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Shaler Area Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2017 inducted Oct. 14

Shaler Area School District is proud to recognize the athletic accomplishments and contributions of its alumni and supporters, and this year recognize six athletes and one team by inducting them into the Shaler Area School District Athletic Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2017 inductees includes:

Ron Budziszewski - Ron coached Titan football from 1980-2013. He started the football weight program with his own weight set in the 1980s. He was a member of the 1998 coaching staff that was Quad North section champions. Coach Bud was a positive role model for Shaler Area students for almost 40 years.

Jason DeFranco - Jason excelled on the soccer field the 3 years that he attended Shaler Area. He received All-Section 2 years, WPIAL Finest 15 for 3 years, All-State among other accolades in high school. Jason went on to play soccer at Robert Morris University. He made Northeast Conference section and Regional All American for 3 years while at Robert Morris.

Valerie McQuade - At Shaler Area Valerie played basketball and Track and Field. She was a member of the SA basketball team that was WPIAL Champions in 2011. Val was a 1,000-point scorer and among her accomplishments in track won 2 WPIAL individual medals in 2011. She was an assistant coach for her alma mater of Niagara University where she played 4 seasons. She is currently playing for a women’s basketball team in Germany.

Phyllis Schatz - Phyllis has coached 46 squads on the 32 years she has coached at Shaler Area. Her squads have competed on a local, state and national level since 1979. They have won 9 State Championships, one international championship and have averaged in the top 10 of national championships.

Dan Schwartzbauer - While at Shaler Area Dan played baseball for the 1999 WPIAL Championship team and started for 4 seasons. Dan was the team captain for both his high school and college teams. He signed with the Pirates after graduation. He started and played for 4 years at Duquesne University.

Sam Wisotzkey - Sam played soccer at Shaler Area. He lettered for 4 years and was team captain for 3 years. He was named to the WPIAL All Star team for 3 years and Western PA State select team for 2 years. Sam started every game at Bucknell University for his 4 years.

2012 Girls Track Team - The 2012 girls track program had 17 individuals and 3 relay teams that moved on to the WPIAL championship meets. Nine individuals medaled, along with 3 relay teams. Seven individuals qualified for the PIAA state meets along with the 4 x 800 team. From the 2012 team, 13 girls moved on to compete in the NCAA.

The Shaler Area School District Athletic Hall of Fame was created in 2000 to recognize those individuals who have brought prestige and pride to the Shaler Area School District athletic program and to our community either as a player, coach, administrator, or supporter.

Hall of Fame inductees can include individual athletes, teams or coaches, administrators, teachers, community contributors or supporters. The Hall of Fame Committee reviews all nomination forms to determine nominees to be selected and inducted into the Shaler Area School District Athletic Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2017 Hall of Fame inductees were honored and inducted into the Shaler Area School District Athletic Hall of Fame during a banquet on Saturday, Oct. 14.