The Shaler Area School District has a rich legacy of athleticism that inspires and energizes us. We are delighted to announce the 2025 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees. Please join us as we celebrate these Titans:
Julia Bernesser
Julia earned an impressive 8 combined varsity letters competing on the SA Volleyball and Track and Field Teams. In volleyball, she was a team captain, named 1st Team All Section in 2014 and 2015, and competed on the 2014 Lady Titan Section Champion Volleyball Team. It was on the track and field team where Julia made Shaler Area history throwing the shot put. In 2016, she won a WPIAL Championship, and her 41 and ½ feet throw is a school district record. Julia helped to lead the SA Track and Field Team to two Section Championships and in the process was named team MVP. She scored points for her team in every meet in which she competed.
After high school, Julia was a 4 year starter on the Washington and Jefferson College Volleyball Team. Once again, she was named team captain and was also President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. Currently, Julia is in her 4th season coaching the Pitt United Volleyball Team where she is a Mental Health Advocate for the program as well as the administrator of the program’s Instagram account which promotes its players to colleges. Julia has coached several SA volleyball players and wants to pass on her love of the sport to all of the young athletes that she coaches.
Bri Dobson
Bri was simply dominant on the Lady Titan Softball Teams from 2013-2016, and she was an integral part of the 2014 WPIAL Champion Softball Team and the 2016 Quad A Section Champion Team. Bri was named 2nd Team All Section in 2013 and pitched a perfect game in the playoffs against Woodland Hills. In 2014, she was named 1st Team All Section as well as Player of the Year by the Post Gazette North Xtra. Bri was also named 1st Team All Section in 2015 and 2016. As a senior in 2016, she led the WPIAL with 19 wins while also hitting a WPIAL leading 12 home runs. Bri’s stats that year also included an ERA of 1.11 with 102 strikeouts and a .543 batting average. She was named the Tribune Review Athlete of the Week as well as being selected to the Post Gazette’s All Area Softball Team, the Quad A Big 56 1st Team, and the PA High School Softball Coaches Association All State 2nd Team.
Don Lee
In his 14 years as the Superintendent of SA, Don was always a huge supporter of interscholastic athletics, and under his leadership, SA saw tremendous athletic success as well as major upgrades to its athletic facilities. Don was instrumental in the design and building of Biles Field for lacrosse in 1999, Matulevic Field for baseball in 2000, and Hilltop (now Palmer) Field for Softball. During Don’s tenure as superintendent, Shaler Area teams won 25 Section Championships, 4 WPIAL Championships, 2 PIAA State Championships, and 3 PIAA Runners Up. Additionally, SA athletes won 5 Individual PIAA Championships and 13 Individual WPIAL Championships. Don is remembered by both coaches and student athletes as someone who provided continual support as both a fan at competitions and as a school administrator. His influence on SA athletics is still very much evident today.
Tim Giel
Tim was a strong wrestler at Shaler, winning two Section Championships and a WPIAL Runner Up. He competed on Shaler’s 1974 WPIAL Championship Team. Tim took the lessons he learned from wrestling in high school and became one of the most successful wrestling coaches in PA history at Shady Side Academy, compiling 322 wins. As a coach, Tim produced 9 PIAA State Champions, 22 PIAA Place Winners, 25 WPIAL Champions, 84 WPIAL Place Winners, and 45 Section Champions. His teams won a WPIAL Championship in 2001, and Shady Side Academy became the first school from the WPIAL to make it to the Team Finals 2 times. Tim was named WPIAL AA Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2008, PIAA AA Coach of the Year in 2008, and the National Wrestling Coaches Association Region 2 Coach of the Year in 2009.
2005 Lady Titan Softball Team
Coming off a PIAA Championship and being a WPIAL Runner Up the previous season, the 2005 Lady Titan Softball Team had to quickly forget about their previous success and get focused on a new season. This special team did not disappoint. They finished the season with a 22-4 record, winning a Section Championship, advancing through the WPIAL Playoffs, and defeating Hempfield 7-2 to win the WPIAL Championship. They then won 3 PIAA playoff games before being defeated, earning them the distinction of being the PIAA Runner Up.
The head coach of the Lady Titan Softball team was Rich Massucci. His assistants were Skip Palmer, Tom Hauser, and Jenn Rowe. The team’s captains were Ashley Scanga and Jennifer Popinski. The rest of the roster included: Angela Mastrean, Brittany Morgan, Katelyn Kline, Laura Litwin, Kelly Keenan, Julie Stampfle, Lia Sorce, Megan Lynch, Kristen Lynch, Val Smolter, Melissa McQuade, Jen Simile, Heather Elster, Erin Fieldhouse, Lisa Huber, and Amber King.
The 2025 inductees were honored with a reception and induction ceremony on Saturday, October 4th.
