The Susquehanna Valley Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame will induct six athletes during a banquet on Saturday, May 4. The event will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the Bachman Center on the campus of Homestead Village, 633 Community Way, Lancaster. This year's inductees are Jerry Afari, William Bowers, Jeanne Ryan, Frederick Sample, Nancy Stevens, and Steve Ward.

Afari attended Columbia High School, where he earned nine varsity letters. As a football standout, he was First Team All-Section in 2001 and 2002, and Section 3 Linebacker of the Year in 2003. He earned Third Team All-State in 2003 and finished his football career with 169 tackles, two interceptions, and three sacks.

On the wrestling mat, Afari competed for three years, compiling a record of 105-16 with 66 pins. He set a school record for takedowns in 2002 with 117. He was named Second Team All-American at NHSCA Duals, First Team All-League at 215 pounds, and Lancaster-Lebanon League and sectional champion in 2002 and 2003. Afari was the 215-lb. District 3 and regional champion and 215-lb. state runner-up in 2003.

Afari was awarded a wrestling scholarship to the University of Maryland, where he was a four-year starter and two-time team captain. He finished his collegiate career with 52 wins and a third-place finish at the ACC Conference Championship.

Afari was inducted into the Columbia High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

Bowers started his running career at McCaskey High School and matriculated at Millersville State College, where he earned four letters in track and three in cross-country. He earned school records in the 440-yard dash and 440-yard hurdles. Bowers had a distinguished career in both, where he won many dual meets and won a medal at the Penn Relays for the first time in Millersville school history. In his senior year, Bowers set a school record for the 440 dash and was the PSAC champion in the 440 hurdles, also setting a school record. His Millersville team won the PSAC Championships for the first time in school history and also went 9-0 during the dual meet season.

Bowers then proceeded to coach cross-country at Hempfield High School from 1972 to 2003 and girls' track from 1976 to 1988 and 1998 to 2004. He also coached at Millersville State College from 1972 to 1975. In boys' cross-country, he coached three District 3 Championship teams and had two teams that finished as PIAA state runners-up. He coached two girls' cross-country teams to District 3 Championships. Bowers also started the girls' cross-country program at Hempfield. He coached eight boys' cross-country state champions and five girls' state champions. He won the Lancaster-Lebanon League Cross-Country Coach of the Year award five times. His total dual meet record - including both track and cross-country - was 1115-187-2, for an 85.7% winning percentage. He also ran in AAU meets from 1970 to 1987.

He was inducted into the Hempfield High School Sports Hall of Fame as a coach, the Millersville University Athletic Hall of Fame as an athlete, and the Lancaster County Sports Hall of Fame. He received the George W. Kirchner Award for his contributions to sports in Lancaster County.

Ryan started swimming competitively at the age of 10 and dominated Lancaster's summer swim leagues from 1965 through 1972. She set many records as a young swimmer. In 1967, 1968, 1969, and 1970, she qualified for the National AAU Championships. In 1968, she placed second in the nation in 100-meter breaststroke and second in the 400-meter medley relay. At nationals in 1969, she placed second in the 100-meter breaststroke and third in the 400-meter medley relay. In 1970, her 400-meter freestyle relay team was ranked first in the country. Ryan won the 1970 Lancaster Aquatic Club Outstanding Swimmer award. She won the 200-meter breaststroke and placed second in the 100-meter breaststroke at the Eastern Swim Championships in 1970. In 1971, Ryan was nationally ranked in her age group: first for 400-yard freestyle relay, 200-yard medley relay, and 200-yard freestyle relay, and second for 50-yard freestyle. In the summer of 1972, she qualified for her 10th national championship and Olympic trials.

Ryan furthered her education at West Chester State College, where in 1973, her swim team won the national championship.

Sample graduated from Columbia High School in 1948 after earning 16 total letters in four sports. He participated in football, basketball, baseball, and track, serving as co-captain of the football team.

In 1952, Sample graduated from Lebanon Valley College, where he played football. He served as co-captain in his senior season, and his team played in the final Bully Bowl in Tennessee.

Sample then pursued a career in education, starting as a teacher and advancing to administration. He served as a high school principal for two years, school district superintendent for 14 years, and college president for 16 years.

Stevens graduated from Manheim Central High School and matriculated at West Chester State College, where she captained the 1975 field hockey team that won the AIAW national championship. She then served as the assistant coach for field hockey and lacrosse at Penn State from 1977 to 1979, proceeding on to Franklin & Marshall to be the head coach for field hockey and lacrosse for two seasons. She was then the head field hockey coach for Northwestern University for nine seasons. Her Wildcats won four Big Ten Championships and appeared in eight consecutive NCAA Division I Championship quarterfinal and three NCAA semifinal games.

Stevens then took the helm at the University of Connecticut. Her UConn teams appeared in 24 NCAA tournaments and reached 18 quarterfinals and 10 NCAA semifinals. Her teams won 19 Big East tournament titles and 19 Big East regular season titles while producing 50 First-Team All-Americans. Stevens led the Huskies to a No. 1 ranking in five seasons. She won NFHCA National Coach of the Year three times and Big East Coach of the Year 13 times. She saw 11 of her former players play on the U.S. national team.

Stevens was part of the USA Field Hockey national coaching staff from 1982 to 1990. She has also coached in the U.S. developmental program and the Olympic Festival. She was inducted into the NFHCA Hall of Fame in 2007 and the West Chester University Hall of Fame in 2003. She received the West Chester University Distinguished Alumni Award in 2018.

Ward was a three-sport athlete, graduating from Columbia High School in 1971. In his three years of varsity football, the Crimson Tide went 26-3-1. He was a versatile halfback as a sophomore, with 514 receiving yards and 549 rushing yards. Ward became the varsity quarterback in the 1970 and 1971 seasons. Columbia went 10-0 during his junior season, and the Tide won the conference championship in 1971. During his senior season, Ward threw 18 touchdown passes and ran for seven more. He compiled 1,774 all-purpose yards that season. He was named First Team All-County and Honorable Mention All-State.

Ward was an All-County selection in basketball during his junior and senior seasons. He was an All-County selection in baseball as lead-off hitter and shortstop/third baseman during his sophomore and junior seasons.

He attended Franklin & Marshall College, where he played football during his freshman season and graduated in 1975. Ward then moved to Kansas City, Mo., where he coached and refereed football. For 18 years, he served as president and commissioner of the Blue Springs Football Association.

For banquet tickets or more information, contact Mike Gerfin at mgerfin@comcast.net.