Department of Athletics

NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Chris Caputo, Sports Information Director Sports Center Voice: (814) 269-2031 Fax: (814) 269-2026 E-Mail: [email protected] February 22, 2020 http://www.pittjohnstownathletics.com

Pitt-Johnstown to Induct Five Standouts Into Athletics Hall of Fame on April 18

JOHNSTOWN, PA. – The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown will induct five new members as part of the 13th Athletics Hall of Fame class on Saturday, April 18 in the Pitt-Johnstown Wellness Center. This year’s class includes: Ron Haden '95 (Men’s ), Mike Mastovich '85 (Meritorious Service), Sally Mosay '89 (Women’s Basketball), Brandon Newill '02 (Wrestling), and Ben Watkins '10 (). Pitt-Johnstown will also recognize all of the former Hall of Fame inductees and former student-athletes in attendance.

The Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame was created in 2007 to honor prestigious groups of athletes, coaches, and university supporters and their champion spirits. These individuals merit distinction for their accomplishments and leadership in athletic endeavors for Pitt-Johnstown. Since its inception in 2007, 62 individuals and three teams have earned induction.

The reception is 5:45 p.m. in the Sports Center Hall of Fame Room and dinner is 7 p.m. in the Wellness Center

Speaking at this year’s event will be Pitt-Johnstown President Dr. Jem Spectar, Athletic Director and college wrestling’s all- time winningest coach Pat Pecora, and Assistant Athletic Director Abby Gearhart. In addition, Johnstown Tribune-Democrat Editor Chip Minemyer will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.

2020 Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame — Ron Haden Men’s Basketball – 1993-1995 Ron Haden came to Pitt-Johnstown after playing basketball two at Sinclair Junior College in Ohio and accomplished something most players are not able to do…score over 1,000 points in two years. Mr. Haden, a native of Dayton, Ohio and a graduate of Jefferson High School, joined Head Coach Bob Rukavina’s Mountain Cats for the 1993-94 season and promptly led the team with 552 points and 209 rebounds. Although the team went 12-15 that year, his efforts helped to build the foundation that turned the Pitt-Johnstown basketball program around. As a senior in 1994-95, Mr. Haden finished with 482 points, second on the team behind Earnest Sylver’s 532 points. He again led the Mountain Cats in rebounding with 207 and guided Pitt-Johnstown to a 17-9 record to mark just the second winning season in 16 years. Although he graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology, Mr. Haden was a key part in what happened next. The winning continued and Coach Rukavina and the Mountain Cats posted a 21-6 record in 1995-96 and a 24-5 record in 1996-97. Following each of those seasons, Pitt-Johnstown earned berths in the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament to mark the first and second in Pitt-Johnstown men’s basketball history. Mr. Haden finished his two-year career with 1,034 points and ranked seventh on the Mountain Cat Scoring List. Today, Mr. Haden ranks 29th on that list. His name is still etched in the Pitt-Johnstown record books. Mr. Haden’s 19.9 points per game ranks second on the Pitt- Johnstown Career Scoring Average List, while his 8.0 rebounds per game are tied with fellow hall of famer Justin Walther (1996- 2000) for sixth-place on the All-Time Career Rebound Average List. In 1996, Mr. Haden was invited and participated in a basketball tournament in Venezuela. Following his graduation from Pitt-Johnstown, Mr. Haden returned to his hometown and began working with at-risk youth at the Montgomery County Family Court in Dayton. -more- -2- In 1998, he moved to Houston, Texas where he worked for several years as a Texas parole officer. Mr. Haden then graduated from the City of Houston Fire Academy and became an EMT/Firefighter where he earned recognition and honors for his service. He also owned and operated Providence EMS until 2008. Unfortunately, that year, Mr. Haden was in a serious car accident and was comatose for a month. Mr. Haden suffered a brain injury and had to be retrained to walk and talk, which forced hm into an early retirement. In spite of all of the misfortune, Ron continues to exercise daily and continues to be health conscious. Mr. Haden is a true family-man who is dedicated to making sure his family is taken care of. He is very active in his daughter’s life and helped her with her healing process after she was hit by a vehicle in 2017. Mr. Haden will always go above and beyond for his one and only daughter. Just like Kobe Bryant, he is a true GIRL DAD. Mr. Haden continues to remain active in the sport he loves, serving as a volunteer youth basketball coach at a local YMCA in Houston. “This honor is one of reassurance that if I put my all into something, mentally and physically, I will be rewarded” Mr. Haden said. “This honor is “Life”.

2020 Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame — Mike Mastovich Meritorious Service – 1981-1985 For more than three decades, Mike Mastovich has been a staunch supporter of the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown and Pitt- Johnstown athletics through his writing with The Tribune-Democrat and his assistance in promoting University activities, including serving as emcee for the athletics hall of fame banquet since its inception in 2007. A Johnstown native, Mr. Mastovich graduated from Conemaugh Valley High School in 1981 and enrolled at Pitt-Johnstown where he worked as a sports writer, then Sports Editor for The Advocate from 1982-85. During that same time, Mr. Mastovich performed the duties of Pitt-Johnstown Student Sports Information Director. Mr. Mastovich, a member of the Chi Lambda Tau Honorary Leadership Society and a recipient of the Humanities Award at Pitt- Johnstown, graduated Cum Laude in 1985 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism and a minor in Speech Communications. That same year, Mr. Mastovich began his professional career writing for the Indiana Gazette while pursuing his Master’s Degree in Sports Sciences with an emphasis in Sports Information at Indiana University of . With another year of experience under his belt, Mr. Mastovich returned to his hometown and joined The Tribune-Democrat in November of 1986 as a sports writer. For the last 35 years, Mr. Mastovich has promoted and covered Pitt-Johnstown athletics. Over the years, Mr. Mastovich has covered and been closely involved with many of Pitt-Johnstown’s athletic highlights, including Carlton Haselrig becoming the first national champion in wrestling, Coach Jodi Gault’s women’s basketball team reaching the NCAA Final Four in 1987, the resurgence of Bob Rukavina’s men’s basketball program and its four NCAA Tournament berths, and the record-breaking efforts of the baseball and women’s volleyball teams. In addition to Pitt-Johnstown, Mr. Mastovich was the beat writer for the professional hockey team for 19 seasons and is currently wrapping up his eighth season of covering the . He has covered more than 30 AAABA Tournaments, 20-plus Sunnehanna Amateurs Golf Tournaments, and some of the biggest high school sporting events, including state championship games in football, basketball, baseball, volleyball and hockey. Mr. Mastovich was the lead writer on teams that produced the 2007 book “Slap Shots and Snapshots: 50 Seasons of Professional Hockey in Johnstown,” the 2015 update of the book to coincide with Johnstown being named Kraft Hockeyville USA, and the 2019 book “A Diamond in Johnstown: AAABA’s 75th Anniversary.” He was also a contributor to The Tribune-Democrat’s Fab 40 Sports Connections book. The highly-decorated writer has won three Keystone Press Awards (2011, 2015, 2017), three Golden Quill Awards (2006, 2008, 2011), and was a Golden Quill Award Finalist in both 2012 and 2018. In 2005, Mr. Mastovich earned the East Coast Hockey League’s (ECHL) Outstanding Media of the Year Award, voted on by the writers and media in the 30-team league. Along with serving on Pitt-Johnstown’s Athletics Hall of Fame Committee and being the hall of fame banquet emcee, Mr. Mastovich is also on the Cambria County Sports Hall of Fame and Award Committees. Mr. Mastovich and his wife Teresa have three adult children, Shelby, Michael (Pitt-Johnstown class of 2017), and Ryan. “Pitt-Johnstown and the people here have always been like a part of my family since I first stepped onto the campus in 1981,” Mr. Mastovich said. “It is a special place. The athletic program was such a big part of my college life during my time with The Advocate and as Sports Information Director. I know the lengthy and rich history made by the Pitt-Johnstown student-athletes, coaches and administrators. "The Tribune-Democrat has been there to cover Pitt-Johnstown since the days of the asphalt campus in Moxham. It's been an honor to be a part of such a great team at the newspaper. To join the distinguished group of current and past inductees in this Hall is a humbling experience, not to mention a great honor.”

2020 Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame — Sally Mosay Women’s Basketball – 1984-1989 Sally Mosay, a two-time American Women’s Sports Federation (AWSF) All-American and a 1988 Kodak All-District selection, finished her Lady Cat basketball career ranked in the Top-5 on Pitt-Johnstown’s scoring and assist lists and led her team to the program’s NCAA Division II Final Four berth in 1987.

-3- Ms. Mosay, a native of Elizabeth, Pa., joined Head Coach Jodi Gault’s Lady Cat program in 1984 after a standout career at Elizabeth Forward High School. As a sophomore in 1985-86, Ms. Mosay began to make her mark on the Pitt-Johnstown women’s basketball program by earning All-Tournament Team honors at the Immaculata University, the Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cat, and Mason-Dixon Conference Tournaments. However, it was her junior and senior seasons that established her as one of the top players in Division II basketball. In 1986-87, Ms. Mosay, a First-Team All-Mason-Dixon Conference selection and a member of the Mountain Cat and Mason-Dixon Conference All-Tournament Teams, led the Lady Cats to Pitt-Johnstown’s first ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Final Four with a victory over No. 1-ranked Delta State (MS) University. Her efforts also earned her Most Valuable Player honors at both the NCAA East Region Tournament and the NCAA Quarterfinals. Following that season, Ms. Mosay also garnered her first of two AWSF All- America selections. In addition, Ms. Mosay was awarded the Dave McGowan Outstanding Athlete Memorial Sports Award. One season later as a senior in 1987-88, Ms. Mosay, the Most Valuable Player at the Mountain Cat Tournament, joined the Pitt- Johnstown women’s basketball 1,000-point scorer’s club on her way to being named the Mason-Dixon Conference Player of the Year and a Kodak All-District Team selection. The two-time First-Team All-Conference choice was also named to the NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team and was tabbed an AWSF All-American for the second straight year. Ms. Mosay, who scored in double digits in all but one game over her junior and senior seasons, finished her Lady Cat career ranked fifth on the Pitt-Johnstown All-Time Scoring List with 1.419 points and third on the All-Time Assists List with 513. She currently ranks 10th on the scoring list and fifth on the assists list. Ms. Mosay also matched fellow Pitt-Johnstown Hall of Famer Maureen Latterner’s single-game record of 16 assists against Saint Vincent College in 1987. Ms. Mosay graduated from Pitt-Johnstown in 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Social Science and promptly began a career in the supply chain field which has spanned more than 30 years with four different companies. For the past 14 years, Ms. Mosay has served as a Supply Chain Specialist for Mine Safety Appliances in Murrysville, Pa. Along with her professional career, Ms. Mosay was also an assistant girls’ basketball coach at both Norwin and Jeannette High Schools, and as a women’s assistant basketball coach at Seton Hill College. Ms. Mosay currently resides in Delmont, Pa. “I am incredibly honored to be inducted into the Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame,” Ms. Mosay said. “The success I had on the basketball court at Pitt-Johnstown would not have been possible without my coaches, teammates and family. I am so proud to have been a part of Lady Cat Basketball.”

2020 Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame — Brandon Newill Wrestling – 1999-2002 Brandon Newill made his mark on the Pitt-Johnstown wrestling program by winning a pair of NCAA East Region Tournament titles and earning three All-America honors, including winning the 2002 NCAA Division II National Championship at 125 lbs. Mr. Newill, a native of Mount Pleasant, Pa. and a Mount Pleasant Area High School graduate, joined the Mountain Cats after one season at Capital (OH) University where he went 30-6 and placed seventh at the NCAA Division III National Tournament. In 1999, Mr. Newill came to Pitt-Johnstown and promptly filled the void left behind by two-time national champion Jody Strittmatter. As a sophomore, he was 29-6 overall and 16-3 in dual meets on his way to placing third at the NCAA Championships and leading Pitt-Johnstown to a fifth-place finish. Mr. Newill, the Outstanding Wrestler at the Wilkes Open, continued to dominate the following season. He put together a 35-5 overall record and a 13-1 dual meet mark with a team-best 15 wins by fall. Newill was named the 2001 East Region Tournament Outstanding Wrestler after winning his first of two regional tournaments. He also finished fourth at the NCAA National Tournament, third at the Division I-dominated Oklahoma Gold Classic, and won titles at both the Slippery Rock Open and Wilkes Open. As a senior in 2001-02, Mr. Newill reached the pinnacle of Division II wrestling by becoming Pitt-Johnstown’s sixth individual NCAA National Champion with a fall over Central Oklahoma University’s Chris Saferite of Central Oklahoma at 4:12 at the National Tournament in Parkside, Wisc. Mr. Newill was 39-6 overall and 17-2 in dual meets and led the Mountain Cats with 19 falls. He made it back-to-back championships at both the Slippery Rock Open and East Regional Tournament and placed seventh at the prestigious Midlands Open at Northwestern University. When his stellar career wrapped-up after the 2002 season, Mr. Newill compiled a 100-20-0 overall record as a Mountain Cat and a 130-26-0 overall record with his 30 wins from Capital University in 1998-99. Mr. Newill finished his career ranked fourth of the Pitt-Johnstown All-Time Wins List, and currently stands in fifth-place. In 2002, Mr. Newill graduated from Pitt-Johnstown with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History/Education. He went to the University of Buffalo to begin working on his graduate degree in Adolescent Educations and serve as a graduate assistant wrestling coach. In 2004, Mr. Newill was promoted to Assistant Wrestling Coach. Mr. Newill returned to the Pittsburgh Area in 2009 and began his career in education with the Allegheny Valley School District as an Aide for Special Needs Students at Springdale Junior High School. The following year, Mr. Newill accepted a teaching and coaching position at Kittanning Junior/Senior High School in the Armstrong School District. Mr. Newill currently teaches history and serves as the head Armstrong High School wrestling coach where he has produced four individual PIAA State Champions and six individual PIAA State Place-Winners. Mr. Newill, his wife Elizabeth and son Knox currently reside in Cheswick, Pa.

-4- “I am more than overwhelmed with the honor bestowed upon me to be a part of this prestigious group of decorated individuals in the Pitt-Johnstown family,” Mr. Newill said. “I cannot express my gratitude in mere words.”

2020 Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame — Ben Watkins Baseball – 2007-2010 The combination of outstanding athletics and academics are the qualities Ben Watkins exhibited at Pitt-Johnstown. On the baseball field, Mr. Watkins was a 2009 NCAA Division II All-American and the Atlantic Region of the Year, and in the classroom, he was a First-Team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American and the Atlantic Region Scholar Athlete of the Year. Mr. Watkins, a Johnstown native, graduated from Conemaugh Township High School in 2005, before enrolling and pitching two seasons at Clarion University. He transferred Pitt-Johnstown and joined Head Coach Todd Williams’ Mountain Cats’ starting rotation in 2008. That season, Mr. Watkins went 4-4 with 52 in 53 2/3 innings. As a senior in 2009, Mr. Watkins dominated on the mound for Pitt-Johnstown. He was 7-1 with a team-best 63 strikeouts. Mr. Watkins allowed only seven runs, including five earned runs, in 53 1/3 to lead NCAA Division II in at .84. His efforts earned him Daktronics Third-Team All-America and National Collegiate Baseball Writers’ Association (NCBWA) Second- Team All-America honors. He was also the Daktronics and NCBWA Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year, as well as the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Pitcher of the Year. Mr. Watkins also excelled in the classroom. With a 3.957 overall GPA in Engineering, Mr. Watkins joined Mike Shumaker (2001) as a Pitt-Johnstown baseball First-Team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American. In addition, Mr. Watkins was named the WVIAC 2008-09 Senior Scholar Athlete and the WVIAC’s 2008-09 Men’s Scholar Athlete. He was also selected to the 2008-09 WVIAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Mr. Watkins put his engineering career on hold when he was drafted by the in the 40th Round of the 2009 Draft. That summer, pitching for the Staten Island Yankees, Mr. Watkins posted a 5-0 record with a 2.47 ERA and was the winning pitcher in the New York-Penn League championship game. In 2010, Mr. Watkins was promoted to the AA Trenton Thunder. In all, Mr. Watkins played for three baseball organizations, including the Charleston (SC) Riverdogs in 2010. He finished his academic work during baseball’s off-season in 2010 and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Pitt-Johnstown with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering Technology with a minor in Mathematics. Following his playing career, Mr. Watkins joined ARM EnerTech in Johnstown as an electrical engineer and continues to work there today. He earned his Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University in 2017, graduating with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Mr. Watkins is also a licensed Professional Engineer in Pennsylvania. Mr. Watkins, a staffer at the Run Home Baseball Camp and a former Young Life leader, is also a deacon and plays guitar and drums at Emmanuel Church in Johnstown. Mr. Watkins and his wife Bethany reside in Hollsopple with their two young children, Micah and Caleb. “Pitt-Johnstown was crucially fundamental in my development as an athlete and student,” Mr. Watkins said. “It has produced numerous student-athletes that have had success both during and after their career at Pitt-Johnstown. To be inducted into a Hall of Fame with such rich history is an incredible honor and is both a continuation and demonstration of the way Pitt-Johnstown supported my ambitions. I have to thank my coaches Todd Williams and Rick Roberts. Their instruction, encouragement, and support played such a large role in my baseball career. I can, without a doubt, say that I wouldn’t have had the success that I had without them. Additionally, the engineering faculty at Pitt-Johnstown couldn’t have been more supportive. I was finishing my degree in the off-season and Dr. Samples, Dr. Greg Dick, and Dr. Madumage Karunaratne really went the extra mile to ensure I was able to finish while still pursuing my baseball dream.”

Pitt-Johnstown’s inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame class was inducted on September 30, 2007 and included: Lisa Britt (Women’s Basketball), Sean Isgan (Wrestling), Carl Sax (Men’s Basketball), C. Edward Sherlock (Men’s Basketball and Athletic Director), and James Wilkes (Men’s Basketball)

Class of 2009: Carlton Haselrig (Wrestling), Clyde Horner (Head Coach), Joachim Knispel (Men’s Soccer), Paul Leonard (Baseball), Dave Roman, Sr. (Men’s Basketball), and Mindy Young-Gagliardi (Women’s Basketball)

Class of 2010: Jodi Gault (Head Women’s Basketball Coach), Dr. Robert Hartnett (Men’s Basketball/Meritorious Service), Dave Hoff (Baseball), Rich Ragan (Men’s Basketball), Patty Ritter-Sharbaugh (Women’s Gymnastics), and Lee Schickel (Wrestling), and the 1996 National Championship Wrestling Team

Class of 2011: Bob Bulas (Men’s Basketball), Don Elzer (Men’s Basketball), Steve Parker (Men’s Track and Field/Cross Country), Jody Strittmatter (Wrestling), and Trish Wajers-Carr (Women’s Basketball)

Class of 2012: Mike Gresik (Baseball/Men’s Basketball), Quinn Harris (Men’s Basketball), Maureen Latterner-Brown (Women’s Basketball), Teri Menett-Cruse (Women’s Basketball/Volleyball), John Strittmatter (Wrestling), and the 1999 National Championship Wrestling Team

-5- Class of 2013: Tony Albertelli (Wrestling), Jill Halapin (Women’s Basketball), Bruce Haselrig (Wrestling Coach), Justin Walther (Men’s Basketball), and the 1986-87 Women’s Basketball NCAA Final Four Team

Class of 2014: Eric Dinyar (Baseball), Barry Gresh (Wrestling), Ken Keiper (Baseball Coach), Emanuel “Book” Richardson (Men’s Basketball), and Lenore Shimkus-Schell (Women’s Basketball)

Class of 2015: Denise Gallo (Women’s Basketball), Devlin Herring (Men’s Basketball), Tim Nolen (Men’s Soccer), Pat Pecora (Wrestling Coach), and Rob Yahner (Wrestling)

Class of 2016: Rick Baxter (Baseball), Chuck Bradford (Men’s Basketball), Bridget Hale-Sherick (Women’s Basketball), Steve Littleton (Men’s Cross Country and Track and Field), and Dan Revesz (Wrestling)

Class of 2017: Troy Barbush (Wrestling), Amy Kessler (Women’s Basketball), Brent Matish (Baseball), Chris Rhames (Men’s Basketball), Dr. Clark Strausser (Meritorious Service, and John Sumoski (Men’s Soccer)

Class of 2018: Carlos Buford (Men’s Soccer), Larry Hohman (Wrestling), Casey Long (Baseball), Josué Nieves (Men’s Basketball), Terry (Solema) Woods (Women’s Basketball)

Class of 2019: Carrie Ferguson (Women’s Basketball), Isaac Greeley (Wrestling), Matt Lushko (Men’s Basketball), Larry Robey (Wrestling), John Jay (J.J.) Thomas (Baseball)

The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown was founded in 1927 and is the first and largest regional campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Pitt-Johnstown is recognized by the Princeton Review as a “Best in the Northeast” college, by G.I. Jobs as a “Military Friendly School,” and by Pennsylvania Business Central as a "Top 100 Organization.” The distinctive combination of Pitt-Johnstown’s people, programs, and place results in exceptional performance in preparing students for career and professional success. Pitt-Johnstown is the regional leader, educating for success in the Real World.