Leading off today's column is a Higher Education Yahoo Award - Hall of Fame edition.
Saturday was a memorable day for the family and friends of the late James M. "Red" Conlen of Saint Clair.
Conlen, a multi-sport letterman at Saint Clair in the late 1930s best known for his football exploits, was inducted into the Catholic University of America Hall of Fame on Saturday in recognition of his outstanding collegiate football career.
Conlen was a member of CUA's Class of 1942 and was the MVP on the university's 1940 team that went to a bowl game (the Sun Bowl) for the first - and one of the few times - ever. Conlen, who had offers to play football from Florida, North Carolina and Georgetown, played fullback his freshman year at CUA before switching to tackle.
However, his coach noted he played five different positions on both sides of the ball and excelled at all of them.
According to his long-time friend, William Bowler of Saint Clair, who nominated Conlen for the Hall of Fame, Conlen was also an outstanding gymnast at Saint Clair.
After earning his B.A. degree at CUA, Conlen joined the Army Air Corps, flew 25 missions in the European theater and then returned to Saint Clair, where he worked for the U.S. Postal Service until his retirement in 1975.
Bowler said Conlen was also among the first football coaches at Nativity when it opened in the 1950s. Conlen passed away in 1996.
HEY Awards, Football
Postseason gridiron honors continue for several local student-athletes. At Lebanon Valley College, junior linebacker Frank Gaffney of Blue Mountain (and Stevens Tech) was named first-team All-America by USA College Football and was selected as LVC's Defensive MVP at the team's banquet. The Middle Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Gaffney's 13 sacks led the nation and
set a team record. He had a team-best 82 tackles, including 19.5 for loss.
Other winners of postseason awards at LVC's banquet were junior quarterback Brian Murphy of Schuylkill Haven, who won the Scott Wallace Memorial Award presented to a team member displaying exemplary play and leadership on the field, and senior fullback Evan Fink of Schuylkill Haven, who won the Hammer Hit Award given to the player who hits the hardest.
Fink was the first offensive player to cop the award. He was the crushing lead blocker on a team that ran for 2,228 yards and 4.7 yards per attempt.
Murphy, LVC's field general, threw for 1,781 yards and 16 touchdowns, while running for two more.
At Lycoming's football banquet, junior defensive back Tanner Troutman of Tri-Valley was named Defensive MVP. Troutman's eight interceptions tied for the national lead and he earned All-America and All-MAC honors. He also tied for the league lead with 14 passes defended.
HEY Awards, Academics
Two local student-athletes have been named to the Kutztown University Dean's List, which requires a grade point average of 3.6 or higher. The two are men's track and field thrower Tyler Rolshausen of Blue Mountain and women's soccer player Kailee Rottet of Tamaqua.
Hardcourt Highlights
Millersville's Celeste Robinson of Jim Thorpe was named the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference East Athlete of the Week for a third time after averaging 20 points per game in wins over Lock Haven and Shippensburg. Robinson had 19 points, six rebounds, two assists and a steal against Lock Haven and 21 points, five boards, four assists, four steals and three blocks against Ship.
North Schuylkill graduate Caitlyn Deeter is a sophomore member of that Shippensburg women's basketball team.
Recently, Deeter scored 17 points as Shippensburg routed Mansfield 107-65. The point total marked the most the team had scored in one game in nearly 25 years. Deeter netted 14 points as Shippensburg dropped a PSAC East showdown to West Chester 87-86 in the final seconds.
Penn State Berks sophomore guard Shanelle Koch of Blue Mountain was selected her school's Athlete of the Week for the fourth time last week, after scoring in double figures and averaging 16.8 ppg, including a season-high 24 in a win over the College of St. Elizabeth, in four games. She also averaged 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals and 1.8 blocks per game in the four-game stretch. For the season, Koch is averaging a team-leading 13.6 ppg and leads the squad with 22 blocks (8th in the Northeast Athletic Conference) and in field goal percentage at 46.6 percent.
She is third in rebounding average with 5.9 per game.
Pitt-Bradford junior guard Alicia Kimmel of Pine Grove recorded her third straight double-double after scoring 20 points with 10 rebounds in a 63-58 loss to Pitt-Greensburg. In previous games, Kimmel had 19 points and 10 boards in a win over PSU-Altoona and 13 points and 15 rebounds in a victory over PSU-Behrend.
Philadelphia University junior guard Nick Schlitzer of Pottsville scored a game-high 26 points (with six rebounds) to come within four points of 1,000 career points in Philly's 62-61 win over Caldwell. It was the fifth straight win for the Rams (16-5, 10-2).
Susquehanna freshman Nikki Komara of Lourdes recorded her second double-double after scoring 15 points and pulling 16 boards (with six steals and four assists) in a 62-43 win over Drew.
California University of Pennsylvania sophomore Josh Dombrosky of Shenandoah Valley led the Vulcans with six rebounds in a 64-53 OT loss to Slippery Rock. He also chipped in 10 points, six more boards, a block and an assist in a 71-58 win over Clarion. Dombrosky's eight blocked shots are second on the team.
Track Talk
It was a record-setting day for Lebanon Valley junior Taylor Gerchak of Pottsville at the LVC Indoor Invitational. In her career debut in the women's indoor pentathlon, Gerchak won the 55-meter hurdles and 800-meter run in setting a meet and track record of 2,142 points to capture the event.
Sophomore teammate Kelsey Patrick of Tamaqua ran the second-fastest mile ever (5:16.92) at LVC's indoor oval to capture the women's mile and qualify for the ECAC Championships.
At the Bucknell Bison Open, Bloomsburg sophomore Meghan Hallick of Pottsville threw a personal best (38 feet, 7 inches) in the shot put, and Schuylkill Haven's Vicki Davis won both the mile and 3,000-meter races.
Case Western Reserve senior jumper Thenessa Savitsky of North Schuylkill is the school indoor record holder in the triple jump and is expected to be a team leader as the indoor season opens.
Baseball Note
Lebanon Valley senior Mike Specht of Hamburg has been named one of the tri-captains of the Dutchmen baseball team. Specht is a left fielder and relief pitcher.
(MacLaughlin's college notebook appears biweekly during the collegiate calendar. Send items to him in care of Sports Editor Leroy Boyer at lboyer@republicanherald.com.)