The Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame will induct six members, including former Richland High School state champion wrestler Eric Bowser.
The class of 2025 will be recognized at 5:30 p.m. April 26 in the Pitt-Johnstown Wellness Center. A reception will be held at the Sports Center Hall of Fame Room before the banquet, beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Thad Benton, wrestling, 2001-06
A two-time national champion at 141 pounds and three-time NCAA Division II All-American, Benton posted 121 career wins and a .842 winning percentage with the Mountain Cats.
As a senior at Pitt-Johnstown, Benton went 41-6 with 17 falls in 2005-06. He helped the Mountain Cats finish sixth nationally and became the third wrestler to win multiple national titles.
At Claysburg-Kimmel High School, Benton won three District 6 crowns, two regional titles and finished as a state runner-up.
“I pushed myself to do things that I didn’t want to do to make myself better,” Benton said. “Everyone has a breaking point. I knew that to get to where I wanted to be, I had to go past that point. I worked my way to become a national champ, but not alone.
“The biggest thing that made me who I am is the people that were around me, pushing me, and wouldn’t let me give up on myself. The brotherhood runs deep and there is no way I could have gotten to this point without any of them.”
Eric Bowser, wrestling, 1989-92
Bowser twice earned NCAA Division II All- American honors at 126 pounds wrestling for Pitt- Johnstown coach Pat Pecora. In 1991, he placed second in the nation. Bowser won three consecutive regional championships.
“We live in the greatest country in this world,” Bowser said. “Find out what you want, find out what it costs and pay the price. Self-discipline equals freedom. Coach Pecora gave all his wrestlers the opportunity to win at life and to be better than they ever thought they could be.
“He was not only a father to us, but he helped us to become doctors, engineers, coaches, teachers, soldiers, business owners, Pa. state troopers, community leaders, Pittsburgh Steelers, and of course, great sons, fathers and husbands.”
At Richland, Bowser went 114-12 and placed three times in the PIAA tournament in Hershey. He won the state championship as a sophomore 112-pounder in 1986.
Since 2006, Bowser has been a Pennsylvania State Police trooper. He has been part of the United States Army Reserves since 2001, including the past 21 years as a commissioned officer.
From 1993 to 2006, he coached wrestling at the elementary and high school levels in the Richland and Forest Hills school districts. Bowser was a certified PIAA wrestling official for three years. The District 6 Wrestling Hall of Fame inducted him in 2014.
Quinton Davis, men’s basketball, 2005-09
Pittsburgh native Davis was part of a conference championship and two Pitt-Johnstown appearances in the NCAA Division II men’s basketball East Region Tournament.
When he finished his Pitt-Johnstown career, Davis ranked second all-time in 3-point field goals (174), fifth in scoring (1,441 points), sixth in rebounding (611) and seventh in assists (368). He still ranks 12th in scoring and eighth in 3-pointers.
Davis earned honorable mention all-West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors as a junior in 2007-08 and was a first-team all-conference pick as a senior in 2008-09. His final season, he earned a spot on the WVIAC tournament team as coach Bob Rukavina’s Mountain Cats won the conference crown.
In 2014-15, Davis played professionally in Jakarta, Indonesia. He has been a teacher in Jakarta and Guinea. He returned to the United States in 2018 and is a history teacher at Fort Worth Country Day School in Texas.
“The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown was the first place I spent significant time away from home, and it profoundly shaped my understanding of the world and my values as an adult,” Davis said. “Pitt- Johnstown was a perfect fit for 17-year-old Quinton, providing a place where I could learn and grow.”
Davis credited the Pitt- Johnstown education department for building a foundation for his teaching career. He also thanked his coach.
“I’m grateful for Coach Rukavina, who believed in me when few others did,” Davis said. “His encouragement, guidance and genuine care had a lasting impact on my life – one I could never fully repay.”
Janet Hess, women’s basketball, 1991-95
A women’s basketball Division II Bulletin honorable mention All-American and part of two NCAA East Regional championship teams, Hess ranks among the program’s all-time leaders in scoring and assists.
The Marion Center High School graduate scored 1,340 points and dished out 524 assists during her career. In 1994, she received the University of Pittsburgh Golden Panther Scholar-Athlete Award.
Hess twice served as a team captain under former coach Jodi Gault.
“Competing for a prestigious program under the guidance of Coach Gault fills me with immense pride and a deep sense of gratitude,” Hess said.
“The invaluable support and friendships I experienced with my coaches and teammates at Pitt-Johnstown profoundly influenced my personal and athletic development.”
As a senior, the point guard led the Mountain Cats to a 19-8 record. In Hess’s four seasons, Pitt-Johnstown went a combined 88-24 with a .786 winning percentage.
At Marion Center, Hess totaled 1,863 points and 750 assists as led the Stingers to a 105-20 overall record.
In 2006, she accepted a position as a teacher in the Burgettstown Area School District and still teaches sixth-grade English and social studies.
Melissa Patterson-Yarkowski, women’s basketball, 2001-05
Patterson-Yarkowski capped a stellar career in 2004-05 by earning independent player of the year and being named an honorable mention All-American by Kodak, Daktronics and women’s Division II Bulletin.
She also stood out in the classroom as a first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American.
Patterson-Yarkowski averaged 22.3 points a game as a senior, which tied fellow Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame member Denise Gallo as a single-season record.
Her 1,196 career points rank 22nd all-time among the Pitt-Johnstown women’s basketball players.
Patterson-Yarkowski also competed in women’s track and field at Pitt-Johnstown and spent one season as a student assistant coach to Gault.
She was part of the University of Pittsburgh/UPMC Hillman Cancer Center staff for more than 18 years, most recently as associate director of clinical research finance. Patterson- Yarkowski recently joined the staff at New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
“I am honored to be inducted into the Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame and join an accomplished and talented group of men and women,” Patterson-Yarkowski said. “I will be forever grateful to my coaches for giving me the opportunity to be part of the Lady Cat women’s basketball program, and for the lifelong lessons and intangibles they taught me while playing a sport that I love.”
Alicia Zack-Brentzel, women’s soccer, 2006-11
A cornerstone of the Pitt-Johnstown women’s soccer program, Zack-Brentzel earned honorable mention all-West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors in her record-setting career.
She joined the Mountain Cats soccer team in its second year as a program in 2006 following a successful career at Norwin High School.
Pitt-Johnstown went 12-3-1 during her freshman season, as Zack-Brentzel collected 22 goals and 53 points, both still program single-season records.
She established Pitt- Johnstown women’s soccer career records for goals (44), assists (21), points (109) and game-winning goals (eight).
All of those marks, except game-winning goals, still stand.
Also a member of the Pitt-Johnstown women’s track and field team, she married former Mountain Cats wrestler A.J. Brentzel in 2012. The couple operates a construction company, Brex Enterprises.
“Being inducted into the hall of fame is an incredible honor and a humbling surprise,” Zack-Brentzel said. “Since leaving Pitt-Johnstown, I’ve been on a journey to create a legacy elevating those around me and striving to be my best in everything I do. I think once you become and athlete at a certain level, that drive never leaves.
“I never imagined that I already left such an impact on a program still in its early days.”
Mike Mastovich is a sports reporter and columnist for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5083. Follow him on Twitter @Masty81.
