Commendable courage

WPIAL Hall of Fame

The Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) recently introduced the WPIAL Hall of Fame Class of 2024, which features 14 inductees across seven different categories. The 17th annual WPIAL Hall of Fame class was announced to the public on Wednesday, January 17, in a press conference at the Senator John Heinz History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.

Out of the 14 inductees, five are listed in the Athlete category, three in Coach, two in Team, and one each in Official, Contributor, Heritage, and Courage.

Ms. Heather Lewis, Seneca Valley Athletics and Activities Director was featured under the Courage category. Ms. Lewis bravely battled breast cancer for 10 months from 2021-22. She is the school’s first female Athletics and Activities Director and has served in this position since 2012. A graduate from the University of Maryland, Ms. Lewis earned All-Region plaudits for the field hockey and women’s lacrosse teams, ultimately winning an NCAA title in the latter. Ms. Lewis spent time as an associate athletic director and the head coach of the field hockey and women’s lacrosse programs at Bucknell University, was elected to the WPIAL Board of Directors prior to the 2019-20 school year, and she was named 2022 PSADA Region IV Athletic Director of the Year. Ms. Lewis also worked with U.S. Olympic Committee ahead of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

The WPIAL Hall of Fame was organized as a means of recognizing, preserving and promoting the heritage of interscholastic sports in Western Pennsylvania. Many individuals have made extraordinary contributions and have achieved superb accomplishments in high school sports. The WPIAL Hall of Fame honors the contributions and accomplishments of these individuals who are worthy of recognition as examples for others to emulate.