Class of 2024 Inductees
Christi Hays
Christi Hays has been a staple in the Sewickley and Quaker Valley community since her time as a student-athlete at Sewickley Academy. As a letter winner in six sports in high school, Christi was a standout athlete at Hollins University, lettering in field hockey, tennis, basketball and lacrosse. She was inducted into the Hollins College Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004 for her accomplishments as a student-athlete.
Upon her graduation, Christi returned to the Sewickley area and began what can only be described as a hall of fame career on several fronts. In 2007 she won the National Championship at the American Platform Tennis Association Nationals, finishing that year as the number one ranked team in her age group in the nation.
She was awarded with the first ever "WPPTA Lifetime Achievement Award" in May 2007 from the West Penn Paddle Tennis Association. Following a brief stint in California, Christi returned to Sewickley to continue her distinguished career and become the foundation for racquet sports in the area. Her list of accomplishments as a player and a coach are long and span generations in the area.
She founded the Sewickley Area Junior Tennis team and the Quaker Valley Middle School Program.
She was named Paddle Facilitator/Head teaching pro at the Sewickley Area YMCA in 2012 where she continues in that role today and also serves on the YMCA’s Pickleball Staff.
Christi has been conducting the Sewickley Area Junior Tennis Team in the summer, which just completed its 16th year. She also teaches private and small group lessons, and Junior age group clinics at Quaker Valley.
She founded the Sewickley Area Junior Tennis team and the Quaker Valley Middle School Tennis Club. She continues in that role today, also in its 16th season.
Following a brief stint as a volunteer Coach for the Quaker Valley Girls Varsity Team, she became Head Coach in 2013. She added to her role at Quaker Valley in 2017 when she was named the Boys Varsity Assistant Coach. That team won the section championship, placed third in the WPIAL championships and went on to make the quarterfinals in the state championship tournament. The following year she was named Head Coach of the Boys Varsity team.
Her tenure as Quaker Valley’s head tennis coach has seen an unprecedented level of success in that sport. Compiling an overall record of 78 wins and only 13 losses, with a winning percentage of over 85 percent. Included in that stretch are five section titles, PIAA tournament qualifications, making the WPIAL team finals four times and winning the WPIAL team championship twice in 2021 & 2022 (1st back-to-back since 2002-2003).
Christi was selected as 2021 USTA Middle Stated High School Coach of the Year.
Spencer Caravaggio
Spencer Caravaggio, a 2013 graduate of Quaker Valley, established herself as one of the best tennis players in Quaker Valley history during her time with the girl’s tennis team. During her time on the team, from 2009-2013, she amassed the most wins in Quaker Valley Girls’ tennis history (119). During her time, she was a four-time Midwestern Athletic Conference Singles Champion, a two-time WPIAL singles gold medalist and a two-time PIAA silver medalist in singles. Spencer also helped lead Quaker Valley to two WPIAL team titles in 2010 and 2012, and a silver medal at the PIAA State AA team tournament in 2009. Her excellent high school career led to her earning a scholarship to play tennis for Duquesne University where she spent her entire collegiate career.
After finishing her college tennis career, Spencer’s unwavering love for racquet sports continued. Eager to take on a new challenge. She began her career as a Platform Tennis professional player and coach. In 2018, she moved to the North Shore of Chicago to pursue her dream of playing professionally and becoming a Director of Racquet Sports at a premier club. In 2021, that dream came true. At the age of 27, Spencer became the youngest female Director of Racquets in Chicagoland history. As far as her playing career goes, Spencer and her platform tennis partner, Jade Curtis are currently the #9 nationally ranked team in the country (still working towards #1, of course). Currently, Spencer is focused on her growing family. She and her husband Mitch were married last October and are expecting a beautiful baby girl this November.
1968 Football
The 1968 Quaker Valley football team Is one of the all-time best In Quaker Valley history. The team was led by some of the finest football players to ever don a QV uniform, including several Quaker Valley Hall of Famers. If you asked them, however, they would say they were a TEAM.
The Quakers finished 8-1 in 1968 and were led by all-conference players Jim Roolf, Ken Alvania, and Bill Gosnell.
Roolf, a team leader on defense with nine interceptions, was lauded as all-state and played in the Big 33 Classic. Offensively, he had 19 receptions for 589 yards. He was Inducted into the Quaker Valley sports hall of fame In Its Inaugural class in 1997.
Alvania passed for 793 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also rushed for 443 yards and seven TDs on 96 carries, giving him 1,236 total offensive yards and 17 scores for the season.
Roolf and Alvania also were all-conference selections in 1967.
Other starters and/or key players at the skill positions on offense included Barry Emmert, Dennis Gerle, Steve Miller and Alan Miles at running back, Nick Papinchak at fullback and Tim Scheib, Jay Kruezer, Walter Tates and Alan Edmunds in the receiving corps.
The offensive line was stacked with Doug Veshio and Larry Sye at center; Eric Gibb, Gosnell, Dave Shaltz, Bill Wood, Jerry Ordonis and Bruce Poninsky at guard and Tom Brunson, Bill Roolf, Richard Russo, Albert Sacco, Bill Grapski, Bill Pifer and John O’Neill at tackle.
Papinchak accounted for five touchdowns from his fullback position, rushing for 406 yards and four scores on 78 carries and catching seven passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, the team’s leading tacklers were linebacker Mike Duzicky (38 tackles, 63 assists, 101 total tackles), Brunson (50-37-87) and Gibb (44-50-94).
Other leading defensive players included Denny Mason, Les Powner, Gosnell, Veshio, Rick Grapski, Curtis Branch, Jim and Bill Roolf.
The Quakers were coached by QV Hall of Famer John Nusskern. His assistants were Vince Cortese, Ray Bergman, Andy Shulick, Ken Johns and Bill Och.
The QV team roster consisted of 71 players, including 19 seniors, 31 juniors and 21 sophomores.
QV steamrolled through the 1968 season, racking up seven consecutive wins that included six shutouts. The team averaged 21 points per game and held opponents to a total of 22 points the entire season. That 2.4 points per game, ranks as one of the top defenses in the 96-year history of the WPIAL.
Willie Jordan
A natural. When you see it, you know it and anyone who saw Willie Jordan play football or basketball during his time at Quaker Valley would say, he’s a natural. A 1985 graduate of Quaker Valley, Willie’s exploits on the football field and basketball court were legendary. A quick burst of speed, a spectacular run, a timely jump shot, or a thunderous dunk could change a game in one play, and often did.
In football, under Quaker Valley Hall of Fame coaches Sam LoFaso and Jerry Veshio, Willie was a two-year letter winner and helped the Quakers to an overall record of 15-7 while he played, with the 1983 team making the playoffs alongside the Quaker Valley Hall of Famers Mike Kolesar and Tom Szuba. In his senior year, Willie led the team in total points scored as a receiver and running back. He averaged more than six yards per carry that year, scoring the most rushing touchdowns for the team that season. He also started as a safety that year.
On the basketball floor Willie really left his mark. As a sophomore, Willie started and averaged 11.5 points per game. As a junior, Willie was the leading scorer averaging 20 points per game and leading the Quakers to a 20-win season and into the WPIAL quarterfinals and PIAA playoffs. History repeated itself the following year with the Quakers making the WPIAL quarterfinals and losing a heartbreaker in the PIAA playoffs when one of Willie’s patented put-back dunks was disallowed for an offensive foul. That year he averaged 25.6 points per game. Willie was named first-team all-section his junior and senior years and was named section MVP his senior year. Beyond leading the team in most statistical categories during his playing time, his name is a constant on the top ten all-time lists in Quaker Valley basketball including single-season scoring average (25.6) top ten in 20-plus point games (29), top ten in 30-plus point games (5). Willie was only very recently bumped from the top 10 in scoring in Quaker Valley history. He is currently fourteenth on the list of all-time scorers, a feat he accomplished in only 60 total games and with NO three-point line (the three-point line was added to Pennsylvania high school basketball in 1987-88). The records and statistics are quite impressive, but to watch Willie play was to watch one of the all-time best to do in a Quaker Valley uniform.
2002 Quaker Valley Girls Track
The Quaker Valley Girls Track program Is one of the most successful team programs in all of the WPIAL. The 2002 version of that team helped to both solidify that status while also establishing a high standard that the program is known for. The 2002 team won the WPIAL team championship, It's 4th consecutive one (1999-2002). and was in the middle of an unbelievable run as some of the underclass members would go on to win three more WPIAL team championships in the next five years.
The 2002 team was deep in talent. A strong showing from the distance runners as its core, who were coming off of a 2001 cross country team championship and a PIAA XC team runner up earlier that school year. That quality distance group included seniors: Kristen Erny, Barbie Grove, Elissa Olimpi. Juniors: Maxine Markfield, Melissa Brantley, Cameron Brantley. Sophomore: Julie Dickhans. Freshmen: Eryn Correa, Ali Shorall, Claire Shorall.
As needed and demonstrated, the team possessed high level athletes in other events as well.
The sprint and hurdle members were top notch. Some of the top performers were Seniors: Kathryn Morrisey, Sara Vogel, Julie Fratangelo, Melissa Gilmore, Shannon McCoy. Juniors: Margi Smith, Janine Garrett. Sophomores: Jasmine Rogers, a Quaker Valley Hall of Famer, and Rachel Vogel. The field events were in good hands with two all-star discus throwers, Courtney Lenart and Nicole Nolfi. The jumps were led by Janette Schneider, Elissa Olimpi, Shannon McCoy and Anne Paschke.
"As I reflect back through the 40+ years of coaching track at QV, the girls’ teams have always been strong" said Head Coach Jerry Veshio. "This 2002 team was surely instrumental in keeping and setting high standards that continue to present day." The Assistant Coaches on the 2002 team were, Bill Hamilton, Dave Noyes, Mandy Schnupp, and Bill Vicarri.
Dr. Rick Ruperto
Dr. Rick Ruperto had a unique athletic skill set, one that was on display throughout his high school athletic career. Rick brought that skill set, along with a tenacious and hardworking attitude to football, basketball and track.
On the football field Rick his versatility showed as he was named first-team All-Conference as a linebacker and punter in both his junior and senior seasons. He was a three-year starter on offense, playing tight end, half-back and full-back and a three-year starter on defense as linebacker. He was a letterman all three seasons. On the basketball court, Rick served as a center/forward and lettered both his sophomore and junior season. It was in track where his versatility was truly on display. In his junior season, Rick was second on the team in total points scored, and in his senior season he finished with the most points scored. Those points came by in a unique combination of events, javelin, shot-put, discus, high-jump and 400-meter relay. He won five Individual WPIAL medals Including the WPIAL championship in the shot-put and as a member of the 400-meter relay team in 1992. That same year, he was a key-member of the WPIAL team-runner up. He went on to participate in the PIAA state championships both his junior and senior season, finishing 5th In the 400-meter relay and 3rd In the shot put. Rick still sits on the top five lists In Quaker Valley history in the shot-put, and points scored in the javelin and shot-put events.
Following his time at Quaker Valley, Rick went on to earn his undergraduate degree from Clarion University and received his PhD. In Clinical Christian Counseling and Doctorate in Philosophy form Cornerstone University In 2011.
Dr. Rick Ruperto has been accepted as a member of the distinguished Forbes Coaches Council, which represents the most accomplished professional executive and career coaches in the world. He holds the honor of being the Vice President of Sales / Executive Coach for Empowered Living. He has gone on to write and publish several books and has become a best-selling author and known as a trustworthy source in guidance and coaching with over 25 years of practice.
Bobby Farrington
Bobby Farrington, a 1982 graduate of Quaker Valley, has long been thought of one of the best all around athletes to play at the school. As a basketball and track star, Farrington was a key figure on some very successful teams during his time at Quaker Valley. As a two-year letter-winner in basketball, Bobby averaged more than 13 points per game during his career. In his junior year the Quakers had a section record of 13-3 and lost In the WPIAL quarterfinals. His senior year he was the team's leading scorer averaging 19.1 points per game scoring more than 20 points in eleven of 23 games played.
Bobby's skill and athleticism were also on full display on the track. A three-year letter-winner, he was a virtual decathlete participating in nine different events. From triple jump and high jump to sprints, hurdles and relays, Bobby was a do It all track athlete. He was a two-time WPIAL Champion, winning gold in both the 400- and 1600-meter relay his senior year. He was third on the team in total points scored that year competing in six different events. Bobby was a key contributor to a team that only lost 1 section meet in three years under head coach Ken Johns. He qualified for the PIAA championships his junior and senior seasons and in 1982 qualified in three events, the 400- and 1600-meter relays and the 300-meter hurdles. Bobby was a member of the 1981 1600-meter relay team which still holds the school record and Is In the top three all time In Quaker Valley track history in three other events.