Pennridge Inductees
Melissa Hefner- Was a 1993 Pennridge High School graduate who excelled in Field Hockey Basketball and Lacrosse. During her high school career, Melissa received a total of 12 Varsity Letters in Field Hockey Basketball and Lacrosse. Her honors included being named to the “All Suburban One” teams for field hockey, “All Suburban One” team for Lacrosse and was named Pennridge H.S., MVP for Field Hockey. She continued her Field Hockey and Lacrosse career at the University of Delaware where she became one of the top two sport athletes in the history of the University. She was a 4-year starter in both Field Hockey and Lacrosse from 1993 to 1997. She earned Most Valuable Player honors and All Conference awards in both sports. She was a two time All American East Conference and All Mid-Atlantic Region player in Field Hockey leading the team to 4 straight winning seasons. She amassed a total of 43 goals to rank 5th all-time in scoring at Delaware. She set a University school record by scoring a goal in 11 straight games. In Lacrosse she was stand out mid-fielder who scored 59 career goals including 30 goals her senior season. She was selected American East Player of the Year and was twice named All American. Melissa was also a member of the United States Women’s National Lacrosse team. Melissa served as a graduate assistant coach in soccer and lacrosse at Marist college after graduating the University of Delaware. In 2011 Melissa was inducted into the “University of Delaware Athletics Sports Hall of Fame”, followed by a 2014 induction into the “Bucks County Sports Hall of Fame”.
Dr. Joanne Leight is a 1983 Graduate of Pennridge High School, where she was captain and high scorer in Field Hockey, was MVP, and twice made All Bucks-Mont teams. In Softball, she was captain and twice made All Bucks-Mont teams as a catcher, as well as winning the Coaches’ Award and seeing her team be crowned District I champions. Joanne also played Basketball for two years and ran Winter Track for a year. At age 10, she was one of the first local girls to play Little League and Community League Baseball, continuing through age 18. Joanne is a 1987 graduate of Slippery Rock University, where she was a four-year starter in Field Hockey, and captain of the most winning Field Hockey team in SRU history, all the way to the NCAA Regional finals. At SRU she also was a three-year starter in five different positions for Softball, making it to the PSAC play-offs. For 26 years, Joanne played eight different positions for the Allentown Pates in the ASA Major Fast Pitch Softball League, with contests in 14 states and ASA Major National Tournament play 18 times. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Health & Physical Education and a master’s degree in Sport Psychology / Sports Sociology, Joanne served as Head Softball Coach at Westminster College from 1988-1996, with a .692 winning percentage overall, including conference, regional, and national tournament victories. She was named Coach of the Year five times. While at Westminster, she also was head coach of Women’s Club Soccer and assistant coach of Women’s Volleyball. Returning to her alma mater SRU in 1996, Joanne was Softball head coach for seven years, coaching 15 PSAC Scholar Athletes and 10 PSAC All-Conference players. Since 1996, Joanne has been on the faculty of the Physical & Health Education Department, where she is assistant chair of her department. She earned her doctoral degree in 2004 at Duquesne University, with a focus on instructional technology and educational leadership. Along with teaching 24 different undergraduate and graduate courses in her field, Joanne also created SRU’s successful Coaching Minor and was appointed as the university’s NCAA Faculty-Athletic Representative. She chairs SRU’s University Athletic Council. She is a Google Certified Innovator who is a popular presenter on using the latest technology in Physical Education. Joanne wrote the book, “Technology for Physical Education Teacher Education:”, Student Handbook of Technology Skills, currently in its second edition and used at SRU and other Universities.
Thomas Nuneviller- was a 1987 Pennridge High School graduate who played basketball and baseball. He was a two-year starter in basketball and three-year starter in baseball. He was a member of the 1987 Pennridge High School state champion baseball team. In baseball he earned 1st team All Bux-Mont honors his junior year and 1st team all Suburban One League honors his senior year as well as being named 1st team All Southeastern Pennsylvania. He earned team MVP honors in his senior year in basketball and team MVP honors his junior and senior years in baseball. During the summer of 1987 he batted .569 for his American Legion team. He continued his baseball career at West Chester University where he was a three-year starter before being drafted after his junior year by the Philadelphia Phillies. While at WCU he batted .444 his sophomore year earning him Division 1 2nd team All-American honors. His junior season, batting .470, he earned Division 1 1st team All-American honors and was also named ECAC Division 1 player of the year. He still holds records at WCU. His .470 batting average in 1990 and .444 batting average in 1989 are the top (2) single season averages at WCU. His .828 single season slugging percentage is still the top slugging percentage in WCU baseball history. His career records that still stand are career batting average at .426, slugging percentage at .686 and on base percentage at .493. He also played summer baseball for two seasons for the Quakertown Blazers where he still holds the single season record with (18) doubles. Playing for the Limeport Dodgers, in the Blue Mountain League, he once hit (4) home runs with (15) RBI’s going 5-6 in a single game at Bicentennial Park in Allentown. In 1990 he was drafted in the 5th round by the Philadelphia Phillies. He was with the organization from 1990-1996 playing for the Batavia Clippers, Clearwater Phillies, Reading Phillies and Scranton Red Barons before two ACL knee injuries and shoulder surgery ended his playing career. For the past nineteen years he has been a Health and Physical Education teacher at Pennridge High School. He has coached baseball for all (19) years serving as the varsity head coach for the past (14). He has coached youth baseball, basketball and football. He started and continues to run the Hit N Run summer baseball camp going on twenty years. In 2007 he was inducted into the West Chester University Sports Hall of Fame. In 2008 he was also inducted into the Pennridge High School Wall of Fame. In 2009 he became a PIAA football official, officiating youth and high school football games.
Patricia “Patty” Roberts- A 1977 Pennridge graduate, Patty earned varsity letters at Pennridge High School in basketball, field hockey and track and field. Patty started her athletic career at Pennridge Central Junior High in 1974. She was a member of the girls’ basketball team and played on the varsity team, missing a varsity letter by one quarter. Additionally, she was a member of the newly added girls track team as a freshman. As a freshman she qualified to compete in the PIAA State Meet at Pennsylvania State University in the 4x110 relay. She continued to play basketball on the varsity team, earning 2nd team all Bucks-Mont in her senior year, as well at the team’s Most Valuable Player Honor. Her track career at Pennridge earned her numerous medals through the PIAA track events, including multiple medals in the 220-yard dash, the 4x110, the 4x220, and the 4x440 yard relay. She competed at the Penn Relays all fours year as well as competing in the PIAA State Meet at Shippensburg University in 1976, 1977, and 1978. Patty earned 4 State Medals through her outstanding track career at Pennridge High School. She was named team MVP in her junior track season. In her Junior year at Pennridge Patty started playing field hockey for the first time. In her first season as goalie for PHS she earned honorable mention All Bux- Mont League and 1st team All Bucks-Mont in the Senior Year. She was also named Team MVP in her Senior Year. Her athletic career continued at Penn State University, Schuylkill Haven Campus where she played basketball for two years. In 1979 she was named Co-MVP in her sophomore year at PSU. In 2000 her athletic career ended after 10 years of playing flag football in Lower Moreland.
Quakertown Inductees
Andrea Charles-Was a 1968 Quakertown High School graduate, where she excelled in Varsity field hockey, basketball, and softball from 9th through 12th grades. Andrea earned 11 Varsity letters in her high school career and in her senior year was elected captain of the field hockey team and co-captain of the basketball team. Along with sports she was elected treasurer and vice-president of the Varsity Club her Junior and Senior years. After high School Andrea attended East Stroudsburg State College (ESC), where she played field hockey for 4 years. In her senior year at ESC she was elected co-captain and received the Outstanding Field Hockey award. She played basketball for 2 years and also worked as a student Athletic Trainer the remaining 2 basketball seasons. She graduated with a teaching degree from ESC and taught 5th grade for 41 years in PA, AR, and CA. During that time, she became the assistant field hockey coach at ESC for 1 year, and was the assistant field hockey coach at Stroudsburg High School for 4 years. She also organized a field hockey club for 5th and 6th grade girls at Stroudsburg Middle School, where she taught. While teaching in CA, she lead a lunch time hiking club for 4th and 5th grade students at Brooks Elementary. In Fayetteville, AR she played on several summer league softball teams. She still enjoys biking, kayaking, swimming, and boogie boarding.
Michelle Delloso- Michelle Delloso competed in six different sports throughout her high school career at Quakertown to include cross-country, volleyball, tennis, basketball, softball and travel ball soccer. She earned numerous awards in tennis and softball to include multiple MVP and all-conference awards and was named best all-around female athlete. Her senior year in softball she batted over .600 and was was flawless in the field with no errors. She went into the summer of 1987 wanting to focus solely on the sport of softball. Her relentless determination, work ethic and focus earned her a softball scholarship to the University of South Carolina (USC) later that summer. During her four years in softball at USC, she became a three-time NCAA All-American, NSCA All-American, ASA All-American, NCAA Women’s College World Series player, Olympic Festival Gold Medalist, and ASA National Champion, as well as a four-time All-Region selection, Honda-Broderick Cup Nominee and was named team captain three of her four collegiate years. She set the all-time record for a female athlete during the annual weight lifting competition at USC by squatting 340 lbs. in addition to running a 5:20 mile that same year. She is a proponent of athletes competing in more than one sport when they are younger and all athletes cross training to become the best athletes they can be. Michelle went on to become a professional baseball player for the Colorado Silver Bullets. This inaugural team has been showcased in the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, NY as the first professional women’s baseball team to compete against the men. She has been inducted into the National Softball Association Hall of Fame and is also the first women’s softball player to have her name on a bat (Louisville Slugger®), as well as the first female baseball/softball player to sign an endorsement contract with Nike®. Michelle is the President and Founder of the Go Girl Futures Program® which a 501(c)(3) organization that encourages and promotes participation in sports for girls and women as well owns and operates the Rim to Rim Club® of the Grand Canyon. She recently authored and self-published her first book aptly named Brand-Loyal.
Gretchen Scott Hoff- Gretchen graduated from Quakertown High School in 1984. While in high school, she played field hockey, basketball and track. Gretchen lettered in all three sports every year in high school. She led her basketball team to a “Bux-Mont Championship” her junior year and her field hockey team to a “Bux-Mont Championship” her senior year. She placed 3rd in the high jump in 1982 and 5th in the long jump in 1983 at the PIAA track and field championships. She was awarded the MVP for all 3 sports her senior year. She was selected for the All-Bux Mont 1st Team for field hockey her senior year and basketball her junior and senior year. Gretchen was awarded the title of “Outstanding Female Athlete” in 1984. She was honored as the Co-Female Athlete of the Year in 1984 by the North Penn Reporter. Gretchen attended West Chester University form 1984-1989. She was on the track team during her freshman and sophomore years where she competed in the high, long, and triple jumps but field hockey was the sport that had her undivided attention. She played varsity field hockey for 4 years at the Division I level. During that time, she was a member of the “PAIAW Division I Field Hockey All Star Team”, the Pennsylvania. All conference Team, and she was selected as a member of the Division I “Regional All American Field Hockey Team”. Gretchen’s biggest honor came when she became a member of the NCAA Division I “All American Honorable Mention Field Hockey Team”. After Field hockey Gretchen wasn’t finished sports just yet. She decided to try out for the West Chester University Women’s basketball team her senior year, where she worked her way into a starting position. She played a second year to finish out her eligibility. She led her team in steals and tied as the team’s high scorer her final year. She is currently teaching Health and PE in Southern Lehigh SD.
Amy Schubert-Stoudt- as a 1989 Quakertown High School graduate where she participated and was an outstanding athlete in Field hockey. Her field hockey career started at Quakertown High School. Where she became a 3-year varsity starter in high school 1987,’88, ‘89 (high school was grades 1012). Those Quakertown teams went to Pennsylvania State District playoffs all 3 years, and the Pennsylvania State playoffs in 1988 and 1989. While a member of the Quakertown Field Hockey Team she had 19 career goals and 6 assists. She was named 1st team All-League in 1988 and 1989, 1st team All Intelligencer team 1989 and was named to the prestigious Penn Montco High School All American Team in 1989. She played in the Pennsylvania Keystone State Games in ‘88 and ‘89, where she was a member of the gold medal team each year. She also participated on the Silver medal team in the Junior Olympics in Kansas, MO in 1988. She continued her field hockey career at the University of Maryland 199094. She was a 4-year starter. The Maryland field hockey team entered the National Championship tournament all four of my years she played, placing 3rd in 1991 and winning the National Championship her senior year in 1993. Her Maryland Field hockey teams also won the ACC Championship in 1992. Her personal college accomplishments include AllACC team ‘91,’92, ’93. AllACC tournament team ‘91, ‘92, ‘93; as well as ACC Player of the Year, and ACC Tournament MVP in ‘93. On a national scale, her honors include second team MidAtlantic, All-American ‘91, first team MidAtlantic All-American ‘92 and ‘93, as well as National All-Tournament Team ‘93. In addition to playing college Field Hockey, she played in the Olympic National Hockey Festival, Los Angeles, CA in 1991., the Junior National Team in 1992 (touring Venezuela), and the U.S. National team in 1993(touring Holland, Ireland, Argentina). She was a member of the 1994 Bronze Medal World Cup team, hosted by Ireland. She has come full circle in her Hockey Career returning to Quakertown High School to coach in 1996 and again in 2015. “It is my way of giving back to a sport that gave so much to me.”