LOCK HAVEN, PA - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) is celebrating its 75th anniversary season in 2025-26 and will honor 300 of its most prominent contributors throughout the month of September in the fall of 2025.
First up among that group of honorees is a list of 75 former student-athletes across the conference's membership who have left an indelible mark on both their institution and the conference. These former student-athletes have gone on to influential careers after graduation (which could be in the sports industry, but not as a professional athlete.) and broke pride and prestige to their schools and the PSAC.
"For 75 years, the PSAC has been more than a conference. It's been a proving ground for excellence, leadership, and lifelong impact," said PSAC Commissioner Steve Murray. "The 'Made in the PSAC' honorees reflect the very best of what our institutions represent. Their achievements stand as a testament to the transformative power of Division II athletics and the values that define the PSAC: integrity, resilience, and a commitment to something greater than oneself."
The PSAC was founded on March 11, 1951, and comprised 14 institutions as the Pennsylvania State Teachers College Athletic Conference (PSTCAC). Since then, it has grown into one of the largest conferences in the NCAA across all three divisions.
Among the 75 student-athletes honored on the list of 'Made in the PSAC' are nine former athletes with a connection to West Chester University. They are listed below.
Eve Atkinson – (West Chester University Women's Swimming, Field Hockey, 1970-74) Athletic Director at Cheyney, 2001-04; 12-time All-American; 1972 National Champion at WCU; Coached at Temple, UMass and Yale, winning an vIy League title at Yale; first female AD at NCAA DI-AA football school (Lafayette); elected President of ECAC; implemented one of the first drug testing programs at NCAA level while at Temple as Assoc. AD.
Carol Eckman – (Women's Basketball Head Coach at West Chester (1967-72), IUP (1973), LHU (1974-77); Lock Haven, Field Hockey, Women's Basketball, 1955-59; earned spots on two U.S. basketball teams in 1967 and 1968; In 1969, established first national tournament for women's college basketball; earned place in first class of inductees to Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee. Nicknamed the "Grandmother of Women's Basketball" as a tribute to the role she played in developing the game.
Tina Sloan Green – (West Chester Women's Lacrosse, Field Hockey, Badminton, 1962-66);
2025 NCAA Convention Theodore Roosevelt Award Winner; competed on field hockey national team in 1966 and lacrosse 1969-73; head WLAX coach at Temple (1973-92) as first African American college women's lacrosse coach; amassed record of 207-62-4 with three National Championships and 11 final four appearances.
Danny Hale (West Chester '68) – West Chester, Bloomsburg, Head Football Coach, 1993-2013;
25 years as head football coach (20 at Bloomsburg, five at West Chester); career record of 173-56-1; 11 PSAC Eastern Division titles; eight NCAA playoff appearances; seven 10-win seasons; nine-time AFCA District I Coach of the Year; 10-time PSAC Eastern Division Coach of the Year; inducted into College Football Hall of Fame.
Cathy Rush – (West Chester, Women's Basketball, 1964-68); two-sport athlete at WCU; head coach of three-time National Champion Immaculata University (1972, 1973, 1974); inducted into both the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Karen Shelton – (West Chester, 1975-79, Field Hockey, Women's Lacrosse); four-time national champion at WCU (three field hockey, one women's lacrosse); three-time Honda Award winner as best field hockey player in the nation; US National Field Hockey team member from 1977-84; member of only USA Field Hockey squad to earn a medal at the Olympics; University of North Carolina Field Hockey head coach from 1981-2022; 692 career wins and 10 Division I national championships.
Marian Washington – (West Chester, Women's Basketball, 1966-70); member of 1969 WCU National Championship team; 560-363 in 31 seasons as head coach at Kansas; 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and two Sweet 16 appearances; first and only AD for women's athletics at Kansas from 1974-79.
Joey Wendle – (West Chester, Baseball, 2009-12); 2012 National Champion; ended WCU career with .366 batting average and 274 hits, 62 doubles, 23 HR, and 185 RBI; nine-year MLB career (.262 career batting avg); 2021 All-Star; 2020 World Series Appearance with Tampa Bay Rays; finished fourth in American League Rookie of the Year balloting.
Jerry Yeagley – (West Chester, Men's Soccer, 1958-62); Helped WCU win 1961 National Championship; coached at Indiana for 27 years (478-83-37) through 1999; led Hoosiers to five titles and 13 College Cup appearances; National Coach of the Year five times; 1989 inductee in US Soccer Federation Hall of Fame
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