ASH inducts 5 to hall of fame, honors ’91 team

By Ron Brocato, Clarion Herald Sports

Oct. 2 was a special day at the Academy of the Sacred Heart.

The 151-year-old school inducted its Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2018 on that day, and made the occasion doubly enjoyable when its volleyball team defeated St. Scholastica in three games.

Receiving their silver plaques as individual inductees were Nina Wessel English, gymnastics, Class of 1992; Renée De La Houssaye Fleishman, volleyball, Class of 1989; Christy Carr Gernard, four sports, Class of 1997; Lindsay Ruckert Mutimer, volleyball and gymnastics, Class of 1998, and coach Charles “Ray” Grenier, mentor to the Cardinals’ volleyball, basketball and track and field teams, 1964-74.

The 1991 volleyball team, epitomized the winning culture at Sacred Heart, consisted of Cappy Meyer, Jane Heidingsfelder, Kendall Goodier, Colleen Henican, Elizabeth Ehrensing, Dottie Gibbons, Lauren Shannon, Brittany Booth, Madeline Haydel, Adele Michaelis, Julie Donelon and Allison Rausch.

The Cardinals of that year posted a 40-4 record and defeated Division III rival Newman for the district and state championships.
The title game was a start-to-finish battle, but the Cardinals outlasted their neighborhood rival, 15-13, 17-15, to clinch the title.

It was the third of 11 state volleyball championships the 

Cardinals would win between 1986-2006. Eight members of that team were selected for all-district honors, and four of the six starters went on to compete on a collegiate level at Tulane, Duke, Iowa State and Rollins College.