Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 10/26/11
Five Philly women have recently been inducted into sports Halls of Fame in the region:
Shippensburg – Bernie Tufillaro (Phoenixville)
Phoenixville graduate Bernadette ‘Bernie’ Tufillaro Pencewas among nine former student athletes inducted into the Shippensburg University Hall of Fame earlier this month.
A three-time All-American who competed in both field hockey and lacrosse at Shippensburg, Tufillaro Pence earned All-PSAC selections five times (two in lacrosse, three in field hockey).
Tufillaro had 17 goals and 17 assists in her field hockey career while serving primarily as a midfielder. At the time of her graduation in 1996, she held the school record for career assists.
In lacrosse, Tufillaro was Division II attack player of the year as a senior after totaling 54 goals and 16 assists. For her lax career she collected 157 goals (fourth on Shippensburg’s all-time list) and 34 assists.
Duquesne University – Ginger Flocco (Plymouth Whitemarsh)
The Merle E. Gilliand Duquesne University Sports Hall of Fame will welcome three new members during ceremonies to be held Friday, Dec. 9. Established in 1963, the Hall of Fame honors more than 250 athletes, coaches and builders for exceptional achievement across the more than 100 years of Duquesne intercollegiate athletics. The 2011-12 enshrinement class includes:
Ginger Flocco (Plymouth Whitemarsh): Lacrosse player Flocco is also the first athlete from her sport to enter Duquesne’s Sports Hall of Fame. Between 2002 and 2005, she was a three-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference honoree and set school records in game winning goals and draw controls.
Flocco finished her Duquesne career among the top five in school history in nine statistical categories. A 2005 graduate of Duquesne’s School of Education, she resides in Plymouth Meeting, Pa.
Univ. of Delaware – Melissa Hefner (Pennridge)
One of the top two-sport standouts in Delaware women’s athletics history, Hefner was a four-year starter in both field hockey and lacrosse in 1993-97 and earned team Most Valuable Player honors and all-conference laurels for both squads. A native of Sellersville, Pa., she was a two-time All-America East conference and All-Mid-Atlantic Region forward in field hockey, leading the team to four straight winning seasons under coach Carol Miller. She also was a member of the US Women’s Lacrosse squad.
She scored 43 goals to rank No. 5 all-time at Delaware and set a school record by scoring a goal in 11 straight games at one point. In lacrosse, Hefner was a standout midfielder who scored 59 career goals for coach Denise Wescott, including 30 as a senior in 1997 when she led the team to the America East team title. A 1997 honors graduate of Delaware, she served as captain in 1997 when she also was selected as both the America East Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She earned all-conference and All-American honors twice in lacrosse.
After a graduation, she served as a graduate assistant coach in soccer and lacrosse at Maris College. She began her professional career in pharmaceutical sales, marketing, and medical education and currently is employed with BioPharm Communications in New Hope, Pa. She resides in Lambertville, N.J. with her husband, Glenn Kapuscienski.
Chester County Hall of Fame (posthumously) – Gertie Dunn (West Chester Univ., Sharon Hill)
Gertie Dunn was previously elected to the inaugural class of the U.S. Field Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988 and to the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2007. She is also in the Delaware County Sports Hall of Fame and the West Chester University Athletics Hall of Fame.
Dunn excelled in field hockey, basketball and softball as a high school athlete at Sharon Hill High School in Delaware County.
Upon graduating from Sharon Hill, Dunn played for the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Playing four years in the league as a shortstop, she boasted a fielding percentage of almost 92% and had a lifetime batting average of .261. She was voted the league’s Rookie of the Year in 1952. After the league disbanded in 1954, Dunn entered West Chester State Teacher’s College with a major in Physical Education.
While at West Chester, Dunn was a star in both field hockey and lacrosse. During her college years and afterwards, she played for both the U.S. Field Hockey and Lacrosse teams. Dunn was on the U.S. Field Hockey Team for 13 years and for seven years on the U.S. Lacrosse Team.
Dunn also officiated sports for over 20 years, and coached both field hockey and lacrosse. She earned her pilot’s license, and passed away pursuing this passion when her plane crashed while taking off on Sept. 29, 2004.
Stevens Institute of Technology – Valerie Barnhart (Boyertown)
Valerie Barnhart was a two-sport standout at Stevens Institute of Technology, excelling in lacrosse and soccer. Barnhart was a four-time All-Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference selection and ECAC Player of the Year; a three-time All-Knickerbocker Conference and two-time KC Player of the Year, and Stevens’ first lacrosse All-American. Barnhart still owns the single-season records for goals and total points and ranks at the top or near the top in more than 10 other single-season and career categories. She was named Stevens’ Athlete of the Year three times and was the recipient of the NCAA Woman of the Year Award once before graduating in 2005.
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