Kisthardt wins field hockey award
The Emmaus field hockey program is the gold standard of Lehigh Valley scholastic athletics. The Green Hornets have won 30 consecutive District 11 titles and 12 state championships under coach Sue Butz-Stavin and they have gone 945-81-35 since 1976.
Butz-Stavin was a slam dunk choice as a member of the first District 11 Hall of Fame induction class, but she said her program starts with great kids.
One of the kids fitting that category is Kayla Kisthardt.
Kisthardt was an allleague, all-area and allstate player this fall as a senior after registering 19 goals and 14 assists. She has been on the Maxfield List of the top 50 players in the country as a junior and senior.
But her value goes beyond statistics.
Kisthardt is not only a leader on the field but also in the classroom and community.
That's why she is the 2018-19 winner of the Dennis Schantzenbach Field Hockey Scholarship Award sponsored by the Lehigh Valley Chapter of Field Hockey Officials.
Kisthardt, a Bucknell recruit, had a distinguished GPA of 4.1874 and ranks in the top six percent of her senior classic.
She plans to major in neuroscience to work toward a degree in psychiatry. Despite the time demands of field hockey and academics, she finds time to volunteer with the Richland Township Police Department's Shop with a Cop program. She also works with the Quakertown/Richland Township Police department Bike Rodeo.
Kisthardt has also been instrumental with the Bucks County Department of Health, Tobacco Compliance Checks.
In her nomination, Butz-Stavin said of Kisthardt: “She is a wonderful person, soft-spoken and very humble. Her demeanor on the field and with her teammates is just as amazing.”
Other nominees included Josie Sweeney of Stroudsburg, Morgan Pysher of Bangor and Alena Smargiassi from Northwestern Lehigh. Whitehall's first District 11 wrestling champ. He won the title in the 168-pound class in 1960. A dual-sport athlete in wrestling and track and field, Gantz led the Zephyrs track team in scoring as a senior.
class of 1983, holds the school record in the javelin with a throw of 127 feet, 11 inches. She was also a PIAA qualifier. Golly was also a member of the Whitehall cheerleading team.
class of 1990, stood out on the basketball court and baseball diamond. He was Whitehall's male athlete of the year in 1990. Nicknamed “Gunner,” Gontkosky was selected first-team to all-EPC all-star squads as a senior. After a successful baseball career at Rider University, Gontkosky was drafted by the New York Mets and pitched in their farm system for two seasons. He joins his father, Bob, into the Whitehall-Coplay Athletic Hall of Fame.
made his mark as the Zephyrs head boys basketball coach, leading Whitehall to seven championships (four league and three District 11). He won 193 games over 11 seasons from 1996-2007. He was the 2004 Morning Call Coach of the Year and his 2003-04 and 2004-05 teams won back to back Lehigh Valley Conference and
Tracy (Golly) Becker, Rob Gontkosky, Jerry Radocha
District 11 4A titles. He coached at Whitehall for 25 seasons overall, serving as an assistant on staffs headed by Dick Tracy and Ron Hassler. Radocha came into the area as a professional player with the Allentown Jets after an outstanding career at Bloomsburg University.
class of 1999, was an accomplished three-sport athlete for the Zephyrs, accumulating numerous honors along the way including Morning Call Player of the Year, Big 33 player, and five first-team all-league honors in his sports. He was Whitehall's male athlete of the year in 1999. Schwenk played Quarterback at Rutgers University and Lehigh University and earned Big East and ESPN player of the week honors.
Chad Schwenk,
two-time All-American, a three-time ACC champion and a national champ at North Carolina State in 1988.
Michael Lawrence
The all-time career leading rusher at Freedom, Lawrence gained 2,459 yards from 1981-83. He also set the record for points scored with 184 and had 30 career touchdowns.
Beth (Crocus) Kondorossy
Won the state championship in the javelin in 2001 and 2002.
Lauretta Dezubay Harbilas
Won the state championship in the 1600 meters in 2003 and was a two-time state champ in the 3200 meters in 2004-05.
The 1973 baseball team
Coached by Ray Salabsky and assisted by Ted Meixell, the Patriots went 19-2 and won East Penn League and District 11 championships.