Pine-Richland selects 6 for induction into athletics hall of fame
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When Pine-Richland school officials took a pause in 2018 to mark the district’s 60th anniversary, thoughts turned to seeking ways to use that milestone to chronicle the achievement and legacy of some of its outstanding graduates.
As part of that effort, the district created an athletic hall of fame in 2019 to recognize and honor district athletes who were not only successful in sports, but created “pride and distinction to our school” through their commitment, sacrifice and dedication, according to the bylaws for the program.
“The annual event to recognize Pine-Richland School District’s hall of fame inductees is an opportunity to celebrate as a community the accomplishments and contributions of our past student-athletes, coaches and community members,” said assistant superintendent Michael Pasquinelli, who has been involved with the project since its inception.
“These individuals dedicated a significant amount of time and often overcame challenges to find success in their chosen sport or sports,” he said. “They serve as positive role models for our current students as they aspire to reach similar achievements.
“Through our hall of fame inductees, our current students learn that the path to success takes consistent effort, discipline, and teamwork. These are skills that will take them far beyond any athletic event,” Pasquinelli said.
The 2022 Athletics Hall of Fame inductees will be recognized at 6:45 p.m. on Oct. 21, prior to the Pine-Richland home football game.
A banquet will be held at 6 p.m. on Oct. 22 at the high school in honor of the new hall of fame members.
Following are the 2022 members of the Pine-Richland Athletics Hall of Fame:
Girls’ soccer team, 2005
Pine-Richland’s 2005 girls’ soccer team won the PIAA state championship, the first-ever state championship for the team.
They ended their regular season ranked No. 1 in their section with an 8-3-1 record and were the No. 1 seed in the WPIAL playoffs.
In the PIAA state championship game, Pine-Richland defeated Owen J. Roberts High School, the undefeated No. 1 ranked team in the country, with a score of 1-0.
Blake Lalli, Class of 2001
Blake Lalli excelled in baseball at Pine-Richland, leading the Rams to a 16-3 record as a senior after posting a .571 batting average.
He was named to the Tribune-Review’s Terrific Nine All-Star team as a junior and senior, was a three-year letterman and was named to the All Conference and All Area teams in his junior and senior years.
Lalli played baseball at Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, N.C., from 2002-06, where he was an ASUN Conference selection in 2005 and 2006. He also had a .340 career batting average with 70 doubles, 27 home runs and 153 RBI.
Lalli was the first player from Gardner-Webb to advance to the Major Leagues and was inducted into the Gardner-Webb Hall of Fame in 2016. He made his MLB debut on May 18, 2012, with the Chicago Cubs and also played with the Oakland Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks and Atlanta Braves.
Lalli retired in 2017 and began coaching with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2018, which he continues doing today.
Lauren Lamendola, Class of 2012
Lauren Lamendola was a two-sport athlete at Pine-Richland High School, competing in both diving and gymnastics. She was a two-time WPIAL champion in diving and won a WPIAL team championship in gymnastics.
Lamendola also won the PIAA state championship in diving during her senior year and was a state championship runner up silver medal as a junior. She was selected to the All-State Swimming and Diving Team twice and was a two-time high school All-American diver as selected by the National Swimming and Diving Coaches Association.
Lamendola broke Pine-Richland High School pool and school one-meter diving records and held pool records at Peters Township High School, Chatham University and East Carolina University.
She won the KDKA-TV Extra Effort Award as a senior. Lamendola went on to dive for the Gamecocks at the University of South Carolina, where she earned All SEC honors and became an NCAA Division 1 All American while competing at the NCAA championships in 2016 on the 1-meter board. She also was an SEC medalist in the 1-meter springboard.
Lamendola earned the CoSIDA Academic All-American award and was named the University of South Carolina Female Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2016. After graduating, Lamendola attended the Medical University of South Carolina and earned a physician assistant degree and is employed as a physician assistant in orthopedic surgery and as a women’s self-defense instructor in Charleston, where she currently resides.
Sarah Morgan Boyle, Class of 2002
Sarah Morgan Boyle played volleyball and basketball and ran track at Pine-Richland High School. Boyle led the Pine-Richland High School volleyball team to a WPIAL championship in 2001, the first volleyball title in school history. She also was named a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Scholar-Athlete as a junior and was WPIAL MVP in 2001, Section MVP, Team MVP, two-time first team all-state and all WPIAL recipient.
Boyle led the team to three section champions, was voted Star Athlete by the Tribune-Review in 2001, named Player of the Year in Girls’ Volleyball by the Tribune-Review in 2001 and was voted team MVP all four years by her teammates.
As a junior, Boyle placed fifth in the high jump at the WPIAL Class AAA championships and fourth as a senior. She holds the school record in triple jump and had the second best mark in high jump for the state in 2001. She was a track and field MVP for three years.
Boyle continued her volleyball career at the University of South Carolina.
Ed Novak, Class of 1958
Ed Novak was nominated as both an athlete and coach for Pine-Richland, participating in football, basketball, track and field and baseball at Richland High School, and coaching cross country for many years.
As a student-athlete, Novak was named to the Herald Well-Rounded 1957 All-Star Football First Team and was a two-year letterman in football, basketball and baseball. He was a one-year letterman in track and field.
Novak was the original record holder at Richland High School in the 100-yard dash in 1958, which held for 10 years. Following high school, Novak was a three-year letterman in football at Slippery Rock. He was assistant coach of the 1988 Richland High School state-championship girls cross country team and head coach of the 1989 WPIAL championship girls cross country team.
He also was head coach of the 1992 WPIAL championship boys cross country team. In 1989, Novak received the Central Catholic Invitational Class C Girls Coach’s Award. He received the 2011 Pine-Richland Track & Field Invitational Lifetime Achievement Award for his work as a boys and girls cross country coach.
Novak retired from Pine-Richland in 1997 after a 35-year teaching career. He joins his son Jay Novak, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame last year.
Bob McCurry, Class of 1969
Bob McCurry was a four-sport athlete at Richland High School, playing football for three years, participating in shot put in track and field for three years, basketball for two years and wrestling for one year.
During his senior year, McCurry was an instrumental part of the football team’s 9-1 record, the best in Richland’s history at that point, leading them to a victory in the AIC Runner-Up game.
That year, McCurry led the Rams in defensive points, averaging 15 tackles per game and five fumble recoveries. He was named to the AIC All-Star team, Press All-Star Team, honorable mention Big 33 and AIC Conference A MVP.
McCurry joins two of his brothers, Jack and Paul, in the Pine-Richland Athletic Hall of Fame.