WPIAL standouts inducted into Hall of Fame
The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League recently inducted its Hall of Fame Class of 2026 and four former Almanac coverage area standouts were among the 16 inductees honored during a ceremony held June 5 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Green Tree, located at 500 Mansfield Ave.
Kurt Angle from Mt. Lebanon along with the Chartiers-Houston duo of Tricia Fabian Alderson and Phil Mary entered the Hall as athletes.
In 1987, Angle claimed a Pennsylvania state wrestling crown after earning All-State honors in football as a linebacker for the Blue Devils.
Angle compiled a 90-8 overall wrestling record over three varsity seasons at Mt. Lebanon. He earned national recognition as the 1987 USA Junior Freestyle champion, a two-time USA Senior Freestyle champion, and the 1988 FILA Junior World Freestyle champion
He continued his amateur wrestling career at Clarion University of Pennsylvania, where he became one of the most accomplished wrestlers in NCAA history. He was a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, national runner-up in 1991, and three-time NCAA Division I All-American.
Angle went on to achieve historic success on the international stage by winning a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, becoming the only WPIAL wrestler ever to claim an Olympic title.
Angle later transitioned to professional wrestling, where he enjoyed a Hall of Fame career in WWE. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful amateur wrestlers to ever compete in the sport.
While Mary dominated the mats at Chartiers-Houston, Fabian-Alderson ruled the mound before settling into successful careers as coaches.
Mary helped lead Chartiers-Houston to WPIAL team championships in 1981 and 1982 and a PIAA team championship in 1982. Individually, he was a two-time WPIAL champion and a WPIAL runner-up. He captured two state individual championships and placed third once.
Mary compiled a 109-6-1 career record. He earned high school All-America status twice.
Additionally, Mary was a member of the Pennsylvania team champion at the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic and the AAA team winner in the Challenge of Champions at Penn State University
During his career at Clarion University, Mary placed fourth in both the PSAC and EWL in 1986. He started for the undefeated 1985-86 Clarion squad that finished 17-0-1 and ranked third nationally.
Mary then transitioned to coaching, serving as assistant coach at his alma mater initially. He compiled a 113-49 career record while serving as a head coach at Chartiers-Houston and Peters Township (1990-99). He later served as an assistant coach at Canon-McMillan from 2001-06.
Meanwhile, Fabian-Alderson led the Buccaneers to back-to-back WPIAL softball championships in 1987 and 1988 and a PIAA runner-up finish in 1987
She compiled a 70-7 career pitching record, a PIAA record at the time, while throwing 13 no-hitters and one perfect game. Additionally, she tossed 10 one-hitters, 12 two-hitters, and 30 shutouts and struck out 519 batters in 476 innings pitched. All her pitching totals were school records and stood for many years.
Fabian-Alderson, who maintained a .382 career batting average, was a two-time Almanac Diamond Dozen All-Star and Most Valuable Player, before going on to hone her skills further at the University of Charleston (W.Va.). There she was named WVIAC Pitcher of the Year and WVIAC Scholar Athlete of the Year in 1991 after posting an 11-5 record and 1.21 ERA Additionally, she earned All-Conference first-team honors in 1990 and 1991, Honorable Mention status in 1992, and academic All-America recognition in 1991 and 1992.
Fabian-Alderson returned to her alma mater to coach the Lady Bucs in 2004 after a brief career at Mt. Lebanon. Including this spring, she has compiled a 483-150 career coaching record that includes a PIAA runner-up showing in 2026, a state championship in 2010, six WPIAL titles, four WPIAL runner-up finishes, and 16 state playoff appearances in 22 seasons.
Fabian-Alderson serves as a seventh-grade English teacher at Chartiers-Houston Junior High School. She has earned multiple Coach of the Year honors.
Although he was an accomplished point guard at Seton LaSalle High School and Waynesburg University, Tim McConnell has gained access into the WPIAL Hall of Fame as a coach. He won nine WPIAL championships overall, including six titles with the Chartiers Valley boys (tied for sixth-most in league history). He also guided the Lady Colts to three WPIAL championships and a PIAA state crown with an undefeated 31-0 campaign in 2019.
In 30 seasons at the helm, his squads captured 24 section banners, 19 for the CV boys; four for the CV girls and one during his lone season at Bishop Canevin.
During his career, he compiled a 684-160 career record (.810 winning percentage), highlighted by becoming the fastest coach in WPIAL boys history to reach 500 career wins. He coached three 2,000-point scorers (most in WPIAL history), two of them his sons, T.J. and Matty. Sixteen of his male charges and three of his girls, including his daughter, Meghan, surpassed the 1,000-point plateau.
The 1981 Mt. Lebanon boys’ soccer club was recognized in the team category along with the 2004 Hopewell girls volleyball squad.
One of the most accomplished teams in program history, Mt. Lebanon won the WPIAL championship and captured the PIAA Class AAA state championship. The Blue Devils finished 30-1-2 overall. They reeled off 29 victories after a slow start in a preseason tournament.
After dominating the division, posting a 13-0-1 record in winning the Section 4 championship, the Blue Devils picked up playoff victories over Baldwin (2-1 in overtime), Springdale (2-1), and Upper St. Clair (4-1 in the final) to claim the WPIAL banner.
Mark DuMars, who was voted the team’s MVP, led the Blue Devils in scoring with 23 goals and 28 assists for 51 points.
The club also featured All-America candidate Rob Wilcher and his father, John, who served as head coach during Lebo’s sustained period of excellence in the sport.
In addition, Ethan Keener from South Fayetteville and Warren Timko from Upper St. Clair were recognized with the organization’s courage award.
Keener was diagnosed on December 28, 2020, with severe aplastic anemia, a rare and life-threatening blood disorder, after being admitted to St. Clair Hospital and transferred to UPMC Children’s Hospital for extensive testing and treatment.
He underwent immunosuppressive therapy, frequent blood and platelet transfusions. After those treatments proved unsuccessful, Keener had a bone marrow transplant with the process commencing on Aug 15, 2022
Due to his compromised immune system, Keener missed extended time from school between January 2021 and June 2021 and again during his transplant recovery. He only returned to in-person classes on March 27, 2023.
A three-sport athlete entering high school, his participation was limited for multiple seasons due to medical treatment, followed by consecutive ACL injuries that ended two basketball and baseball seasons.
Granted an additional year of eligibility by the WPIAL, Keener returned to competition during his senior season before undergoing surgery that concluded his high school athletic career.
Despite his physical trials, Keener continued to support his teams while sidelined and served as a positive influence within his programs.
In 2025, Keener was named a Western Pennsylvania Positive Athlete Scholarship recipient and a UPMC Sports Medicine Comeback Player Award winner. He is currently attending Kent State University.
Meanwhile, Timko had his football career interrupted by a cancer diagnosis that required brain surgery and months of treatment at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
A three-year letter winner, he competed on both the offensive and defensive lines for the Panthers, earning the respect of teammates and coaches for his toughness and commitment. He was a member of the 2022 WPIAL finals team as well as the 2024 and 2025 semifinal squads.
Demonstrating extraordinary strength and resilience throughout his recovery, Timko ultimately overcame the odds and rang the bell at St. Jude. He triumphantly returned to the sidelines and was honored on Senior Night and later in the fall season was voted Homecoming King by his peers.
The Class also includes: James “Jim Conklin” from Waynesburg with the Heritage Award’ Bridget Guy Williams and Maddie Holmberg Nickal from Hempfield for track and field; Charles Evan Hunnell as an official in football and lacrosse; Anne Madarsz as a contributor; Derek Moye from Rochester for football; Joe Salvino as a basketball coach at Monessen and Belle Veron; Jordan Whitehead from Central Valley for football.