Hen Hud Coach Named to Westchester Sports Hall of Fame

News from the Hen Hud schools

Hendrick Hudson High School’s volleyball coach Diane Swertfager will be inducted into the 2015 Westchester Sports Hall of Fame Oct. 22.

The induction ceremony will be held at the Westchester County Center in White Plains.

The Westchester Sports Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding professional and amateur sportsmen and sportswomen who have gained prominence in their fields and made substantial contributions to sports in Westchester County. In the words of Hendrick Hudson’s Athletic Director, Tom Baker, “This award is a really big deal.”

Swertfager, who has coached the Sailors’ varsity volleyball team for 27 years, has more than 500 victories and 12 Section 1 championships under her belt.

“Coach Swertfager has built a program that others in our area have aspired to emulate.” said Baker. “Her work with the student-athletes, coaches, and all of Section 1, has created one of the finest programs in the state.”

He noted, proudly, that Swertfager “not only raised the level of play for Hendrick Hudson students, but for all players in Section 1, as programs have had to improve in order to compete with us.”

This year’s six inductees were selected from a pool of 70 nominees. Plaques commemorating the inductees will remain on permanent display in the Sports Hall of Fame Gallery at the County Center.

“I am extremely humbled by this honor,” said Swertfager. “However it is not just for me. I share it with all the past and present players and their supportive parents, as well as the staff at Hendrick Hudson High School and Blue Mountain Middle School. Never can any coach forget to thank the custodians and all the people who make our athletics roll on, like our athletic trainer Meg Greiner, our athletic department secretary Nicole Laureti and, of course, Mr. Baker, our enthusiastic and energetic athletic director.”

“The lessons Coach Swertfager taught us on the court shaped us to be better people off the court,” said former player Jackie Tamburri (class of 2011), who went on to play at the University of Harford. “It is rare to come across a coach that impacts you as much as she has impacts every single player she comes in contact with. Coach Swertfager has succeeded at not only creating, but maintaining, a true dynasty.”

To Swertfager, the Hall of Fame honor is a family affair. She points to her own children, John, Mark and Theresa, who understood and accepted the sacrifices their family made in the name of the Hen Hud volleyball program. She also expressed gratitude to her husband Bill, “who has always been incredibly supportive of me and the program, as well as our own three very busy athletes, while I was coaching.”