RUSS AND JO ANN CESARI SCHOLARSHIP Mason Duran is this year’s recipient of the Russ and Jo Ann Cesari Scholarship, going to an MCA lineman planning to continue playing in college. Duran really came into his own during the 2015 season as a two-way performer for Head Coach John Darrah. Duran was one of the leaders of the much-improved defensive front and contributed 29 solo, 26 assisted and total of 55 tackles, good enough for third highest on the team. The 13 tackles for loss and 5 and ½ quarterback sacks paced the Red Tornadoes, as did his 11 quarterback hurries. Mason also added 7 receptions for 51 yards as the tight end in MCA’s double tight offense. His play earned him an honorable mention notice with Eastern PA Football. He was named to the first team of the Heartland Athletic Conference and to the second team by the Sunbury Daily Item and the Press Enterprise. He was named the Lions Club Outstanding Defensive Lineman at the annual Rotary Football Banquet. Mason also placed his name on the long list of Mike Terry Award winners following his outstanding performance in the annual game with Shamokin. Duran would finish his career with 41 solo, 51 assisted and total of 92 tackles with 19 of them for loss. He added 8 and ½ QB sack for 75 yards lost, 11 QB hurries, 2 fumble recoveries and one pass broken up. It was his newly found physical style of play that forced opposing offenses to alter the way they attacked the Tornadoes. Mason also is a 4-year letterman with MCA track and field. Most of his concentration has been with the jumps – long and triple. He was a 2-time Freshmen-Sophomore Long and Triple Jump Gold Medalist. He has volunteered with the Special Olympics and was a Tornado Trot and Glow Run Staff Member. An outstanding student, Mason is a member of the National Athletic Honor Society and the National Honor Society. He is a part of the Gifted Program and is a National Academy of future Scientists and Technologist nominee, as well as a National Academy of future Physicians and Medical Scientist nominee. He is also a member of Future Teachers of America, Latin Club, and Tech Ed Club. He plans to attend either Assumption College or the University of San Diego to play football and is currently undecided on a major. He is the son of Mike and Kris Duran of Kulpmont.

MICHAEL FRANCIS MYCHAK TORNADO HERITAGE AWARD Allison Parker’s involvement at Mount Carmel Area High School, especially with basketball and cheerleading, has earned her this year’s Michael Mychak Tornado Heritage Award. Allison has been a mainstay on the court for Coach Lisa Varano’s tremendously successful girls’ basketball program for the last four years. As the “girl in the middle” for the Tornadoes, Allison has helped her team to three District IV Championships, including the 2016 Championship and one District Bronze Medal. The championships in 2013 and 14 were the tail end of the 4-peat from 2011-14. As a senior captain in 2016, Ali helped the girls to a 21-1 regular season record (25-2 overall) and Heartland Division II Championship for the 6th consecutive year. Allison was named the Ed Romance Chapter Athlete of the Month for December. Parker is also involved with cheerleading at MCA and has been a varsity squad member for 3 years and currently serves as a captain. She has taught at “Just Gotta Cheer Camp” which teaches girls in the surrounding communities cheers, chants, and dances. It helps to better their skills in cheerleading and teaches them teamwork and perseverance. At another MCA camp, she was nominated for “All American” cheerleader in three out of four years at the camp. She was nominated for her leadership skills and made the actual “All American” cheerleading squad as a senior. At MCA, Allison is a ThinkBIG Student Leader where the ThinkBIG Pediatric Cancer Fund raises money and awareness for the children getting treatment at the Janet Weis Children’s Hospital at the Geisinger Medical Center. Allison has also spent a lot of time at her church, assisting in picnics during the summer cleaning, prepping, serving, and working game stands. She has served as Student Council Treasurer as a Junior and Vice President as a Senior. She is involved with the Spanish Club, Reading Club, and AP Calculus Club. Parker has been named Elks Student of the Month and the Rotary Student of the Month. She has been a member of the Junior High National Honor Society and the National Honor Society, earning distinguished honors for every single marking period, and currently ranks in the Top 5 of her class. Allison plans to attend West Chester University to major in Pharmaceutical Product Development, going on to a career involving pharmaceutical research. She is the daughter of Kevin and Patty Parker of Kulpmont.

SAINT PAULINE VISINTAINER SCHOLARSHIP Four years of hard work and rigorous training has paid off for David Fletcher, Mount Carmel Area’s outstanding cross country and track performer, with his commitment to Lehigh University to compete in both sports. Fletcher is also this year’s Bob Greco Family St Pauline Scholar. David has excelled for three years as a cross country runner for Coach Ben McConnell. After not running as a freshman, Fletcher decided to use it as training for track. Pushed by McConnell, Fletcher soon became one of the leaders of MCA’s team that won back to back District IV titles in 2013 and 2014. They were undefeated in the regular season in each of those years. The team placed at the state championship for two consecutive years. He has a best of 16.44 for the 5k and a 17.07 at the District IV Cross Championships. Fletcher is a middle distance standout who has earned two PIAA Class AA State medals in the 800 meter run. Along the way, he established a new MCA record for the 800 meter with a time of 1:55.07. He had a PIAA 4th place finish in 2014 and a 2nd place spot in 2015. He also helped the 4 x 800 meter relay team of Tom Moser, Ciaran Fisher, and Treyvon White to a new school record 8:02.29 with their third place finish at the PIAA State Meet in 2015. He has been a first team selection in the Heartland Athletic Conference in both cross and track and field, and currently serves as a captain for both sports. With a year left in his track career, David owns 3 PIAA State Medals and 8 PIAA District IV Medals. Dave recently placed 6th in the PIAA Indoor State Championships with a time of 1:55.8, good enough to qualify for Nationals. He chose Lehigh over similar offers from Bucknell, Duquesne, Susquehanna, and Shippensburg. He has established a goal of getting under 1:50 in the 800, and may also compete in the 400 and 1500 events while at Lehigh. The Mountain Hawks are a Division 1 Patriot League school that specializes in mid-distance. His track Coach Chris Catton describes him as being very coachable and the type of kid you would want on your team. Fletcher currently participates in the Advanced College Experience program at Bloomsburg University and has taken part in the Young Scholars Program at Luzerne County Community College. At MCA, he has participated in the Interact, Future Teachers of America, and the Calculus Club. He is a National Honor Society and National Athletic Honor Society member and a consistent Distinguished Honor Student. Outside of school, David has served as an altar server and picnic volunteer for Holy Angels Church, Kulpmont for the past nine years. He was the recipient of the St Ceril and Methodius Leadership Award, given for “demonstrating the attitudes and good works of a student leader.” In the fall of 2016, David will attend Lehigh University to major in business or engineering. He s the youngest of six siblings to parents Susan and Michael Fletcher of Kulpmont.

JOSEPH D. WASILEWSKI FEMALE SCHOLAR ATHLETE The 2016 Joseph D. Wasilewski female scholar athlete at Mount Carmel Area is Chantelle Skavery. Chantelle has been a fixture on the road and on the track for Mount Carmel Athletics for the last four years. Chantelle has excelled for MCA Cross Country as one of the lead runners for the last four years. She has consistently improved each and every year. She has 41st, 15th, 8th and 5th place finishes at the PIAA District IV meet, qualifying for the PIAA State Championships as a junior and senior. Her 105th place finish in 2014 was bested by her 80th place finish in 2015. Her best time was her 21:12 at the the District IV meet. Her efforts saw her being named to the PA Heartland Athletic Conference All Star team in 2013, 2014, and 2015. More importantly, she served as both a mentor and role model to up and coming MCA runner Ava McGee during District and State Championship meets. She has also been a constant for MCA track, participating in the 1600 and 3200, as well as, the 4 x 800 meter relay. She has a best time of 6:08 in the 1600 at the Lasagna Invitational in 2014, and a 12:48 in the 3200 in a meet with Montourville. She was a part of the Bronze Medal 4 x 8 team at Districts with a terrific 9:58. She has also been very busy as a three-year member of the Cheerleading squad at MCA. She was a leader for “Cheer Camp” where girls in grades kindergarten through eighth grade are taught basic cheerleading skills and group dances. She was named an NCA All American partial cheerleader. In addition to athletics, Chantelle has been named an Elks teenager of the month and an Elks student of the month. She is her homeroom representative for Student Council, vice-president of Future Teachers of America, Sergeant at Arms of the Reading Club, and Sergeant at Arms of the Interact Club. The Reading Club collected over 2000 books for the Spring 2015 book drive, while the Interact Club raised money for the American Heart Association. She is also a member of Future Business Leaders of America and the Future Nurses of America. Chantelle is a four-year Distinguished Honor roll Student and a member of the National Honor Society. Ms. Skavery has also taken on the role of Lead Editor for the 2016 Carmelite Yearbook. She is the youngest in a family of six siblings and the daughter of Gerald and Theresa Skavery of Mount Camel. She will be attending Pennsylvania State University at the College of Agricultural Sciences to major in food science.

JOSEPH “JAZZ” DIMINICK MALE SCHOLAR ATHLETE Just as some of the hall of fame greats like Bob Sacavage, Greg Sacavage, Marc Sassani, and Walt Wywadis: Allen Yancoskie has parlayed the combination of football and wrestling into a very successful career. That, along with his academic prowess, has allowed Allen to be named this year’s Joseph Jazz Diminick Male Scholar Athlete. Allen has been a tw0-year leader of the defense for MCA football, leading the team in tackles as a junior and senior. He registered 105 in 2015 and 111 in 2014, becoming one of only a handful of players to go over 100 two times in a career. He has accumulated 114 solo and 115 assisted for a total of 229 tackles in his career with 25 of those for loss. He has added 7 and ½ QB sacks for 49 yards lost and 6 quarterback hurries. He is a two-time Heartland Athletic Conference linebacker, two-times Press Enterprise and two-time News Item performer. He also earned an honorable mention spot with Eastern PA Football in 2015. He is a two-time Keystone Club member for tackles with Pennsylvania Football News. As one of the captains in 2015, Allen added 186 yards rushing and 13 receptions as a fullback. His leadership will be sorely missed as the Tornadoes move forward. Allen has also been a very successful wrestler at MCA, qualifying for Districts in each of his four seasons at MCA. He was also a Northeast Regional 5th place finisher in 205. Allen’s season records stand at 20-11, 19-16, 31-11, and 30-7 for a career total of 100-46. He was a third place finisher in District IV, qualifying him for the Northeast Regional Championships where he earned his 100th victory in the ¼ finals over Namir Murphy of Myers on a 13-4 decision. He has won many title matches at MCA, including championships at the Tunkhannock Kiwanis Tournament and the Darren Klingerman Invitational. Academically, Allen is a member of the National Honor Society and the National Athletic Honor Society and a top 10 student. He serves as the Student Council president and the AP Calc Club president. He is a member of the Reading Club, Interact Club, Future Business Leaders of America, Future Teachers of America, Spanish Club, Tech Ed Club, and Chemistry Club. He was also a participant in the Lock Haven Math Competition and was chosen a Rotary Student of the Month and Ed Romance Chapter Athlete of the month for February. Allen plans to attend either the Naval Academy or Penn State and its NROTC program to major in civil engineering. He is the son of Allen and Jessica Yancoskie of Mount Carmel.

INDUCTEE It became apparent very early in his freshman year that Joe Sinkovich was going to be something special. During that first season with head coach Joe Diminick, Sinko would establish new freshman records with his 80 attempts for 418 yards, a 124 yard single-game effort against Blue Mountain and 60 tackles as a starting linebacker. As a sophomore, Joe would become the first sophomore in MCA history to run for 1000 yards in a season with his 1129 yard effort – the 7th best in MCA history at the time. As a senior, Joe would lead a young Tornado team, in Whitey Williams first year as head coach, into the District XI Championship game with Allentown Central Catholic. An injury kept Joe out of the lineup and Big Red would lose by a 27-6 score. Sinkovich has racked up 3,097 rushing yards in his career and had become only the second back in MCA history (Gary Diminick was the first) to surpass 3000 yards. His total still ranks as the 4th best ever at MCA, while his 4,198 all purpose yards puts him in 7th position all time. Joe’s 347 career tackles still ranks 6th on the all-time list. Sinkovich was the first and only player to win the Mike Terry Award as a freshman and is one of only 2 players to win the award on three occasions. Following graduation in 1994, Joey enrolled at Wilkes University to play for head coach Joe DeMelfi. He made an immediate impact as a linebacker and was a four-year starter. He later played for MCA grad Frank Sheptock in 1996 and 1997. He was named to the All Freedom League as a linebacker. After graduating from Wilkes, Joe coached for one year at Wilkes-Barre Coughlin High School before moving on to Delaware Valley College during the 1999 season. He began coaching at Hamburg in 2000 and served as an assistant until 2004. In 2005, he took over the head coaching duties of a team that had won one game in 2004. In his first season the Hawks won 4 games and followed that up with an 8-3 season in 2006 and 7-4 in 2007. Prior to his taking over, the Hawks had not had a winning season in 20 years. He stayed on at Hamburg for 9 years, posting a 48-48 record, the only coach in Hawk history to not have a losing record. His teams made six playoff appearances during his 9 seasons and established new records for points scored in 2006 and again in 2011. Joe stepped down after the 2013 season. He is currently an assistant principal in the West Shore School District while making his home in York with his fiancee Katie Ahrensfield.

INDUCTEE It is hard to believe that it has been 30 years since Margot Guinan McDonnell starred at MCA, both on the track and in the hardwood. She would graduate from Mount Carmel Area in 1985 from one of the most prolific athletic classes in MCA history. It included Frank Bolick, Mike Diminick, Maria Fantanarosa, Jennifer Hutnick, Joanne Menapace, Rob Varano, and Angela Vaughn Farranato already elected to Ed Romance Chapter, and Lisa Balichick Varano, a future hall of famer. Diminick and Fantanarosa are also members of the state Hall of Fame. Margot was an integral part of the revitalization of the girls basketball program in the early 80’s along with new coach Deb Greco Perles, Lisa Balichick Varano, and Maria Fantanarosa. As freshmen, the Lady Tornadoes would go 9-17, but qualified for the open District IV tournament after a brutal year in Division One of the Schuylkill League. They would defeat Selinsgrove and Mifflinburg before losing to Lourdes Regional in the final by a 43-51 score. They would become the first MCA girls team to play in the state tournament and finished 11-19. As sophomores, it was more of the same, again losing in the District IV final to Loyalsock by 1 48-67 margin. The 83-84 season found the Tornadoes hitting their stride and finishing the season with a school-record 26 wins with 11 losses, finishing as the third place team in District IV. With Margot in her fourth year as the starting point guard, the Tornadoes finally overcame the last hurdle when they defeated Middleburg by a 71-70 score and the school’s first ever District IV basketball championship. The girls would earn MCA’s first state playoff win defeating Holy Name before eventually losing to Kutztown in the Eastern ¼ final. Along the way, McDonnell would register 853 assists, becoming the first female to pass the 500 mark. Margot also excelled in track, running the 400, 800, and 1600 meter runs along with the 4 x 400 and 4 x 800 meter relays. Her 4 x 800 meter relay team with Joanne Menapace, Tammy Trione, and Angela Vaughn would establish a new school record on the way to a 4th place medal at the 1985 PIAA state championship meet. The 9:42.8 was also a regional record at the time and was not surpassed at MCA until last season. The 1985 team won its first District IV Championship since 1976 under coaches Steve Lapotsky and Al Santos. Guinan also ran cross country with the Lady Tornadoes and, in the fall of 1984, helped the team to a second place finish in the District IV Championships and an 8th place spot at the PIAA State Championship Cross Country Meet. Margot is a 1989 graduate of Penn State University, with a degree in Labor and Industrial Relations. She began her career in human resources and retail management for Wanamakers Department Store then moved into Technology Sales and Management for several technology firms, including Oracle Corporation. For the past 20 years, Margot has been in IT Sales Management, and is currently owner/partner for BizTech, an Oracle consulting firm based out of King of Prussia, PA, with responsibilities for all aspects of business development, marketing, and sales, including managing Oracle business relationships. Margot lives in Doylestown, PA, with her husband Kevin, a 1983 graduate of Mount Carmel, and her children – son Luke (14 years old) and daughter Logan (11 years old). Margot has been coaching youth and CYO basketball for the past eight years, and supports numerous volunteer programs and foundations, including the Travis Manion Foundation and Basketball Buddies at the YMCA. Margot still runs, plays basketball, and does cross fit to stay active.

INDUCTEE Coming out of small Mount Carmel Catholic High School, Frank Luchnick had no idea as to the part he would play in reviving the football program at then Bloomsburg State Teacher’s College. In 1946, coach John Hoch took over the Huskies and led them to their finest season since 1935 with a 4-3-1 record. It was in 1947 when the move was made to hire Robert B. Redman as head coach. In his first year at the helm, Redman led the team to a 5-2 record, winning their last three games by a 71-19 score. In 1948 the Huskies enjoyed the first undefeated season in school history, going 9-0, burying the opposition 185 points to 19, recording 7 shutouts and tying University of California (Pa) for the mythical Teachers College Conference championship. Frank was a guard on both teams and was named to the Associated Press All-Teacher College football team for 1948. Following the season, Frank and teammate Tom Donan would become the first-ever Bloomsburg players to sign contracts with the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers for the then enormous salary of $3600. The 6’3”, 235 lb Luchnick was to report to the Steeler’s training camp at Alliance College in Cambridge Springs. Other notable Bloom players to sign have been Jahri Evans, Eric Jonassen, Mike Morucci, Bob Tucker, Bob Warner, and Elmer Kreisser. Despite also being recruited by the FBI at the time, he chose to complete his Masters Degree in Education at Bucknell University. He then began a career in education as an Accounting and English Teacher at Pottsville High School. He was assistant football coach under Bud Bostick and assistant track coach under the legendary Carlton “Pete” Sterner. One of his many players was the famous General George Joulwan, Commander in Chief of the United States Southern Command. He later became the Athletic Director at Pottsville and had much input into the completion of the “Mecca” – Martz Hall in Pottsville. After graduation from Mt. Carmel Catholic High School in 1943, Frank enlisted in the Marine Corps during WWII with the amphibious mechanized track landing forces. He spent time in the Asiatic and Pacific arenas and saw considerable action in Okinawa and Ryukyu Islands before his discharge in March of 1946. Frank would pass away in 1997 due to complications of diabetes. During his lifetime, he was the primary caretaker for his mother in Mount Carmel and served on the MOC Church Counsel. He is survived by sisters Rita and Barbara, a most personal friend, Mary Moran of Pottsville, and nieces and nephews in the Millville, PA and NJ areas. He also had a sibling (Sister Harold) who served as a Felician Nun for over 60 years prior to her passing.

INDUCTEE Edward Kupchick is one of those athletes who stood out among his peers and has had to wait a long time to finally be recognized as one of the greats. Edward payed both football and track and field at Kulpmont High School in the late 30’s and early 40’s. He was a three year letterman for coach Mike Terry in 1939, 40, and 41, helping the Wildcats to three consecutive winning seasons following the 1938 State Championship win over Ferndale by a 50-19 score. Heavy graduation losses left folks wondering if the Wildcats were to continue to be competitive. Kupchick and teammates Earl Dallabrida, Stan Maddish, Ed Kaminsky, Walt Jones and Al Barkowski made sure that they were. They won 18 games during the 39-41 period with 15 of them via shutout. They turned a 39-0 defeat at the hands of Mount Carmel in 1940 to a 12-0 victory in 1941 with Edward being an important cog. During the track season, Ed was one of the area’s outstanding weightmen, constantly competing against Mount Carmel’s Frank Zorica. Kupchick was always on the podium whether it was a dual meet, triangular meet or invitational. Kupchick helped Kulpmont to a second place finish in the 1942 District IV Track meet, beating Zorica in both the shot and discus, establishing a new Kulpmont record with a toss of 142’9”, surpassing the previous best by the great Steve Filipowicz. Slippery, rainy, and wet conditions at the state championship saw Ed fall to place as Zorica would go on to win the state championship with a 135 foot throw. Following graduation, Edward was a decorated United States Army veteran who served during World War II in the ETO. He was a member of the DAV and VFW Post #5447 Hall-Burke in Claymont, DE. He resided in Chester before moving to Wilmington, DE in 1965. He finally retired after 30 years of service with the Sun Oil Company. He was the husband of the late Alice (Evans) Kupchick who died in 1966 and Elizabeth (Risso) Kupchick who dies in 2007. Edward died on November 6, 2009 at the age of 86. He is survived by three sons: Edward Jr, Jame, and Thomas and 2 daughters Marianne Kupchick and Diane Mancini, as well as six grandchildren.

INDUCTEE Everyone believes that you have to get your kids involved in athletics at a young age in order to be competitive. Some start as early as 4 and 5 years of age. Walt Gronski can show you that it is never too late to begin your athletic career. Walt didn’t start running until the age of 46 in 1978 and has logged over 73,000 miles training and competing in various races. Sine he began, Walt has run in over 40 marathons – the 26 mile variety – including the world-famous Boston Marathon 15 times. His best time was 3 hours 3 minutes at the age of 56. He finished in the top 4 on 9 different occasions in his 40 marathons. He has not limited his time to marathons as he has run the Nickel City 50 miler in Buffalo, NY winning his age group in 7 hours and 57 minutes in 1983. He would win the USA track and field championship in his age group on 1984, also at the Nickel City. Walt also ran in the Strong Children’s Hospital 150k in 1984 at the University of Rochester and was awarded first place after completing 121k and all other runners had dropped out die to heat exhaustion. He had no incentive to continue with no competition and temperatures over 100 degrees and 87% humidity. Walt did win the Strong Children’s Hospital 24 hour run in 1995, completing 104 miles and finishing first over all age groups. He also won USA track and Field Championship 24 hour run, completing 94 miles and winning his age group in 1997. He also established a US age group record of 4 hours 37 minutes in a 50k in Rochester, NY in 1994. Walt is currently the US age group record holder in the 100k, 100 mi and 24 hr run. Earlier in his career, Walt completed 3 races in 24 hours – winning the 5 mile Bloomfield Run on May 22, 1982 at 8am, taking first in the Williamson 10k in May 22 at 6om and finishing 2nd place in the Human 10k race on May 23, 1982. Gronski also helped to establish a new record in the Run Across America relay from San Francisco to Coney Island in 16 days. Prior to his running days, Walt Bench Pressed 400 pounds and squatted 620 pounds at the age of 24 in the 181 lb class. He recently established the Florida Senior games bench press record in the 165 lb class. Following graduation from Mount Carmel High School in 1949, Walt was an army medical technologist and Korean War veteran with 3 battle stars. He graduated from Ft Sam Houston Medical center and Air Force clinical Laboratory school and spent 37 years at the Genesee Hospital Clinical Labs in Rochester, NY, including 23 as the clinical chemistry supervisor. He and his wife Linda are parents to 3 sons, Robert, John, and Paul, and currently makes his home in Florida.