YMCA of Frederick County to Induct Six Into Sports Hall of Fame

FREDERICK, Md. (PRWEB) August 31, 2021

The 45th annual YMCA of Frederick County Alvin G. Quinn Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held Saturday, September 18 at 6:30 pm at the New Spire Arts Center.

Each year the YMCA recognizes individuals who, through their accomplishments and contributions in the field of athletics, have brought honor to themselves and to Frederick County. Alvin G. Quinn was the Executive Director of the YMCA of Frederick County from 1919 to 1960. No individual has ever had such an impact on so many of the area’s young people during his 40-year career as did Mr. Quinn.

Six new inductees will be recognized:
●    Bethany Adams is among the most successful female swimmers to hail from Frederick County. The 2009 Thomas Johnson High School graduate was a six-time NCAA All-American and four-time Big 12 champion at the University of Texas. She competed in the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials in the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter breaststroke events. Bethany is one of only three female swimmers from Frederick County to qualify and participate in the U.S. Olympic Trials. She set records for the 50 freestyle during her college career and her name still is in the Longhorns school record books. Bethany was also a superb student-athlete, being recognized as a Scholastic All-American (2006-2009) in high school and continued at the University of Texas, where she was All-Big 12 Academic first team from 2011-2013.

●    Clarence “Petie” Cooper, a three-sport standout at Frederick High School, was a dominant southpaw who struck out 19 batters in seven innings to lead Frederick to 1-0, one-hit shutout against Glenelg in 1969. Cooper’s 19 strikeouts on the day allowed him to break his own school record of 18, which he set during the 1968 season. In 1969, Petie was drafted in the fifth round (110th overall pick) of the Major League Baseball Amateur Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He played six years in the Minor Leagues with the Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins organizations, reaching the AAA level. Petie’s name is all over the Cadets’ record books in football, basketball, and baseball. Besides his 19 strikeouts in a game, his 226 career strikeouts are the best in the 111 years of Cadets baseball. He holds the FHS school record for wins in a season (13) and career (26). His 1969 season ERA of 0.56 is also etched in as the lowest ever allowed by a Cadet pitcher. The 1969 Cadets would go on the win the Frederick County, Tri-State League, and District pennants. He also set football records, which included throwing 28 touchdown passes during the Cadets’ 10-0 season in 1968.

●    Described by many as the best field hockey player ever to come out of Frederick County, Joann Engestrom would eventually make the 2003 U.S. National Field Hockey Team and U23 National Team. Joann, a three-sport athlete at Middletown High School, was named the Frederick News-Post Field Hockey Player of the Year her senior season. She went on to play Towson University for three seasons, leading the team in scoring her junior year. Joann transferred to Temple for her senior season where she earned All-Atlantic 10 Conference first-team honors. Joann has coached and mentored youth teams, high school players, club and college hockey teams while sharing her passion, skill, and knowledge for the game of field hockey.

●    Natalie Cleckley Jackson played four seasons on the Linganore High School girls varsity basketball team, which she captain her junior and senior years. She was the Frederick County Girls Basketball Player of the Year her senior year. Natalie went on to play power forward for Furman University. She was the recipient of the 1987-88 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year award. She later was the 1990-91 Southern Conference Player of the Year after earning first-team All-Southern Conference first-team honors in 1990-91 and second-team honors in 1988-89. During her junior year in 1989-90, Natalie helped lead Furman to its first Southern Conference basketball championship and first 20-win season (20-9). She led Furman in scoring and rebounding as a freshman and, as a senior, she paced the Paladins in scoring, rebounding, and field goal percentage. She averaged 14.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game over the course of her career. She was named to the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and Furman’s Most Valuable Player in 1990-91. As a senior, she set Furman single-season records for points scored (575) and rebounds (356). She was inducted into Furman’s Hall of Fame in 1996.

●    Tracey Kelley Kibler is one of the finest athletes to come out of Middletown High School for her play in girls basketball and field hockey. As captain of the basketball team, she helped lead the Knights to a 26-0 record and Class 2A state title in 1993. Tracey also helped the field hockey team to a state championship in 1991. Tracey continued her basketball career at East Carolina University. She was a three-year team captain who earned CAA All-Rookie honors as a freshman and CAA All-Tournament honors as a senior. While at Catoctin High School, was named Frederick News-Post Girls Basketball Coach of the Year in 2004 and she added AWCC Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year in 2006 while at Hood College. Tracey serves as a high school principal where she continues to advocate for equitable access to athletics for all students. One of her greatest passions is to serve student-athletes as a mentor and life coach.

●    Stephen Linger’s legacy in the world of women’s fast-pitch softball in Frederick County is still felt today. He was the founder of the Lewistown Tigers in the 1980s, the first girls’ fast-pitch softball travel team in Frederick County. The Tigers won 42 tournaments and produced 21 players that received scholarships to play in college. Stephen coached softball at Thomas Johnson High School where his teams went 40-17. He ran the Tigers fast-pitch softball clinic at Frederick Community College for years. He later coached at Messiah College where he guided the team to its first 20-win season in 1991 and added three MAC Championships (1991, 1993, and 1994), eventually winning the MAC in 1994. Stephen not only cared about all the players he coached but also cared about the community, and he was named Outstanding Young Marylander in 1980. An example of his dedication to softball in the county, he started the Frederick Community College softball team with no budget and donated his coaching salary back to the program to make it successful.

Started in 2020, the Rising Star Award goes to a Frederick County individual or team who demonstrated exceptional accomplishments and contributions in their athletic field in the past year. The 2021 recipient is Kyle Lund.

●    Kyle Lund helped raise the bar in a county already well known for strong track and field athletes. The 2020 Oakdale High School graduate posted the nation’s sixth-fastest high school indoor 800-meter time during the 2019-2020 winter season. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic robbed Lund of an outdoor track senior season. However, by that point, his legacy had been sealed. During his senior year at Oakdale, he won a cross country state title, helping Oakdale to the team title in the fall. During the winter season, he won the 800- and 1,600-meter indoor state titles, along with two relay titles, again guiding the Bears to a team title. During his career, he was a five-time Frederick News-Post Runner of the Year. He ran the fastest outdoor 800 in the history of the MPSSAA State meets and briefly held the nation’s No. 1 time in December of 2018. Lund signed with, and competed with this past fall, national cross country power Brigham Young University.

The ceremony will be held Saturday, September 18, 2021, at the New Spires Arts in downtown Frederick (15 W Patrick Street). Doors open to ticket holders at 5 pm with a reception from 5-6:30 pm with the induction ceremony beginning at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available on a first-come-first-served basis, available in-person at either YMCA branch, or for purchase online. (Tickets purchased online will be available at New Spire Arts will-call window the night of.)

The Alvin G. Quinn Sports Hall of Fame collection is located at the Downtown campus of the YMCA of Frederick County, 1000 N. Market Street, Frederick. It is accessible to the public. Permanent and rotating displays of photographs and memorabilia honor Frederick County’s finest athletes, coaches, and athletic and community supporters.
Please contact Josh Henson at jhenson@frederickymca.org if you have any questions.

About the Y

The Y is one of the nation’s leading nonprofits strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Across the U.S., 2,700 Y’s engage 21 million men, women, and children – regardless of age, income, or background – to nurture the potential of children and teens, improve the nation’s health and well-being, and provide opportunities to give back and support neighbors. Anchored in more than 10,000 communities, the Y has the long-standing relationships and physical presence not just to promise, but also to deliver, lasting personal and social change. http://www.frederickymca.org

Source: https://www.prweb.com/releases/ymca_of_frederick_county_to_induct_six_into_sports_hall_of_fame/prweb18161942.htm