Marlesse Schlott Hames

This is the seventh in a series of articles profiling the 2014 inductees into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame HARMONY — Marlesse Schlott Hames’ name is synonymous with productivity.The 1992 Seneca Valley graduate earned 11 varsity letters with the Raiders, set school records in basketball and softball, and went on to shine in both sports at Penn State Behrend.That body of work is landing her in the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame. Hames will be inducted during the organization’s annual banquet April 26 at the Butler Days Inn.“It’s very humbling to still have my accomplishments noticed after all of this time,” Hames said.Some of her accomplishments have stood the test of time.Hames, a freshman biology teacher in the Seneca Valley district, scored 1,062 points and grabbed 961 rebounds in her prep basketball career. Both figures remain school records.“I could shoot with either hand inside. That and the fact I was 5-foot-11 and had some size in there made it hard for defenses to stop me,” Hames recalled.Hames was the first basketball player in school history to letter as a freshman. She lettered four years in softball and three years in soccer.“The soccer coach wanted to bring me up as a freshman, but it wasn’t permitted in the program back then,” Hames said. “I was a midfielder who scored a few goals.“My main purpose in playing soccer was to keep in shape for the other two sports. You do a lot of running up and down the field.”As a softball pitcher, Hames led the Raiders to the WPIAL championship in 1992. The team finished runner up in the PIAA Tournament that season.Hames compiled batting averages of .602 and .589 at Seneca Valley. She set school records for highest batting average in a season, along with most RBI.“I could always throw the ball hard and I always had good defense behind me,” she said. “Those were fun years.”After originally attending Washington & Jefferson College, Hames transferred to Penn State Behrend and played basketball and softball there. A stress fracture cost her the bulk of her sophomore year.She still scored more than 800 points in basketball at Behrend and still holds the single-season rebounding record there with 351. Hames ranks second in career rebounds with 665 and in free throws with 209.“If I don’t get hurt, I’m sure I would have gotten 1,000 points there,” she said.As it is, Behrend presents the Marlesse Schlott Most Outstanding Offensive Player of the Year Award in her name annually.Hames was one of the top players on Behrend’s 1994 team that reached the NCAA Tournament. That team was inducted into the Behrend Hall of Fame and Hames has been inducted individually for her basketball and softball achievements.She hit .371 in her collegiate softball career with seven homers and 67 RBI. She hit .402 as a senior.Hames has two daughters, ages 8 and 6, and runs the Seneca Valley softball league for the Seneca Valley North Athletic Association. She coaches soccer for the organization as well.“It’s been fun coming back to Seneca Valley as a teacher, having been a student-athlete in the community as well,” she said. “Getting inducted into the Seneca Valley Hall of Fame is probably the achievement I’m most proud of.“I grew up in this community and it enhances my career as an educator, too.”After being out of college for a year, Hames received an invitation to attend a camp and try out for the WNBA. She declined.“I hadn’t played in a year, the WNBA was just starting out and wasn’t as big at the time, and I was career-oriented by that time,” Hames said.“But if it was today and I was in that situation, I would definitely go.”Tickets for the Hall of Fame banquet are available at www.bcshof.com, any Hall of Fame director, Moses Jewelers at the Clearview Mall, Bill’s Beer Barn, Snack n’ Pack, Parker Appliance in Chicora, Maddalon Jewelers in Zelienople or Saxonburg Drug.