Penn State Erie recently announced the five members of its 2006 Penn State Behrend Lions Athletic Hall of Fame class. Former student athletes David Gurska, Marlesse (Schlott) Hames, Karen (Strait) Oberholzer, Megan (Musante) Post, and Becky Reed will be recognized for their outstanding accomplishments and contributions with their Hall of Fame inductions.
This year's honorees, which include a top-ranked three-point shooter and four two-sport female athletes, are the 16th class inducted by Penn State Erie since establishing the Hall of Fame in 1991. The five alumni will be honored at an induction ceremony at 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 23, in the McGarvey Commons at Penn State Erie.
David Gurska (1987-90) attended Penn State Shenango before playing three seasons of basketball at Penn State Erie. He had a stellar career as a long distance shooter and specialized in making three-pointers in jam-packed Erie Hall.
Gurska totaled 776 career points and was an integral member of Penn State Erie's first-ever Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament team. He averaged 10.5 points per game (ppg) and 1.5 rebounds per game (rpg), while connecting on 42 percent of his long distance field-goal attempts. Gurska was an 85 percent career free-throw shooter and missed only one attempt from the line in his final season at Penn State Erie.
In back-to-back seasons, he averaged double-figures knocking down jumper after jumper. He caught fire against Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio, shooting a career-high 36 points. At the end of his career, Gurska ranked second all-time in three-pointers made with 187. Sixteen years later, he remains second and third in the annuals for three-pointers made in a season.
Gurska came to Penn State Erie after an outstanding career at Hickory High School, Hermitage. Currently, he is the regional vice president for Aim NationaLease in Girard, Ohio.
Marlesse (Schlott) Hames (1993-96) is recognized for her achievement in women's basketball and softball. During the 1995-96 season, she guided the women's basketball program to an ECAC Southern Region Championship, where she was named the tournament's MVP, and an NCAA Tournament bid.
Known for her rebounding skills, Hames still holds the record for most rebounds in a single season with 338 along with the number-one spot for rebounds per game in a single-season with 12.5. During her senior season, she scored 448 points -- the third all-time highest. Hames' career concluded with 800 total points plus 665 career rebounds and 9.6 rebounds per game, which places her second and third overall, respectively. She also ranks second in made free throws with 209.
As a result, Hames has an award named after her in the women's basketball program that is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Year.
Hames also was a productive middle of the lineup hitter on the softball diamond. She played in 85 games during three seasons, and helped the squad earn two ECAC Tournament appearances and a national ranking. She hit .402 as a senior and her career totals include a .371 batting average, seven home runs and 67 RBIs. The home run total and doubles had her ranked in the top five.
A graduate of Seneca Valley Senior High School, Harmony, Hames played basketball for one year at Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, Pa., before transferring. She earned a baachelor of science in biology from Penn State Erie and her master's in secondary education from Slippery Rock University. Hames teaches biology at Seneca Valley Intermediate High School.
Karen (Strait) Oberholzer (1991-95) was another two-sport standout at Penn State Erie, excelling in both basketball and softball.
Oberholzer played four years of basketball and was an instrumental part of the program's success. She was a key member of Penn State Erie's first-ever ECAC Championship in 1991-92 when the team posted a 23-4 record under Hall of Fame Head Coach Jenepher Banker.
Oberholzer, who came off the bench to rebound, play defense and get to the free-throw line, made 230 free-throws throughout her career to top the all-time rankings at her career's end. She helped the team advance to another ECAC playoff and made the NCAA Tournament in rookie Head Coach Roz Fornari's first season.
She accumulated 494 points and 331 rebounds in 85 games, including only eight as a senior because of an injury that prevented her from playing softball her senior year.
Regardless, Oberholzer's first 100 games on the softball field were impressive. She helped the program win back-to-back ECAC titles and a runner-up title. She was a clutch offensive player and exceptional defensive player at second base.
Oberholzer hit .327 and drove home 72 runners. At the end of her career, the 34 single-season RBIs ranked third all-time in a season. Her career totals have her ranked ninth all-time in RBIs and 10th all-time in doubles. She was named to the ECAC All-Star team in 1992.
Oberholzer attended Southern Fulton High School, Warfordsburg. She is employed by the Washington County Board of Education and is the president of her local women's softball league.
Megan (Musante) Post (1991-95) helped lead Penn State Erie's basketball and softball teams to post-season play throughout her career -- three trips for her basketball teams and four straight in softball. Post is a member of four of the 10 teams in the Penn State Behrend Hall of Fame and was named the 1994-95 Penn State Behrend Female Athlete of the Year.
As point guard, Post was a long-distance threat on the basketball court. She ranks in several offensive categories, including three-pointers made and three-point shooting percentage in a season and career. Post also hit five three-pointers in one game, which ranks on the Penn State Erie charts, and dished out 96 assists as a senior.
She played a role Penn State Erie's first-ever NCAA Tournament team, first-ever ECAC Championship, and the college's record for most wins at 23. In addition, the women's basketball program presents the Megan (Musante) Post Hustle Award annually to the player who best exemplifies her style of play.
In softball, Post worked to become a three-year starter. She was twice named a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) All-American scholar athlete and was also tabbed second team all-region in 1995. She guided the softball program to back-to-back ECAC Titles, a runner-up finish and another berth. During the most successful four-year stretch in softball history, Post helped the blue and white defeat national-caliber teams to earn the team's highest national ranking. Post was a .300 career hitter in 87 games and hit .355 as a senior.
A graduate of General McLane High School, Edinboro, Post is a teacher in the Union City School District. She has coached basketball at several levels, currently volunteers with the women's basketball program, and is a PIAA basketball official.
Becky Reed (1992-96), who competed as a two-sport athlete in both basketball and softball, led her teams to six post-season appearances, including two ECAC titles and an NCAA appearance.
In basketball, Reed was a key senior guard on the 1995-96 ECAC Championship team while averaging 12.5 ppg and 4.7 rpg. Throughout her career, she made 75 three-point shots -- ranking her seventh all-time -- and is listed fifth for most three-pointers in a single-season with 46. Reed also dished out 94 assists and made 76.3 percent of her free throws, both 13th best in single-season school history.
The Becky Reed "Spark Plug" Award is issued by the women's basketball program each year in her honor.
Reed also had a stellar career on the diamond at shortstop. She was a clutch performer and had great range through the middle. During her career, the blue and white made the ECAC Tournament three times and won the Southern Region Championship in 1993. The squad posted a school-record 29-6 mark while knocking off some of the top teams in the country.
In 1995, Reed was voted Third-Team All-Region after hitting a career best .384 with four home runs and 38 RBIs. She logged a .351 career average with 13 home runs, 84 RBIs and 40 stolen bases.
Reed earned the 1996 Female Athlete of the Year Award, completing her career as the program's all-time leader in hits, runs scored, singles and doubles.
She is a graduate of Northwestern High School, Albion. Reed is employed by GE Transportation Systems and is in her 10th year as a volunteer assistant coach with Roz Fornari. She was presented with Penn State Erie's Richard Dill Outstanding Service Award in 2003.
The Penn State Behrend Lions Athletic Hall of Fame currently boasts 94 individuals and 10 teams as members, and is sponsored by the Penn State Behrend Lions Athletic Association. For more information, contact the Athletics Office at (814) 898-6180.