A-K Valley high school notebook: Springdale alumnae Kropelak-Brownback going into UPJ Hall of Fame

By: Michael Love
Saturday, February 17, 2024 | 4:54 PM

Michelle Kropelak-Brownback, a standout track star at Springdale in the mid to late 1990s, is one of seven athletic greats who make up the 15th Athletics Hall of Fame class at Pitt-Johnstown.

The six-time WPIAL champion and four-time PIAA place-winner showed her versatility at Pitt-Johnstown by competing in as many as seven events in a single track and field meet. She accumulated 313.75 career points for the Mountain Cats, surpassing the previous UPJ team record by nearly 100 points

Kropelak-Brownback also set point records for a single outdoor meet (47), a single indoor meet (43), and a single season (124.75).

She set program top marks in the long jump, 100-meter dash, 100 hurdles and 200. She finished her career with 50 first-place finishes and set stadium records in the 100 and 200, 100 hurdles, long jump, triple jump and as part of two relays.

Kropelak-Brownback is a sixth-grade math teacher in the Wilson School District in eastern Pennsylvania. She also continues in athletics as a youth soccer and junior high track and field coach.

“I am incredibly humbled and honored to join the extremely talented group of women that have paved the way at Pitt-Johnstown,” she said in a release from the school celebrating the announcement. “Their strength and commitment passed on a tradition of excellence that challenged me and fueled a passion to succeed.”

The hall-of-fame class will be enshrined at a reception and dinner on campus April 20.

Veltri nominated

Former Fox Chapel standout Chad Veltri, a graduate student goaltender for Robert Morris, is a nominee for the 2024 Hobey Baker Award presented annually to the top NCAA men’s hockey player.

Veltri is having a strong season for the Colonials. He is second among all Division I netminders in saves (906) and ranked in the top 10 in save percentage (.917).

He also has garnered American Hockey Association Goalie of the Week honors twice and was named to the Hockey Commissioners Association’s Goalie of the Year Watch List.

Fans have the opportunity to vote until March 10 at midnight at hobeybaker.com/awards/vote-for-hobey/. The top 10 finalists will be announced March 20, and the final three will be named April 4.

The winner will be announced April 12 at the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn.

McGivney resigns

Phil McGivney has resigned as the Riverview boys basketball coach, citing the desire to spend more time with his family and help take care of other family members.

“I have a son, Joey, who is a freshman at Fox Chapel and who played JV/varsity basketball this year,” McGivney said. “I missed a lot of his games this year, and I don’t want to miss any more of his games. We only get one shot at this, and I don’t want to miss the opportunity.

“I will miss (coaching basketball) big time. I’ve been coaching for the last 17 years, but it’s time.”

McGivney was Riverview’s boys basketball the past three years and compiled a -26-39 overall record.

The 2022-23 Raiders went 12-10 overall and finished one game behind Clairton for the fourth and final playoff spot from Section 3-2A.

Riverview this season finished 8-13 overall and 2-10 in Section 3. The Raiders swept rival Leechburg in the section, completing the sweep Feb. 6 with a 64-27 victory.

Basketball all-stars announced

Basketball players from Alle-Kiski Valley teams found out Friday they earned spots on their section all-star teams.

Senior guards Megan Marston and Abbie Johns from Plum and Kiski Area, respectively, were voted first-team all-stars for Section 1-5A. Both led their teams in scoring.

Second-team picks were Plum senior forward Pascale Olczak, Mustangs sophomore guard/forward Riley Stephans, and Kiski Area forward Gianna DeVito.

Fox Chapel guards Lyla Jablon, a sophomore, and Bella Urso, a junior, were second-team selections in Section 2.

On the boys side, Fox Chapel senior forward Will Siegel and junior guard/forward Asher White were voted to the Section 2-5A first team, with Foxes senior guard Jefferson Moorfield-Brown and Plum junior forward Max Grice second-team picks.

In Section 3, senior guard Isaiah Gonzalez from WPIAL-playoff qualifier Kiski Area is a first-team all-star, and teammate Colin Keller, a junior guard, was selected to the second team.

Nerone commits

Highlands senior guard Kalleigh Nerone committed this week to continue her athletic pursuits with the Division II Bloomsburg women’s basketball team.

Part of a senior-laden Golden Rams team that finished runner-up to North Catholic in Section 1-4A, Nerone is the third Highlands senior girls basketball player to sign on to a college program, joining Kate Myers at Division II Pitt-Johnstown and Jocelyn Bielak at Division III Pitt-Greensburg.

Myers and Bielak made their decisions final during the early signing period in November.

A leader in scoring, assists, and rebounds for the Golden Rams, Nerone said Bloomsburg is a perfect fit.

“I went to a camp there, and I immediately loved the coaches and atmosphere,” she said. “The girls on the basketball team are so welcoming. I love the campus. That is just what helped decide it all for me.”

Nerone, Myers, Bielak and fellow senior starter Shelby Wojcik are part of a senior group at Highlands that will enter its final WPIAL tournament Friday with a quarterfinal matchup against either Laurel Highlands or Quaker Valley.

The No. 4 Golden Rams finished the regular season 16-6 overall and 10-2 in section play.

Springdale football coach

The search continues to find the next head coach of the Springdale football team.

The position has been posted at WPIAL.com and elsewhere with a deadline of Feb. 29 to apply.

Those wishing to apply can send a letter of interest, a coaching and employment resume, references and clearances to athletic director Amanda Noel at Anoel@avsd.school.

The Dynamos have been without a head coach since November when Ryan Tempalski stepped down after two years on the job.

Tempalski said at the time that it was best to not continue as head coach, but he didn’t elaborate further.

Springdale finished 1-9 overall in 2023 with its lone victory coming against Summit Academy, 35-21.

The Dynamos came within six points of a win against Frazier, and they led Riverview 21-0 at halftime in the season finale before the Raiders rallied for a 40-21 win.

WPIAL to release alignments

Alignments for the fall sports seasons for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years will be released late Monday afternoon on the WPIAL website, according to WPIAL communications director Ethan Woy.

To view the alignments, click the “schedules” tab on each relevant sports-specific page: cross country, field hockey, football, golf, soccer, girls tennis and girls volleyball.

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.