Woman to be inducted into wrestling hall
Tri-State Sports & News Service
Ann Peery Ritter grew up in one of the best known families in amateur wrestling history.
She is the daughter of Rex Peery, a three-time NCAA Division I champ who started the wrestling program at the University of Pittsburgh and coached the United States Olympic Freestyle team in 1964.
Her brothers Hugh and Ed, like her father, were three-time NCAA champs. And all three are distinguished members of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla.
Peery Ritter has continued the family tradition as an official and advocate of the sport of wrestling and will be honored three times for her contribution.
The first honor came at the PIAA wrestling championships, as she was named Pennsylvania Wrestling Person of the Year by Wrestling USA magazine.
The second honor will come at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic Sunday at Pitt’s Fitzgerald Field House, as she will receive the Dr. Kurt J. Nellis Award for her dedication to the sport of wrestling.
The most significant of the honors will come April 28 at the Hershey Lodge, as she will be inducted into the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Peery Ritter never wrestled, but became one of the first female referees in Pennsylvania in 1978.
“I officiated for 10 years, everything from midget to high school,” Peery Ritter said
In 1999, she was elected to the first board of directors of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Peery Ritter represents the Pennsylvania chapter in national meetings in Stillwater and also serves on the National Advisory Board for the National Hall of Fame and Museum. She is a member of the Veterans Selection Committee, responsible for reviewing and recommending worthy candidates for induction into the hall of fame.
Pennsylvania HOF
Hall of Fame. Four of the inductees have ties to Southwestern Pennsylvania.
• Chris Como is a 1989 graduate of Burrell High School where he was a three-year letterwinner, compiling a 70-19-1 record. He attended Pitt-Johnstown where he was a four-year starter. He compiled a 81-362 record and placed eighth in the NCAA Division II tournament in his senior year. Como took over as head coach at Burrell in 1998 and enjoyed a decade off success with a 141-43 record. During that time, Burrell won four WPIAL titles and a PIAA title in 2008. Como was named WPIAL Coach of the Year four times and PIAA Class 2A Coach of the Year in 2008.
• Keith Gavin is a 2003 graduate of Lackawanna Trail High School and a 2008 graduate of Pitt. Gavin was a two-time PIAA Class AA state placewinner. At Pitt, Gavin was a two-time NCAA finalist and champ in 2008. After graduating from Pitt, Gavin wrestled internationally and was a member of the United States National freestyle team for six years. In 2017, he took over as head coach at Pitt.
• Jake Herbert is a 2003 graduate of North Allegheny and a 2009 graduate of Northwestern. In high school, Herbert was a fourtime PIAA Class 3A placewinner and won a state title in 2003. He had a 138-18 record. At Northwestern, he was a four-time NCAA placewinner, including two titles. His career record for the Wildcats was 135-4. He also wrestled internationally and was a member of the United States Olympic Team in 2012.
• Coleman Scott is a 2004 graduate of Waynesburg High School and a 2008 graduate of Oklahoma State. At Waynesburg, Scott was a three-time PIAA state champion and finished with a 156-12 record. In college, Scott was a four-time AllAmerican, including an NCAA title as a senior. Scott also excelled at the international level as a fourtime member of the United States National team. His crowning achievement was a bronze medal performance in the 2012 Olympics. He is now the head coach at North Carolina University.
Southwestern HOF
Four individuals will be inducted into the Southwestern Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic Sunday at Pitt’s Fitzgerald Field House.
• Larry Hall was a 2004 graduate of Jeannette High School, where he won four WPIAL Class 2A titles. He qualified for the PIAA tournament three times and placed second in the state in 2004. He finished with a 12717 record. He was also a standout football player at Jeannette. Hall also wrestled three seasons at West Virginia University.
• Colin Johnston is a 2008 graduate of Canon-McMillan who won four WPIAL Class 3A titles. He was also a three-time PIAA topthree finisher, including one title, and had a 164-10 record. Johnston spent his collegiate career at West Virginia where he served as a team captain twice. In 2017, he became the first head coach at Pitt-Bradford.
• Nico Megaludis had an almost perfect career at Franklin Regional, where he compiled a 170-1 record, including 135 consecutive wins, four WPIAL titles, and three PIAA titles. Megaludis continued his career at Penn State, where he was a four-time NCAA Division I top-three finisher, including a title in his senior year, and finished with a 119-20 record.
• Merle Tournay resurrected the wrestling program at Montour High School in 1979 and has served as a coach for 25 years, including 15 as head coach. Tournay was also a very accomplished referee for 28 years. He officiated youth, high school and college wrestling and was named USA Wrestling Official of the Year in 2004