The Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame will host its annual banquet on Sunday, Aug. 16 at the Best Western Genetti’s Hotel and Convention Center in Wilkes-Barre. Dinner begins at 5 p.m. Tickets are $30 (ages 13 and up) and $15 for children ages 3-12. Children under two eat free. Tickets to the event can be obtained from any inductee or by calling Carol Hurley at 570-824-7133.
This year’s inductees are: Tim Crossin, Tom Evans, Christine Kansky, Ronald Marchetti, Paul McGrane, Jack Monick, Robert L. Tambur, Erin Beggs Treaster, Maria Zangardi and William Ziegler.
Crossin was a four-year basketball starter at Bishop O’Reilly High School, where his were three-time district champions and won back to back state championships in 2003-04 and 2004-05. At Towson University, Crossin was named Colonial Athletic Association First Team All Rookie (2005-06) and started all 32 games as a freshman. He was named CBS Sportsline Rookie of the Year in the CAA (2006-07). Following his graduation from Towson in 2009, Crossin coached Holy Redeemer from 2010 to 2014 where his teams were two-time district champs. He’s the son of Tom and Eileen Crossin and has two sisters, Kelly and Erin.
Evans, a halfback for a West Pittston Rams team that went 10-0 and scored 487 points in his senior season in 1953. Evans scored 33 touchdowns in his junior and senior seasons, of which the Rams won 19 out of 20. He was also a sprinter for the track team which won four championships. In November of 2011, Evans was inducted into the Wyoming Area Ring of Pride.
Kansky, a graduate of Crestwood High School, excelled at tennis and compiled a 78-2 record in singles competition during her high school career. In District 2 AA, Kansky was undefeated in single matches and won the District 2 AA gold medal in four consecutive years. In the state Class AA state championships, Kansky was a two-time gold medalist (2001, 2003) and was a silver medalist in 2002. Kansky played collegiate tennis on the Princeton University NCAA Division I varsity team as both a singles and doubles player.
Marchetti began his television career on Channel-13 in Hazleton 22 years ago as host of two shows he created in August of 1994 “Trivia Treats” which aired every Monday and “Short Shots” which aired every Friday. Marchetti completed over 2,200 segments during his TV experience. As the sports editor for Panorama Magazine for over 26 years (1984-2010), Marchetti is considered the heart, soul and voice of sports in the Hazleton region. He received the “Ray Saul Sports Legend” award in 2009 and was inducted into the Greater Hazleton Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. Marchetti and his wife Christine have four children, daughters Lisa, Robin and Terri and son, Randy.
McGrane began his athletic career at Meyers High School where he lettered in football between 1973-1975. McGrane continued his career at West Chester State College where he played from 1976 to 1979. Upon graduation in 1980, McGrane began his career in coaching. As of the fall of 2015, he will be entering his 36th year as a coach of football, basketball, track, cross country and soccer. McGrane was instrumental in helping the Mohawks track teams win seven District 2 boys team titles and one girls team title. In 1987 and 1988 the boys team won the PIAA state team title in the AA division. There were 10 state champions who were crowned during this era which included multiple championships by Raghib and Qadry Ismail. At Coughlin, McGrane helped the Crusaders crown four state champions, including Shelley Black and Dannah Hayward. McGrane resides in Wilkes-Barre with his wife Carol and their three daughters, Kylee, Rosie and Dani.
Monick, a graduate of Wyoming Seminary in 1969, received MVP honors from the Catholic League and Sunday Independent and was also named to the Wyoming Valley Super All-Star baseball team. In 1969, Monick was drafted by the New York Mets as a pitcher. He’s taught physical education and coached a variety of sports in the Wilkes-Barre School District before taking over the Penn State University Wilkes-Barre Campus athletic program in 1984. He taught kinesiology for the next 26 years until his retirement in 2011. He’s been honored by the campus with the Fran Brown Hayfield Award, President’s Award and inducted to the campus Wall of Fame. In 2010, Monick was awarded the prestigious Robert J. Scannel Roll of Honor by the Penn State University Athletic Conference (PSUAC). Monick’s family includes his wife Valerie and two daughters Kaitlin and Corrine. He’s the child of Dolores and John Monick.
Tambur pitched on the first little league team in West Pittston where he was also the leading home run hitter. He also played football and ran track. In 1956, Tambur was selected to play in the All-Star UNICO game coached by Doc Yonkondy. Tambur also played baseball for three years at North Dakota as catcher and infielder. In 1960 and 1961, he coached football at Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School in South Dakota. In 2008, Tambur was inducted into the Wyoming Area “Ring of Pride” Hall of Fame and in 2013, Misericordia University named their baseball field in his honor. Tambur currently resides in Shavertown with his wife Virginia. They have a son and daughter, Robert Tamburro and Lisa Tambur-Rolland.
Treaster attended Bishop Hoban High School where she was a four-year basketball starter. She was named first team All-Conference as a junior and senior and led the team to the District 2 AAA championships in 1991 and 1993. Treaster was also named MVP of the Senior All-Star Classic in 1995 and led the team to the state semifinals in 1994. As a four-year starter in soccer and a part of the District championship team in 1994, Treaster was a three-time All-Star selection in her sophomore, junior and senior years. She was named first team All-Conference four years (1992-95), and was the Wyoming Valley Conference MVP in 1995. At Bloomsburg University, she was a four-year starter in basketball and soccer. In basketball, she led the team to the PSAC semifinals and to the NCAA regional finals in 1997-98. In soccer, Treaster led the team to two conference PSAC titles and the first-ever NCAA playoff appearance in 1997-98. In her senior year, she led the team to a school record of 16-1-4 and a fifth place national ranking. Treaster currently resides in Macungie with her husband Eric and two children Sara and Connor.
Zangardi was a three-sport athlete at the former Seton Catholic High School in Pittston, playing tennis, basketball and softball. She received all conference honors in all three sports and played in the district playoffs in each sport. During her career at Seton Catholic, she was part of a basketball team that won two conference and district titles. They went to the state playoffs three out of her four years. In softball, Zangardi was part of the first-ever conference title for the school as well as its first ever district title. After graduating in 2002, Zangardi headed to King’s College and played with the softball team that won four-straight MAC Conference titles and four straight berths to the NCAA playoffs. Zangardi was a three-time All-Freedom Conference first-team selection and a three-time East Regional All-American. In 2004, she made history by becoming the first Lady Monarch to earn National All-American honors in softball when she was named to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division III All-American squad as a second team selection. Zangardi holds the King’s College career records with 217 bases and a .986 fielding percentage, making just 14 errors in 1,024 chances. She’s the daughter of Alfonso and Barbara Zangardi.
Ziegler started playing tennis in seventh grade. He played three years for Norristown High School, one year at The Hill School and four years at Penn State University (1952-55), where he was the No. 1 singles player and captain in his senior year. Ziegler and his family moved to Luzerne County in 1963 and have resided in the area for over 50 years. He’s been the Wyoming Valley Closed tournament champion in singles and doubles numerous times and as a 30-year member of the Wyoming Valley Swim and Tennis Club, he often held the club Men’s Singles & Doubles Championship titles. He and his wife, Sue, still reside in Mountain Top and are parents of three children, Dani, Shelly and Bill III.
