Star-studded class inducted into Mt. Lebanon’s Hall of Champions
Stars of the past and the present recollected their glory days as Mt. Lebanon inducted a new class of honorees into its Hall of Champions.
Eleven alumni and six individuals as well as team members from championship clubs were honored during the annual celebration held Nov. 2 at St. Clair Country Club.
“In addition to recognizing these individuals and their achievements, this event gives the athletes an opportunity to reconnect with friends and reminisce about their past accomplishments,” said John Grogan.
Grogan is the athletic director at Mt. Lebanon High School as well as a pivotal proponent of the event. He is a member of the Hall of Champion committee along with Stacey Franklin, Dr. Robert Schilken, Dale Cable, Bill Lewis, Carl Bahm, Meghan Anderson and Brian Walters.
Members of the Distinguished Blue Devil committee include Tyler Bluemling, Kim Robbins, Russ Jones, Norm Faett and Shelly Saba.
Grogan pointed out that Mt. Lebanon offers opportunities in 30 different varsity sports and a number of other club teams. There are over 1,200 students competing each year and benefiting from the wisdom of “great coaches who truly care not only about how they perform but who they are as individuals.”
Grogan added that he is proud of what the athletic programs represent and how they contribute to the development of the student-athletes.
“While we still enjoy our share of success, we more importantly strive to teach the many life lessons associated with sports,” he said. “We are able to use sports to help our young men and women grow, mature and blossom. We do this by embracing our core values of teamwork, leadership, sportsmanship, respect and honor, discipline and continuous improvement while embracing the pride and tradition of Mt. Lebanon.”
After Grogan welcomed the crowd, Denny Postufka took over the microphone as the event’s emcee. The Voice of the Blue Devils introduced the newest members of the Distinguished Blue Devil Club first.
They included respective former boys and girls lacrosse coaches Kee Joe Song and Sam Shannon as well as members of Lebo’s championship track and field relays.
Dave Helwig represented the Class of 1969. He was a WPIAL champion and PIAA state runner-up in the two-mile run.
David Rowles represented the Class of 1968. He combined with Doug Seay (1969), Paul Wetzel (1969) and Rich Shnure (1968) to win the mile relay in 1968. In addition to being WPIAL champions, the foursome claimed the bronze medal in the race at the PIAA championships.
Rob Seymour (1959), Dan Lee (1958), George Shein (1958) and Steve Magoon (1958) were also admitted into the Distinguished Blue Devil group. The foursome won the WPIAL title in 1958 and set the PIAA state record for the 880 relay.
The lacrosse and track theme prevailed among the 2023-24 Hall of Champions inductees.
In addition to the enshrinement of the 2024 WPIAL girls’ and boys’ lacrosse championship squads, Luke Prezioso and Addie Murdoch gained individual admittance, thanks to their All-America recognition this spring.
Murdoch, who also was The Almanac Player of the Year, is currently playing the game at the University of Pittsburgh. Prezioso is a freshman member of the Robert Morris University squad.
Logan St. John Kletter dominated the running scene during the 2023-24 scholastic season. She won the WPIAL and PIAA cross country championships as well as the 1,600- and 3,200-meter races at the district and state level. She was the indoor mile champion and the national outdoor champion in the 3,200.
St. John Kletter gained All-America laurels as well as Almanac/Observer-Reporter Female Athlete of the Year honors before matriculating to the University of North Carolina. She helped the Tar Heels to a third-place showing in the ACC championships on Nov. 1 by finishing 60th overall.
St. John Kletter also was enshrined into the Hall of Champions with Maeve McNamee, Megan Cain and Mackenna Pozza. The foursome claimed the 2024 indoor state championship for the girls’ distance medley relay.
Ryan Frank and Sylvia Roy gained enshrinement for their swimming accomplishments.
A Virginia recruit, Roy participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials this summer. She repeated as WPIAL champion in the 100-yard backstroke and 50 freestyle. She also won a PIAA title in the 100 back in 2024.
Frank won the WPIAL title in the 100 breaststroke. He gained athletic as well as academic All-America honors and was a WPIAL Scholar-Athlete recipient before matriculating to Carnegie Mellon University.
David Shields, who earned entrance into the Hall of Champions when Mt. Lebanon won a WPIAL baseball title and finished runner-up in 2023, gained individual admittance thanks to a stellar spring. Shields collected 2024 Gatorade Player of the Year honors in Pennsylvania, All-America accolades as well as Player of the Year status from The Almanac, Observer-Reporter, Tribune-Review and Post-Gazette.
In June, Shields was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the MLB amateur draft. He recently completed Rookie League Ball and is preparing for Spring Training in 2025.
David Franklin delivered the closing remarks. He represents the Blue Devils Club, which is the primary booster club for the individual varsity sports at the high school. A nonprofit corporation created in 1986, the club does not receive any funding from the school district nor the athletic department.
“The mission of the club is to ensure Mt. Lebanon’s student-athletes have the best experience possible while participating in high school sports and fostering and enhancing the pride our community has in its athletic traditions.”