On Thursday, September 25, attendees gathered at Cathedral Prep’s H. David Bowes Auditorium to witness an extraordinary moment in school history at the Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. The evening was filled with excitement and pride as star athletes and iconic teams from both Cathedral Prep and Villa Maria Academy were honored for their outstanding accomplishments.
The induction ceremony was followed by a cocktail reception, where attendees had the opportunity to congratulate the inductees and reminisce about their lasting legacies.
The following were inducted:
Cathedral Prep
Zac Cline '01- star baseball pitcher, would later play at West Virginia University as well as professionally.
Dr. Joe Cuzzola '54 - a standout football player for the Ramblers in the 50s.
Phil Drexler '96 – won a state title as part of a relay team while becoming an All-State swimmer nine times.
James Koch '63 (Posthumously) - lettered ten times while playing football, wrestling, and track; would later play football at Xavier.
Eric Lewandowski '88 - one of the top football players in the state who played both quarterback and running back.
Marty Orzechowski '73 - a basketball sharpshooter, he averaged more than 16 points per game.
1971 Basketball Team - won the Pennsylvania Catholic School state championship.
1984 Hockey Team - was the first team in school history to capture a hockey state title.
Villa Maria Academy
Claire Brown '16VMA - helped Villa to their first state cross country crown, her first of two, also won two state track gold medals and ran collegiately at Richmond.
Lisa Donikowski '88VMA - a two-sport star in basketball and softball, she scored over 1,000 career points and played both sports collegiately at Gannon.
Cindy Maus Sage '74VMA - one of the early stars of Villa basketball, she topped 1,000 points for her career.
Grace Trucilla '15VMA - helped Villa to their first state cross country crown, also won two state track gold medals and ran collegiately at Penn State.
2014 Golf Team - was the first at Villa Maria to win a PIAA state golf championship.
2015 Soccer Team - captured the Victors lone state soccer title.
(📸: Rick Klein '80 Photography)
