Cal U selects five for Athletic Hall of Fame

Matthew Kifer, Sports Information Director

Four former Vulcan sports standouts and a retired coach will comprise California University of Pennsylvania’s 26th-annual Athletic Hall of Fame class.

The 2021 inductees are Amanda Heister-DelGreco, Class of 2009 (women’s soccer); Dennis Laskey, Classes of 1984 and 2006 (soccer coach); Kayla Smith, Classes of 2010 and 2011 (women’s basketball); Randy Sturgill, Class of 2011 (baseball); and the late Bernard “Bernie” Kalocay, Class of 1965 (baseball).

Heister-DelGreco (Palmyra, Pa./Northern Lebanon) was a prolific forward on the Cal U women’s soccer team from 2006-09 and was selected the PSAC West Athlete of the Year as a senior.

She helped the Vulcans make their first-ever appearance in both the PSAC and NCAA Tournaments in 2009, advancing to the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament. Heister-DelGreco led the PSAC with 19 goals and 42 points as a senior and was a first-team all-region selectin by both the NSCAA and Daktronics.

A four-time All-PSAC West selection, Heister-DelGreco holds all-time school records of 44 goals and 107 points. She is one of just two players to eclipse the century mark in points.

Kalocay (Bethel Park, Pa./McKeesport) was a standout pitcher for the Vulcans and a two-year team captain in the 1960s.

He helped the program advance to the NAIA National Tournament in Saint Joseph, Missouri, in both 1962 and 1963. Kalocay posted a 4-0 record with a 1.29 ERA as a sophomore and finished his career with 18 victories, winning at least four games each season.

Kalocay passed away on July 29, 2020.

Laskey (Dunlevy, Pa./Charleroi) was the head coach of the men’s soccer team from 1984-88 and 1991-2012, in addition to serving as the head coach for the women’s soccer team from 1990-2001.

He is the all-time winningest coach in school history in both sports, posting a 258-223-41 mark with the men’s program and an 89-123-13 record with the women’s team.

Laskey ranks second in PSAC men’s soccer history in victories. He led the program to PSAC Championship appearances five times, highlighted by the program’s first league title in 2008.

Laskey also guided the men’s soccer program to a berth in the NCAA Tournament three times in eight years from 2004-11.

Smith (Elkins, Pa./Elkins) was a dominant forward at Cal U from 2006-11 and received All-America status three times.

She helped Cal U capture NCAA Atlantic Regional Championships in 2007 and 2008 before being selected the 2011 PSAC West Athlete of the Year. Smith led the league and ranked among the top five in the country in rebounds per game in each her last two seasons.

Smith holds the all-time school record with 1,309 rebounds and ranks third with 2,096 points. She is just one of eight players in PSAC history – three from Cal U – to finish with more than 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.

Sturgill (Leechburg, Pa./Leechburg) was a standout pitcher for the Vulcans from 2008-11 and received multiple All-America honors in his final two seasons.

He was the ace of the Vulcans throughout his career, as the program captured the PSAC Championship in 2010 for just the third time in program history. Sturgill led the league in strikeouts in his each of his last two years and was chosen the PSAC West Pitcher in Year in both 2010 and 2011.

Sturgill holds the all-time school record with 23 victories and ranks second with 241 strikeouts despite playing just three seasons. He also ranks among the top five in school history with a 2.88 ERA and 16 complete games in his career.

The 2021 Hall of Fame inductees, along with the 2020 Hall of Fame inductees, will be recognized at an upcoming event with day and time to be determined.