Stuczynski to be inducted in Chautauqua County Hall of Fame

[Bubba PV]

http://observertoday.com/page/content.d ... 15280.html

The Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame has announced its 2009 inductees, who will be honored at the organization's 28th annual induction dinner on Feb. 16 at the Lakewood Rod & Gun Club.

The newest members of the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame will be Michael Heary, Mel McGinnis, Joe Mistretta, Jennifer Stuczynski and the late Julian Buesink.

Heary was an all-state basketball player at Fredonia Central School for the 1993-94 season, when he owned the Chautauqua County record for points in a career (2,235) and in a game (62).

Heary then took his talents to the United States Naval Academy, where he set numerous records for the Midshipmen. To name a few, he is the fourth all-time scorer with 1,590 points (David Robinson is first with 2,669) and is first in 3-point field goals made with 201.

Heary also holds Patriot League records for Navy for most points in game (38), most free throws made in a game (14) and scoring average (19.1).

McGinnis, a Jamestown native, has been a successful racewalker, and he qualified for the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Trials.

He graduated from Brockport High School, where he played basketball and was the on cross country team that had a 40-0 record for his junior and senior years.

McGinnis attended Spring Arbor College in Michigan and was a three-time NAIA District 10 racewalk champion (1979, 1980, 1982) and a three-time NAIA All-American for outdoor track and two times for indoor track. He continued racewalking after college and a was a four-time gold-medal winner at the Empire State Games.

McGinnis is currently the pastor of the Kiantone Congregational Church.

Mistretta was a standout athlete at Falconer Central School with 11 letters won in football, basketball and baseball. During his four years on the football team, the Golden Falcons were 31-1-1. He is the school's all-time assists leader in basketball, and in baseball he was named to the 1976 All-Western New York Team.

In college, Mistretta concentrated on baseball and hit .402 as a sophomore at Arizona Western Junior College and then accepted a scholarship to Chapman College in California, where he was a two-year starter at second base.

Mistretta was the head baseball coach at Jamestown Community College for four years and has been an assistant coach at Frewsburg and Warren, and is currently the junior varsity baseball coach and an assistant football coach at Cassadaga Valley.

Stuczynski is a six-time U.S. pole vault champion who this past summer won the silver medal at the Summer Olympics.

At Fredonia Central School, she was the state pentathlon champion. She also played softball, basketball, volleyball, soccer and golf.

At Roberts Wesleyan, Stuczynski led the team to two appearances at the National Christian College Athletic Association national championship game and was named the NCCAA Basketball Player of the Year in 2004. She won NCCAA titles in the pole vault, javelin and 100-meter hurdles and was the 2005 NAIA indoor pole vault champion.

She is the current U.S. women's pole vault record holder. She is a six-time U.S. champion in the event with three each indoor and outdoor.

Buesink, a Findley Lake native who owned car dealerships in Jamestown and then in Corry, was one of the top stock car owners of his time and is credited as the first to use the multi-car team concept. His first two drivers were Bill Rexford of Conewango Valley and Frewsburg's Lloyd Moore, who was inducted into the Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. And after that pair was done driving for Buesink, another young driver, Cale Yarborough, sat behind the wheel of one of his cars seven times from 1961-63

Buddy Baker also drove a Buesink car once.

In 1950, Rexford, 23, driving for Buesink, became the youngest ever to win the Grand National Series championship, which is now known as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. That fact came up in 1994 when Jeff Gordon took the title at the age of 24.

In 1950, Buesink was named the car owner of the year by ''Speed Age Magazine.''

In his 14 years as a car owner (1949-64), Buesink's cars recorded two wins, he had 29 top-five finishes and 64 top-10 finishes.

Buesink passed away in 1998.

More detailed biographies of the inductees will be published later.

The induction ceremonies at the Lakewood Rod & Gun Club on Feb. 16 will begin with a hospitality hour at 6 p.m. Dinner will be at 7 p.m. with the program at 8 p.m.

Tickets for the event are $50.

For ticket information, contact induction dinner chairman Chip Johnson 485-6991.