Sewickley Academy welcomes latest class into Sports Hall of Fame

By: Triblive
Sunday, October 12, 2025 | 11:01 AM

The Sewickley Academy Sports Hall of Fame gained a new class of inductees on Oct. 3.

Four individuals and one team were honored at a ceremony in the Events Center on campus.

“The Hall of Fame serves as a reminder of the remarkable individuals and teams who have helped build the foundation of our athletics program,” athletic director Mike Scerbo said. “It is a privilege to honor their lasting contributions to the Academy.”

The Class of 2025 consists of former athletic director/basketball coach Win Palmer, Tom Droney (2010), Tara Utchel (1999), Katarina Lackner (2005) and the 2003 girls state championship soccer team.

Here’s a look at each inductee:

• Palmer served as Sewickley Academy’s athletic director for 22 years before his death in 2023. He also coached the Panthers’ boys golf team to state titles in 2015, ‘17 and ‘19 and led the Sewickley Academy boys basketball team to PIAA championships in 2010 and ‘17. Palmer’s sons, Tyler and Matt Palmer, accepted his induction in his honor.

• Drony (2010) was an all-state basketball selection in 2008, ‘09 and ‘10 and the Class A state player of the year in 2010. He went on to star at Davidson College, where he accumulated 746 points, 454 rebounds and 315 assists and qualified for the NCAA Tournament twice. He played pro basketball internationally and now is an NBA certified player agent.

• Utchel (1999) scored 109 goals for the Sewickley Academy girls soccer team and helped the Panthers finish as WPIAL and PIAA runners-up in 1998. She was a NSCAA All-American in 1998 and NSCAA All-Region honoree in 1997 and ‘98. She went on to earn Patriot League Rookie of the Year and All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors at Bucknell. She was an assistant coach on Sewickley’s PIAA championship team in 2003.

• Lackner (2005) was a first-team All-WPIAL and third-team all-state basketball player at Sewickley Academy, where she averaged 16 points and 11 rebounds per game. She went on to average 6 ppg and 4 rpg at Penn while leading the team in blocked shots. She then played professionally in Spain, Germany and the European Leagues.

• The 2003 girls soccer team, led by coach Ed Walters, won WPIAL and PIAA championships. The Panthers won the Section 3-AA title at 13-0-1 and went 16-1-3 during the regular season. They defeated Freeport, Greensburg Central Catholic and Quaker Valley, all 2-0, in the WPIAL playoffs. In the state tournament, they beat South Park, Westmont-Hilltop, Fairview and Villa Joseph Marie.

The group included Lauren Ahearn, Alex Bellay, Jessica Blodis, Sam Borkovic, Elizabeth Bureman, Capri Coury, Jessica DeFranco, Carly Deiter, Casey Deiter, Meredith Gottschalk, Josie Innamorato, Elise Kaye, Gretchen Lally, Marisa Lozano, Casey Martin, Katie McConahy, Kelly McCormick, Sarah Mitchell, Julianna Patek, Italia Patti, Chelsea Perkins, Marena Perkins, Julie Sabo, Maggie Sutherland, Sarah Sutherland and Brittany Urick.

“It is always a privilege to celebrate our alumni and to welcome them and their families back to campus,” Sewickley Academy head of school Dr. Ashley Birtwell said. “Alumni Weekend is a wonderful reminder of the pride, tradition and shared spirit that unite our community across generations.”

Tags: Sewickley Academy