CALIFORNIA (April 18) – California (PA) inducted eight members into the Athletic Hall of Fame at a banquet on Saturday morning in the South Wing of the Convocation Center.
The Class of 2026 in the Athletic Hall of Fame includes Mick Fennell (baseball), Class of 2016; Lindsay Reicoff (softball), Class of 2016; Alex Sagl (softball), Class of 2016; Derek Yobbi (men's soccer), Class of 2011; Alex Zanella (women's cross country/track & field), Classes of 2015 and 2016; Ed Alford (football), Classes of 1988 and 1990; and Ed Denny (swimming coach). Cal also inducted Vulcan Distinguished Service Award recipient Michael 'DeMo' DeMichela, Class of 1976, as part of the Athletic Hall of Fame Class and presented the 2026 Michael Duda Award for Athletic Achievement to Bill Cleary.
Fennell (Butler, Pa./Butler) was a two-way starting outfield/pitcher at Cal from 2013-16. He was an ABCA All-American outfielder as a junior before being voted the 2016 PSAC West Athlete of the Year. Fennell sits in a tie for second all-time in NCAA Division II history with 27 triples. He also is tied for third in school history with 223 career hits and holds the all-time school record with 175 runs scored. Fennell, who won 16 games and pitched nearly 170 innings at Cal, played two seasons in the minor leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals after being selected in the 2016 MLB Draft.
Reicoff (Pittsburgh, Pa./Chartiers Valley) and Sagl (Oakville, Ontario/Oakville Trafalgar) helped the Vulcans capture the NCAA Atlantic Region Championship as juniors, as the program made its first National Championship appearance since 1999. Cal also won back-to-back PSAC Championships in 2014 and 2015 to mark its first title in over a decade.
Reicoff was a four-year starting first baseman at Cal from 2013-16. She holds the all-time school record with 51 home runs and ranks among the top five all-time in school history with 165 RBI while collecting over 200 hits in her career. Reicoff was tabbed a NFCA All-American twice in her career, including in 2015 when she shattered the single-season school record with 19 homers.
Sagl was a four-year pitcher at Cal from 2013-16. She was a three-time NFCA All-American and finished second all-time in school history with 90 wins, 680.0 inning pitched and 809 strikeouts. Sagl became only the second pitcher in league history to be chosen the Pitcher of the Year in four-consecutive seasons. She was chosen the PSAC Tournament MVP as a junior and later closed her career with a 1.56 ERA.
Yobbi (South Park, Pa./South Park) was a four-year starting goalkeeper at Cal from 2007-10. He was tabbed the PSAC Tournament MVP in 2008 after helping Cal win the PSAC Championship, the first in program history. Yobbi holds the all-time school record with both 38 victories and 16 shutouts while he sits second with a 1.17 career goals-against average. He was voted the 2007 PSAC Freshman of the Year and earned All-PSAC laurels three times in his career. Yobbi recorded nine shutouts as a senior while establishing a then-school record with a 0.91 GAA.
Zanella (Everett, Pa./Everett) was a distance runner at Cal from 2012-16. She was a NCAA All-American in the 1-mile run in 2015 and was an 11-time PSAC Champion in her track & field career. Zanella was chosen both the Most Valuable Athlete and Outstanding Track Athlete at the 2015 PSAC Outdoor Championships after being named the 2015 PSAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. Zanella, who still holds the outdoor school record in the 3,00-meter run, was a two-time First-Team Academic All-American and competed at the NCAA National Championships in cross country twice in her career.
Alford (Donora, Pa./Ringgold) was a three-year starting wide receiver at Cal from 1985-87. He was an All-PSAC West selection in each of his last two seasons, earning All-PSAC West First-Team status as a senior. Alford finished his career with 1,971 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns on 113 receptions. As a senior, he ranked second in the league with both 55 receptions and 878 receiving yards.
Denny (Derry, Pa.) served as head coach of the women's swimming team from 2002-19. While leading the program, the Vulcans produced 22 individual NCAA All-Americans with Melissa Gates capturing three individual NCAA National Championships. Denny also mentored 25 individual PSAC Champions with two standouts being tabbed the PSAC Swimmer of the Year. Cal finished as high as third at the PSAC Championships three times in a four-year span from 2009-12, plus recorded its best-ever finish at the NCAA Championships in 2012. The initial women's swimming coach in school history, he mentored all three of the program's Athletic Hall of Fame inductees.
DeMichela (Bridgeville, Pa./Chartiers Valley) received the Vulcan Distinguished Service Award after maintaining passion, commitment and loyalty to the Cal football program for a span covering six decades. He was a four-year starting tight end for the Vulcans in the 1970s and was the coordinator of the Vulcan Alumni Game for nearly 25 years. In the late 2000s, the football program created the DeMichela Award that is given annually to the player who best exhibits leadership, spirit and hustle during the spring practice season.
Cleary received the Duda Award, which is named in honor of Michael Duda – an education who had an avid interest in athletics and served as President of California State Teachers College from 1956 until his death in 1968. The award recognizes a member of the university family for outstanding success in the field of athletics. Cleary spent 34 seasons as the head coach of the Serra Catholic girls' basketball program and compiled a 657-156 career record. Under his leadership, the Eagles captured 18 section championships and advanced to the WPIAL Championship 11 times, winning titles in 1992, 1999, 2003 and 2005. The pinnacle of Cleary's coaching career came in 2005 when Serra Catholic (29-1) won the PIAA Class 1A Championship.
