The Greencastle-Antrim High School Hall of Fame Committee has announced its “Class of 2026” which includes one state championship team, six athletes spanning from the graduating class of 1956 to 2005, one athletic department contributor and one honorary member.  

 Jack Wells: Class of 1956 

A remarkable threesport standout, Wells earned 10 varsity letters, collecting four in baseball, three in basketball, and three in soccer, establishing himself as one of the most versatile athletes in Blue Devil history.

In basketball, Wells became the first 1,000-point scorer at GAHS, finishing with 1,132 career points, achieved decades before the three-point shot existed. He still holds the single-game scoring record, pouring in 55 points against Clear Spring. At one time, he also held the PIAA District 3 record for making 16 free throws in a district playoff game.

Wells excelled in soccer, setting multiple scoring marks during his career, and was equally dominant in baseball, where he set numerous program records. He batted .430 as a senior.

Following graduation, Wells served in the United States Navy before returning home to Greencastle. In 1960, he was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies, extending his athletic journey to the professional level.

Decades later, Wells continued giving back to the program he helped elevate. During the 2015–16 season, at the age of 78, he served as an assistant basketball coach for Greencastle-Antrim, sharing his experience, leadership, and passion for the game with a new generation of Blue Devils.

 Dotti Zimmerman: Class of 1971

Zimmerman was a standout two-sport athlete, excelling in both field hockey and basketball during her Blue Devil career.

She played four years of varsity basketball, emerging as one of the program’s earliest offensive stars. Zimmerman ranked at the top of the team’s scoring list in both her freshman and sophomore seasons.   She continued her dominance as an upperclassman, leading the team in scoring during her junior and senior years. As a junior, she averaged over 17 points per game, and in her senior season she accounted for more than one-third of the team’s total points.

Zimmerman also excelled in field hockey, where she was the leading scorer for the Blue Devils in both her sophomore and senior seasons, further demonstrating her versatility and all-around athletic ability.

Her contributions extended beyond the traditional fall and winter seasons. In the spring, Zimmerman competed on both G-A’s original tennis team and softball teams, helping to pioneer the establishment of expanded girls’ sports offerings at GAHS. She was voted the Outstanding Female Athlete of the Class of 1971, a fitting honor for a trailblazer whose impact helped shape the future of girls’ sports at Greencastle-Antrim.

Zimmerman continued her athletic and academic journey at West Chester State College (now West Chester University), where she played tennis for two years while earning her teaching degree.

After graduating from college, Zimmerman began her teaching and coaching career at Williamsport High School in Williamsport, Maryland, where she served as the head varsity basketball coach. She also became the head coach for the newly formed boys’ and girls’ tennis teams.

 Boys Cross Country Team:  1986

The 1986 Boys Cross Country Team continued one of the most remarkable eras in Greencastle-Antrim athletic history, becoming the fourth Blue Devil cross country team to win a PIAA state championship between 1980 and 1986. Sandwiched around these state championships were runner-up finishes in 1985 and again in 1987, with some of these athletes participating on those teams.

The 1986 team swept through the regular season with a perfect 9–0 record in dual meet competition and won all but one of the invitations, finishing second in that one. They went on to win Greencastle-Antrim’s seventh straight Blue Mountain League regular season title, then added the Blue Mountain League Championship Meet victory, again for the seventh straight year.

The Blue Devils put on an impressive run at the PIAA District III championships to secure the district title for the third straight year and picked up the program’s fifth at the time.  They carried that momentum into the state meet the following week at Penn State University, placing their top five runners from 9th to 67th in a field of 280 runners to outscore Lansdale Catholic and Annville Catholic 214 to 280 and pick up the state championship.

 Kylene (Helman) Swain: Class of 1999. A three-sport standout, Swain excelled in field hockey, basketball, and track and field. She earned 1997 Honorable Mention All-Star honors in field hockey, followed by Mid Penn Colonial First Team and South Penn Senior First Team recognition as a senior.

In basketball, Swain reached 1,000 points as a junior, earned Public Opinion First Team All-Star honors twice, and finished with 1,420 career points, second all-time at GAHS—accomplished without the three-point shot.

Her greatest achievements came in track and field. A four-year district and state qualifier, Swain ranked 12th nationally in the javelin, placed third at the Penn Relays, won two Mid Penn titles in both the javelin and discus, and captured the District III Javelin Championship as a senior. Her throw of 148’10” remains the old implement school record.

Swain continued her athletic career at Liberty University, competing in the discus and javelin.  She has been a teacher at Greencastle-Antrim Senior High School for 21 years and has served as a coach in track and field, basketball, and softball.

 Bill Windle: Class of 1999 

A gifted three-sport athlete, Windle earned an impressive 11 varsity letters during his Blue Devil career. He was a three-year letter winner in basketball, a four-year letter winner in track and field, and a four-year letter winner in football, demonstrating excellence across every season.

In track and field, Windle was a dominant contributor, leading the team in scoring during both his junior and senior years. He was selected the program’s Most Valuable Athlete as a senior, reflecting his leadership and all-around impact.

On the football field, Windle earned Mid Penn All-Star honors in three consecutive seasons. As a sophomore, he was recognized as an all-conference defensive back. In his junior year, he again earned all-conference honors as a defensive back and punter. His senior season showcased his versatility, as he was selected to the all-star team as a defensive back, punter, and quarterback, and was named the Mid Penn Colonial Division Offensive MVP.

He continued both his education and athletic career at Bucknell University, where he lettered in football during his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. Windle was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll in both his junior and senior years and earned recognition on the Verizon Academic All-America District Team as a senior.

 Tabitha (Eshleman) Baer: Class of 2000

A standout two-sport athlete, Baer was a four-year letter winner in both volleyball and basketball.

In volleyball, Baer was a three-year starter who helped lead the Blue Devils to three straight Mid Penn Colonial Division championships. During that dominant run, she earned Colonial Division First Team All-Star honors each season and was named the league’s Player of the Year as a senior. Her excellence extended statewide, earning Second Team Pennsylvania All-State honors as a junior and First Team All-State recognition as a senior.

In the winter, Baer’s attention turned to basketball, where she was also a three-year starter and the team’s Most Valuable Player during her senior season. She led the Blue Devils with 152 assists, averaging 6.6 per game, 

Baer continued her volleyball career at Penn State University, where she achieved one of the rarest distinctions in program history—playing in every match of her collegiate career, the only Penn State women’s volleyball player ever to do so. She helped guide the Nittany Lions to back-to-back Big Ten Championships in her junior and senior seasons and qualified for the NCAA Tournament all four years, reaching the Elite Eight as a junior and the Sweet Sixteen as a senior.

 Jessica (Ritchey) Bard: Class of 2005 

Bard was a standout three-sport athlete, earning three varsity letters in volleyball, three in softball, and two in basketball.

In volleyball, Bard helped lead the Blue Devils to the 2004–2005 MidPenn Colonial Division championship and guided the team to three straight PIAA District III tournament appearances. She was a three-time MidPenn Colonial Division All-Star, earned 2004 Public Opinion Player of the Year and Herald-Mail Player of the Year honors, and capped her junior season with Pennsylvania All-State recognition.

In softball, Bard again played a key role in the Blue Devils’ success, helping the team capture the 2004–2005 MidPenn Colonial Division title and qualify for three PIAA District III tournaments. She was selected as a three-time divisional All-Star.  In basketball, Bard earned MidPenn Colonial Division Second Team All-Star honors to go along with her honors in volleyball and softball.

Bard continued her education and athletic career at Juniata College, where she became part of one of the most successful eras in NCAA Division III volleyball. She helped lead the Eagles to four conference championships, four NCAA Division III regional titles, four Final Four appearances, two national championship appearances, and the 2006 NCAA Division III National Championship, a season in which Juniata finished with an extraordinary 41–1 record.

After college, Bard returned home to serve the next generation of Blue Devils. She has coached junior varsity volleyball at Greencastle-Antrim for the past 11 years.

 Pat Ruda: Contributor

After graduating from Chambersburg Area Senior High School and Shepherd College (now Shepherd University), Ruda began his long and influential career at Greencastle-Antrim School District in 1967, teaching health and physical education and coaching boys’ junior varsity basketball.  The following year, he joined the high school football coaching staff, and midseason was thrust into the head coach position with a staff that had as much football coaching experience as he did—zero.

In 1968, he joined the high school track and field program as an assistant coach, specializing in the throwing events, a role he held until 1989. Under his guidance, GAHS throwers qualified for district competition every season, a remarkable streak of consistency and excellence. Ruda coached multiple state medalists in the discus, including a PIAA state champion.

In 1973, Ruda was appointed Athletic Director for middle school/junior high athletics, a position he held for 26 years until his retirement. During that time, he was instrumental in establishing and expanding girls’ athletic programs at the middle school level.

For the past 27 years, Ruda has remained deeply involved in supporting Greencastle-Antrim athletics. This fall, he will begin his 60th year of involvement with GAHS athletics—an extraordinary milestone of service, dedication, and impact.

As a student-athlete at Shepherd College, Ruda was an outstanding football player, and six decades later he still holds school records for the longest punt and yearly punting average, a testament to his athletic ability.

 Robert “Bob” Johnston:  Honorary

Johnston played a pivotal role in the rebirth and growth of Blue Devil football. As a founding member of the Blue Devils Football Booster Club, he was instrumental in helping Greencastle-Antrim restore football as a varsity sport, laying the foundation for the program that thrives today.

For 25 consecutive years, Johnston filmed every Blue Devil football game, home and away, never missing a single contest. He not only filmed the games, but had the film developed, then delivered it to Head Coach John McFalls every Sunday, where the two would sit together and review the footage. 

For a shorter period, Johnston also filmed boys’ home basketball games, further contributing to the athletic department’s needs.

Along with his filming duties, Johnston served as a football official for 12 years, working games in both Pennsylvania and Maryland.  He was also a familiar presence at the Greencastle Little League, where he umpired countless games, becoming a mainstay behind the plate and a respected figure in the community’s youth sports programs.

Johnston’s commitment to Greencastle-Antrim athletics began early. In 1955, as a student, he started his volunteer career as a team manager for the high school soccer, basketball, baseball, and track and field teams, beginning a lifetime of service that would span decades.