Sunday, February 27, 2011
Tue DALLAS POST
PAGE 11
SPOrts
Five inducted
into PSU Wall
By SARAH HITE
shite@mydallaspost.com
Five members of the athletic
community were inducted into
the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Ath-
letics Wall of Fame on Saturday,
Feb. 12.
For one of the honorees, the
event was (mostly) a surprise.
Jack Monick, who will soon retire
from his position of athletic direc-
tor at the campus, didn’t have a
clue he was being saluted prior to
the men’s and women’s basketball
games until his entire family and
a close friend came to the campus
that day.
“I didn’t have any idea until I
saw them,” said Monick, of
Wilkes-Barre.
The Athletics Wall of Fame at
Penn State Wilkes-Barre began
last year as a way to recognize the
accomplishments of athletes, ad-
ministrators, staff and coaches,
said Scott Miner, men’s basket-
ball coach, who spearheaded the
program.
Last year, there were three in-
ductees and this year’s five honor-
ees included former coaches, ath-
letes and administrators who
have helped various sports get off
the ground at the campus.
Dr. Robert Faux, an instructor
of electrical engineering and
mathematics courses, was honor-
ed for his participation in volley-
ball as both a student athlete and
head coach.
Faux, of Tunkhannock, played
volleyball for two years at Penn
State Wilkes-Barre and received
All-Conference honors for both
athletics and academics. He went
on to play varsity volleyball at the
college’s University Park campus,
during which time he played in
the final four of the National Col-
legiate Athletic Association na-
tional championships.
“It’s a great honor,” he said of
“It's a great honor. It's a
wonderful group here
from Penn State athlet-
ics and sports. They
have the foresight here
to see how important
athletics are in addition
to education.”
Dr. Robert Faux
PSU/WB Athletics
Wall of Fame inductee
receiving his award. “It’s a won-
derful group here from Penn State
athletics and sports. They have
the foresight here to see how im-
portant athletics are in addition
to education.”
He served as head volleyball
coach at Penn State Wilkes-Barre
from 1990 until 2001.
“You learn a lot of lessons from
the personal interaction in
sports,” Faux said. “Certainly,
coaching is very similar to teach-
ing, as well.”
Denise Dymond Mackowiak,
of Rochester, N.Y., formerly of
Tunkhannock, was also an avid
volleyball player during her time
at Penn State Wilkes-Barre. She
co-captained the women’s team
from 1982 through 1984 and
earned All-Conference honors for
those two seasons. She helped
the 1984 team end its season with
a 15-1 record.
Upon graduating in 1986 with a
degree in marketing, Dymond
Mackowiak returned to Penn
State Wilkes-Barre to coach the
women’s volleyball team.
“Sports had a very positive ef-
fect on my life during school,” she
said. “I just loved to play and it
was great for my mind and body.”
Dr. Kelly Huff Rattray, of East
Stroudsburg, similarly believes in
the importance of maintaining
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BILL TARUTIS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST
Penn State Wilkes-Barre Wall of Fame inductees pose for a photo at the Wall. From left, are Jack Monick, Dr. Robert Faux, Dr. Kelly
Huff Rattray, Dr. Tom Winter and Denise Dymond Mackowiak.
one’s mind and body with sports
during collegiate years — and she
agreed with Mackowiak on the
sport, too.
Rattray played volleyball dur-
ing the 1983-84 season at Penn
State Wilkes-Barre and received
All-Conference honors.
“I think it was just such a nice
balance,” she said.
Dr. Thomas Winter, of Shaver-
town, was also awarded a spot on
the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Ath-
letics Wall of Fame for his contri-
butions to the cross country,
men’s basketball and tennis pro-
grams.
Winter, a professor of physics at
Penn State Wilkes-Barre, coached
the cross country team during the
1980s. He spearheaded the men’s
basketball team and free-weight
program during his time as acting
campus executive officer from
1994 to 1997. He contributed to
the refurbishment of the tennis
courts during that time, and still
donates his time and money to
the upkeep of the tennis courts.
He’s also the creator of two fit-
ness competitions on campus —
the Pump and Run contest, which
is held during the summer festiv-
al, and an annual upper body
strength contest.
“It’s nice to be healthy,” Winter
said. “It’s not so much the sports
emphasis on competition, but we
all want to be healthy.”
Winter was a gymnast in col-
lege and, at 64 years old, is still ac-
tive at least six days a week.
“It’s part of life,” he said. “If
you're not healthy, you can be mi-
serable.”
Penn State Wilkes-Barre Ath-
letic Director Jack Monick, left,
receives a plaque in honor of his
induction into the school's Wall
of Fame from Student Affairs
Director Kathie Flanagan-Her-
stek.
Blan
Valley West during a girls junior high basketball contest.
[ oe
Lady Mountaineer Nikki Wren drives to the hoop against Wyoming Dallas’ Katie Kravitsky goes in for an uncontested layup against
Wyoming Valley West during a seventh-grade girls basketball
game.
Kravitsky leads DJHS lady cagers” win
atie Kravitsky poured in nine points to lead the Dallas seventh-grade girls bas-
ketball team to a 22-11 victory over Wyoming Valley West in the first round of
ivision I playoffs, avenging a five-point loss to the Lady Spartans just one
week earlier.
The Dallas seventh-grade girls came up short against Hanover in the championship
game, finding themselves on the losing end of a 30-22 score. Nikki Wren led the way for
the Mountaineers with 14 points.
In eighth-grade action, Dallas lost to Wyoming Valley West, ending its season at 8-3.
AT RIGHT: Courtney Hoats of Dallas makes a steal near the sideline against Wyoming Valley West.
Lauren Dottor catches a pass for Dallas against Wyoming Valley
West in girls junior high basketball.
BILL TARUTIS PHOTOS/ FOR THE DALLAS POST