Five North Hills School District individuals have been selected for induction in the North Hills Sports Hall of Fame. The 2017 inductees include Keith Brown, Class of 1981; Liz Cleary, Class of 2003; Zach Hebda, Class of 2011; Margo Malone, Class of 2012 and Sal Marsico, Coach.
Tickets are available for the induction dinner where inductees will be honored and can be purchased online for the Sept. 21 Hall of Fame dinner at Rico’s restaurant through Sept. 14.
Created in 1995, the North Hills Sports Hall of Fame honors individuals who have distinguished themselves in athletics during and/or beyond their years at North Hills High School or the former West View High School. Inductees have brought pride and recognition to the district’s athletic programs and to the community as former players, coaches, administrators and supporters.
Inductees will be honored at the annual Sports Hall of Fame dinner on Sept. 21 at 6 p.m. at Rico’s Restaurant in Ross Township. They also will be recognized at the home football game the following evening at Martorelli Stadium.
This year marks the 22nd year of the Sports Hall of Fame, which is a community program not affiliated with North Hills School District. For more information regarding the Sports Hall of Fame or to purchase tickets to the Sept. 21 dinner, contact Chelle Zimmerman, activities coordinator, at 412-318-1438 or via email [email protected].
2017 Inductees
- Keith Brown – Class of 1981 – Keith Brown was a three-sport athlete and letter winner at North Hills participating in football, basketball and baseball. He was integral in leading the football team to the first undefeated regular season in North Hills history and holds the school record for career extra points by a kicker. Brown received a full scholarship to the University of Louisville where he was a member of the football team for four years. He was a three-year varsity letter winner at tight end and special teams and received the Athletic Academic Achievement Award at Louisville. Brown currently coaches youth football in his community and works in logistics. He lives with his wife, Stephanie, and their four children in Pottstown.
- Liz Cleary – Class of 2003 – Liz Cleary was a top swimmer and team captain at North Hills where she broke the school record in the 100 Freestyle and also the 200 Free Relay. She was the 50 Freestyle WPIAL Champion, 100 Freestyle WPIAL Runner-up and top 12 PIAA finisher in the 50 Freestyle. Cleary continued her swimming career at West Virginia University where she was the team captain and named to the academic athletic honor roll. She is the varsity head coach of the North Hills men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams, head coach of the North Hills Aquatics Club and a school counselor at North Hills High School. Cleary resides in the Pittsburgh area with her fiancé.
- Zach Hebda – Class of 2011 – Zach Hebda participated in cross country and track at North Hills and was the 2010 Gatorade Pennsylvania Cross Country Athlete of the Year. His high school cross country accomplishments included WPIAL Champion, Red, White & Blue Classic Champion, Central Catholic Invitational Champion, PIAA State Championship third-place finisher, First Team All-State and Ninth Place at the Foot Locker Northeast U.S. Championship, which qualified Zach for the Foot Locker National Championship in San Diego, where he finished in 18th place. He ranks among the fastest 3200 meter runners in WPIAL history and was the PIAA State second-place finisher in the 3200 meter run in 2011. Hebda attended the U.S. Naval Academy and earned two varsity letters in cross country and three in track. In cross country, he led Navy to two Patriot League Championships and was an All-Region runner in. His time of 29:55 in 10,000 meters ranks among the best in Navy history. Hebda lives in Florida where he is engaged in Navy flight school training.
- Margo Malone – Class of 2012 – Margo Malone was a cross country and track athlete at North Hills and remains one of the greatest distant runners in WPIAL history. In 2011, she was the PIAA State Champion in the 1600 meters, and during her career, she placed in the top five in PIAA State Championships five times - twice in cross country and three times in track. Malone won six WPIAL Championships - two in cross country and four in track. She was named to the First Team All-State in both cross country and track. At the national level for cross country, Malone was fourth in the Nike Northeast Championship and 23rd in the Nike National Championship meet in Portland. Malone received a full athletic scholarship to run at Syracuse University and graduated with a degree in biology. At Syracuse, she was the 2015 ACC Champion at 10,000 meters and had top three finishes at ACC Championships eight times making here the highest scoring distance runner in Syracuse history. She currently resides in Pittsburgh.
- Sal Marsico - Coach - Sal Marsico was a dedicated North Hills coach for more than 30 years. He was the boys soccer coach for many years along with holding a position as one of the girls softball coaches. Marsico also a dedicated teacher for North Hills and took great pride in his work. He was named Section Coach of the Year three times and named Northern Area Coach during his career at North Hills. Sal is retired and lives in Pittsburgh with his wife, Patricia.