Trib HSSN June Madness quarterfinals: Lauryn Williams, Rochester vs. Christa Harmotto, Hopewell

By: Don Rebel
Friday, June 5, 2020 | 9:00 AM

Over the course of the next few weeks, June Madness will determine who fans believe is the WPIAL Athlete of the Century.

HSSN has put together two 32-player brackets, one for the boys and one for the girls, of WPIAL alums. Outside of a few exceptions, the field is made up of former district players who excelled in more than one sport.

Each weekday, June Madness will have one matchup each day with a little background info on each athlete found in a daily tale of the tape.

Starting at 9 a.m. Friday and running through 9 a.m. Saturday, vote on the HSSN twitter page on the two athletes featured in this quarterfinals matchup.

Check the HSSN website at noon Saturday for the matchup’s final results.

Here is the contest for the girls. Round 3, Day 2:

Lauryn Williams vs. Christa Harmotto is a battle of Beaver County pitting a powerful volleyball and basketball player against one of the fastest athletes to ever come out of the district.

Lauryn Williams — Rochester Class of 2001

(Track and field, basketball)

• Defeated Madison Wiltrout of Connellsville in the second round, 70-30%.

• Defeated Sydney Bordonaro of Burrell in the first round, 52-48%.

• Became only the third female athlete in PIAA track history to win the 100- and 200-meter dashes three times.

• Took home gold in the 1999, 2000 and 2001 PIAA Class AA 100-meter and 200-meter races, setting the 100 state record as a senior with a time of 11.78 seconds and setting the 200 record as a senior with a time of 24:47.

• After finishing in second place in the 100 and 200 WPIAL Class AA championship races as a freshman, Williams swept gold in both races as a sophomore, junior and senior.

• Broke the WPIAL records in both the 100 and 200 as a sophomore with times of 12.0 in the 100 and 24.8 in the 200.

• As a senior, Williams helped Rochester win gold in the 400-meter relay at both the WPIAL and PIAA championships.

• Thanks in part to Williams’ success, Rochester brought home the PIAA Class AA team silver in 2001.

• Played a year of basketball for Rochester as a senior.

• Inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame in 2009.

• Ran in college for the track and field team at Miami. One of only five athletes to ever win a medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympics, becoming the first American woman to do so.

Christa Harmotto Dietzen — Hopewell Class of 2005

(Volleyball, basketball)

• Defeated Amanda Palenchar of Derry in the second round, 63-37%.

• Defeated Brianna Schwartz of Shlaer in the first round, 53-47%.

• 2005 Pittsburgh Tribune-Review female athlete of the year.

• 2004 Gatorade Pennsylvania girls volleyball player of the year.

• First-team all-state in volleyball in 2003 and 2004.

• Recorded a school-record .595 hitting percentage, along with 448 kills, 376 digs and 172 blocks her senior season.

• Recorded a school record 186 blocks her junior season.

• Helped Hopewell win three straight WPIAL championships from 2002-04 as well as a PIAA title her senior year in 2004.

• Played for the Hopewell basketball team for two years.

• Inducted into the WPIAL Hall of Fame in 2013.

• Played volleyball in college at Penn State and is a two-time Olympic medalist.

Lauryn Williams – @LaurynCwilliams
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Christa Harmotto – @ChristaHarmotto

— TribLive HSSN (@TribLiveHSSN) June 5, 2020

Tags: Hopewell, Rochester