Mt. Pleasant duo makes history by winning Scholar-Athlete Excellence Award

By: Paul Schofield
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 | 10:23 PM

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History was made at the 69th annual Westmoreland County Scholar-Athlete banquet Wednesday at Ferranti’s Lakeview.

For the first time in banquet history, the boys and girls winner of the Excellence Award came from the same school: Mt. Pleasant’s Lily King and Joseph Gardner, both multiple PIAA and WPIAL Class 2A swimming champions and state record holders.

King participated in the 2024 Olympic Trials and won the “Sweet 16” (eight WPIAL and eight PIAA individual titles), while Gardner has won five PIAA golds. Both were on numerous winning relay teams.

When King was being nominated, she actually told Mt Pleasant athletic director J.J. Eckels to pick her teammates because she had won so much. But Eckels convinced her to take the nomination.

“I realized that I’ve already been given an amazing opportunity through North Carolina State, and I just recognized that if was going to have a monetary gift involved that I would rather (it go to) someone else who needed it more than I did,” King said. “It’s an honor to be part of history and be selected for the award.

“It made it so much better that Joseph and I won together. Our teams are very close, and we do a lot of things together. I think it was poetic the fact that we both won states.”

Gardner added: “I am very grateful to have such a great culture at Mt. Pleasant and swimming, to have such athletic depth on our roster, specifically both teams winning states, goes to show we were legit. My teammates put in the hard work and made me, and really, who we are.”

He also told his fellow nominees to cherish the moment.

King and Gardner were among the 12 finalists for the awards. The others were Belle Vernon’s Kole Doppelheuer, Franklin Regional’s Toryn Fulton, Latrobe’s Eric Bisignani and Madelyn Petruzzi, Greensburg Central Catholic’s Eva Denis, Kiski Area’s Maddie Joyce, Norwin’s Kendall Berger, Penn-Trafford’s Kylie Anthony and Southmoreland’s Elliot Premus and Alexis Ohler.

Each of the 18 high schools from the county nominated a boy and a girl and each athletic director from those schools who attended the voting luncheon listened to a presentation on the athlete’s achievements, academics and athletic performances and then voted on the top 12. The banquet is sponsored Judge Michael Stewart.

Also nominated by their schools were Belle Vernon’s Grace West, Burrell’s Calio Zanella and Isabella Stewart, Derry’s Jacob Hauser and Jane Huss, Franklin Regional’s Andrew Devola, Greensburg Central Catholic’s Braden Riley, Greensburg Salem’s Tyler Martin and Olivia Smith, Hempfield’s Drew Gordon and Milana Yannascoli, Jeannette’s Jor’El Taylor and Mia Nicole Sarpolis, Kiski Area’s Carson Blake Heinle, Ligonier Valley’s Hunter Wright and Sydnee Foust, Monessen’s Christian James Williamson and Kendra Rietta Jones, Norwin’s Ryan J. Schiller, Penn-Trafford’s Derek Carr, Valley’s Landon Harclerode and Janelle Norman and Yough’s Raidon Kuroda and Adoria Waldier.

Gene Brisbane received the Michael and John Ferrante Memorial Award for his work promoting sports and student athletes.

Brisbane, 73, has spent his career coaching high school and college athletes in basketball and track and field. He has coached at Hempfield, Jeannette, Greensburg Salem, Westmoreland County Community College, Seton Hill and Derry. He is a graduate of Pitt (1974, masters 1979).

“I am grateful to win this award and this is to all the coaches, family, athletes and previous winners of the award,” Brisbane said. “I am sharing it with them.”

The guest speaker was former Pirates relief pitcher Jason Grilli, who played from 2011-2014.

Event sponsors were Excela Health, Drs. Geoff and Greg Bisignani and Ferrante’s Lakeview.

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Mt. Pleasant