Hall of Fame
Being selected an All-American two straight years and being ranked in the Top-10 all-time on both the Lady Cat basketball scoring and rebounding lists are Hall of Fame accomplishments…leading your team to the NCAA Division II Final Four and earning a spot on the Final Four’s All-Tournament Team takes it to another level. That’s exactly what Jill Halapin accomplished from 1984-1988 as a member of Jodi Gault’s Lady Cat basketball team.
After graduating from Franklin Regional High School, Ms. Halapin brought her talents to Pitt-Johnstown where she scored in double figures in every game from 1986 through 1988 on her way to being named a Kodak All-American in both 1987 and 1988. Her 1,560 points still rank fifth on the Lady Cat All-Time Scoring List, while her 747 rebounds put her in 10th-place on the rebounding list. Ms. Halapin’s 25 rebounds against Slippery Rock University in 1988 remain a school record.
Ms. Halapin’s dominance was evident, as she was selected to the all-tournament team in every tournament Pitt-Johnstown played in for three consecutive seasons, including her Most Valuable Player performance at the 1988 Shippensburg University Snowflake Classic.
However, it was the 1986-87 season that stands out the most. Ms. Halapin guided the Lady Cats to a 23-3 regular season record and the top-spot in the East Region on her way to being named Most Valuable Player of the Mason Dixon Athletic Conference after leading the league in scoring (20.3 ppg.) and field goal percentage (60.3%).
From there, Ms. Halapin led Pitt-Johnstown to an East Regional Championship, before the Lady Cats upset No. 1-ranked Delta State (MS) University, 68-63, in the Sports Center to advance to the school’s only berth in an NCAA Final Four. Despite a tough, 72-70, loss to defending National Champion Cal Poly Pomona in the National Semifinals that saw Ms. Halapin score 16 points, her efforts landed her a place on the all-tournament team.
Ms. Halapin graduated from Pitt-Johnstown in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science beginning a career as a law clerk, and later a paralegal, at the law firm Kirkpatrick and Lockhart in Pittsburgh. In 1998, Ms. Halapin earned her Certification in Elementary Education at Saint Vincent College, and began teaching at Shaler High School, a position she still holds today.
While working at the law firm, Ms. Halapin started her coaching career at her alma mater, Franklin Regional High School, as the girls’ varsity assistant basketball coach. A year later, she was named head coach at Norwin High School and was assisted by former Lady Cat teammate Sally Mosay. Ms. Halapin continued her coaching career as the head coach at Franklin Regional, then at Shaler until 2000.
Ms. Halapin, a native of Murrysville, Pa., and Vanessa Capozzi reside in Cranberry Township, Pa. They have two children, Madelyn and Elliot.
"During my four years at Pitt-Johnstown, it was both an honor and a privilege to be part of such a successful team,” Ms. Halapin said. “The reputation that Coach Gault had built for the program made me proud to be a Lady Cat, and having had the opportunity to contribute to its winning tradition was an experience of a lifetime. Being inducted just adds another layer to the memories of having played for an extremely passionate coach with extremely talented players.”
