North Allegheny Athletic Hall of Fame class offers tribute to 50th anniversary of Title IX

By: Chris Harlan
Saturday, April 16, 2022 | 10:01 AM

State champion swimmer Jacquelyn Du and record-setting field hockey player Emily Humiston are among 11 individuals chosen for induction into the North Allegheny Athletic Hall of Fame this year.

The Class of 2022 includes seven female athletes, a fitting tribute to the 50th anniversary of Title IX, the 1972 law that prohibited sex-based discrimination in schools and opened doors for girls sports.

The class was announced April 13.

“We are very, very proud of our female athletic teams,” athletic director Bob Bozzuto said. “We want to highlight what we’re doing now and what we’ve done for years and years and years.”

Du, a 2015 graduate, won three WPIAL swimming titles and was the state champion in the 100-yard backstroke her senior year, before swimming for Yale. Humiston graduated in 2013 as the all-time leading scorer in North Allegheny field hockey history before playing at Providence.

They’re joined in this year’s class by Karin Hodgdon Girasek (1976, basketball/tennis), Ken Rock (1984, football), Greg Manesiotis Jr. (1990, baseball), Nikki Luisi (2005, soccer), Brittany Kelly (2006, rowing/gymnastics), Brian Austin (2009, track/football), Brooke Mancuso (2013, cross country/track), Danielle Wall (2014, volleyball) and Michael Buchert (football), who recently retired after more than 30 years as the Tigers’ offensive line coach.

The seven female inductees alone represent 10 sports.

Bozzuto said the selection committee was aware of the Title IX anniversary and wanted this class to be a celebration of that milestone for girls sports.

“All of these inductees would have been in between this year and next,” Bozzuto said, so the committee made an effort to include more females this fall.

This is the 25th year for the hall. The 2022 class will be honored with an induction banquet at 6 p.m. Oct. 6 at The Chadwick.

The hall of fame also presents four special recognition awards each year. Among this year’s recipients is Susan Ban, who Bozzuto praised for her work as booster president for the rowing team where she helped the program earn club status. Ban will receive the Bob Miller Award as an Outstanding Supporter of North Allegheny Athletics.

“Susan Ban was one of the very, very best booster presidents and an individual who moved our rowing program to what it is today,” Bozzuto said. “It was amazing because their budget is bigger than football.”

John Conyette, who meticulously has maintained NA’s baseball and softball fields for years, will be honored with the Joseph Drazenovich Award for Legendary Service.

Current hockey coach Mike Bagnato will receive the Distinguished Coaching Award, and land developer Gary Sippel, a supporter of the wrestling program, was chosen for the Dr. Lawrence Bozzomo Award for distinguished career achievement.

Chris Harlan is a TribLive reporter covering sports. He joined the Trib in 2009 after seven years as a reporter at the Beaver County Times. He can be reached at charlan@triblive.com.

Tags: North Allegheny