNCG, Parker became the first men's soccer coach in NCAA history to lead a team to the NCAA tournament in all three divisions. In 34 seasons as a head coach (LHU and UNCG), Parker compiled a mark of 494-191-33 and appeared in the NCAA Tournament 21 times. When he retired in 2010 from UNCG, he was the winningest active coach in NCAA DI men's soccer, and 10th on the all-time list.

 

Steve Podgajny (men's cross country and track & field, athlete)

Podgajny ('72) was LHU's first men's cross country All-American in 1971, and wrapped his Bald Eagle career as a three-time All-American. Podgajny was also an All-American in the 5,000 meters in 1972 and was a three-time All-PSAC performer, including a second-place finish and two third place finishes at the PSAC cross country championships. He is still in the top-10 all-time at LHU in the mile with his time of 4:14.24. He was also a member of the USA Sports Festival East Team in 1981. Podgajny finished 34th at the Boston Marathon in 1981 with a time of 2:16.45. Podgajny is a member of the Maine Running Hall of Fame and the Delaware County (Pa.) Athletics Hall of Fame.

 

2021 Inductees:

 

1966 & 1967 Wrestling Teams

In 1966 the Bald Eagles won the NAIA national championship with 107 team points, which at the time set a new NAIA championship record. LHU boasted three individual champions: Bill Blacksmith, Jim Blacksmith and Jerry Swope. In 1967 the team repeated as NAIA Champions and racked up 80 points and one individual champion in Ken Melchior.

 

2022 Inductees:

 

1981 & 1982 Field Hockey Teams

The Bald Eagles won the very last Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) DII National Championship in 1981 with a record of 18-1-2. This was the first national championship for the LHU field hockey program, and the first for Hall of Fame head coach Sharon Taylor. The very next year the Bald Eagles won the first ever NCAA Division II National Championship in 1982 with a 16-1 record. The team featured players among the all-time leaders in LHU history and both Ann Grim and Sherry Derr have been elected to the LHU Hall of Fame as individuals.

Original source can be found here.