The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown will induct five more former student-athletes as members of its 11^th Athletics Hall of Fame class on April 14 in the Pitt-Johnstown Wellness Center.  This year's class includes: Carlos Buford '83 (Men's Soccer), Larry Hohman '98 (Wrestling), Casey Long '07 (Baseball), Josué Nieves '00 (Men's Basketball), and Terry (Solema) Woods '85 (Women's Basketball).  Pitt-Johnstown will also recognize all of the former Hall of Fame inductees and former student-athletes in attendance, as well as the 2006 Pitt-Johnstown baseball team that earned the program's first NCAA Regional Tournament berth.
 
        The Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame was created in 2007 to honor prestigious groups of athletes, coaches, and university supporters and their champion spirits. These individuals merit distinction for their accomplishments and leadership in athletic endeavors for Pitt-Johnstown.  Since its inception in 2007, 55 individuals and three teams have earned induction.
 
        Speaking at this year's event will be Pitt-Johnstown President Jem Spectar, Athletic Director and National Hall of Fame Wrestling Coach Pat Pecora, as well as Pitt-Johnstown women's soccer player and Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President Leigh Appolonia.  In addition, longtime Johnstown Tribune-Democrat sports writer and Pitt-Johnstown alumnus Mike Mastovich will serve as the event's Master of Ceremonies.
          A native of Philadelphia, Carlos Buford was a standout in both baseball and soccer at Pitt-Johnstown from 1979-1983.  However, it was on the soccer pitch where Mr. Buford became one of the top players on the East Coast, earning First-Team All-Region honors in 1981.
        Even before beginning his collegiate career at Pitt-Johnstown, Mr. Buford was showing off his talents.  In 1975, Mr. Buford was a member of the United Junior Soccer League All-Star Team that traveled to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and placed third in the Mini World Soccer Cup.
        After graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School, Mr. Buford played two seasons of Division I soccer with several Olympic B Team athletes at St. Louis University, before transferring to Pitt-Johnstown.                                                            
        While leading the Pitt-Johnstown soccer team, Mr. Buford earned all-conference honors and was named First-Team All-Region in 1981.
        In 1983, Mr. Buford graduated from Pitt-Johnstown with Bachelor Degrees in both Political Science and Sociology.  Mr. Buford went on to play one year on the practice squad with the Pittsburgh Spirit Indoor Soccer Team, before working as a Patrol Officer with the Cheltenham Auxiliary Police Department for the next 11 years.
        From there, Mr. Buford changed career paths and has been employed in the Pharmaceutical Industry for the last 25 years.  He currently serves as a Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance Consultant for Carlos S. Buford Associates LLC in East Stroudsburg, Pa., a position he has held since 2010.
        Mr. Buford currently resides in East Stroudsburg.  His Son, Andrew Buford, is currently in the United States Air Force with his wife, Makalya, at the Wright Patterson Airbase in Dayton, OH.
        "As I was growing up, I wanted to be the best athlete I could be," Mr. Buford said.  "After meeting Pele at the age of 12, I was dedicated to becoming the best soccer player I could be, reaching for the highest goals.  I practiced hard every day as I loved the game and all of its grandeur. My father created a backstop for me to practice with. I felt blessed every time I achieved one of my goals.  Along the way, there were many setbacks, I had knee reconstructive surgery in my second season at Pitt-Johnstown and was informed that I might not play again.  I refused to accept that conclusion and dug down deeper in myself to bring out my inner strength to continue and fight through the pain of recovery and proved the doctors wrong as I was cleared to play the following season.  This award, to be inducted to the Pitt-Johnstown Hall of Fame, is an honor I never envisioned.  I'm just an athlete who loves to play this sport and I had such enjoyment playing here with all of my teammates that I was satisfied having had a great experience. I am deeply humbled and greatly appreciative of everyone that supported me in playing the game that I love."
          A four-time National Qualifier, a three-time NCAA All-American, and the 1992 National Runner-up at 118 lbs., Larry Hohman proved to be one of the key components that helped turn Head Coach Pat Pecora's Mountain Cat wrestling squad into one of the nation's truly elite programs.
        Mr. Hohman came to Pitt-Johnstown following a standout career at Penn Trafford High School and promptly placed eighth at the NCAA Championships in 1990.  After earning a spot in the National Tournament the following year, Mr. Hohman advanced all the way to the National Championship match in 1992, before placing as the National Runner-up and leading the Mountain Cats to a seventh-place finish.
        The Penn Township, Pa. native kept it going in 1993.  Mr. Hohman took home his third All-America honor by placing third at the National Tournament and guiding Pitt-Johnstown to its second consecutive seventh-place national finish.
        Mr. Hohman, also a four-time NCAA Regional finalist and a two-time Eastern Region Champion, finished his collegiate wrestling career and joined Coach Pecora's coaching staff for the 1996-97 season where Pitt-Johnstown placed fifth after winning the program's first NCAA Division II National Championship the previous year.
        Mr. Hohman earned his Bachelor Degree in Elementary Education and began his teaching and coaching career.
        After spending six years teaching Alternative Education in Greensburg, Pa., Mr. Hohman has been teaching fifth grade at Harrison Park Elementary in the Penn Trafford School District and is a two-time recipient of the PRIDE Award for teacher excellence.  He was also among three teachers that successfully piloted a MCL (Mass Customized Learning) program at Harrison Park Elementary School.
        Along with teaching, Mr. Hohman has also owned and operated Warrior Concrete with his business partner, Marty Casper, for the last eight years.
        The sport of wrestling has always remained an important part of his life.  After his wrestling career ended, Mr. Hohman began coaching at the elementary, junior high, and the high school levels, first as an assistant at Burrell High School in 1999.  From 2000-2004, he was an assistant coach at Norwin High School, before becoming the head wrestling coach at Penn Trafford High School from 2006-2010.  Mr. Hohman guided his team to the WPIAL Playoffs each year, including a pair of WPIAL Semifinal appearances and a spot in the 2007 WPIAL Finals to qualify his team for the PIAA Team Tournament.  Mr. Hohman, who compiled an 84-15 overall record, coached eight PIAA state qualifiers, three PIAA state place winners, and two PIAA state champions at Penn Trafford High School. He then served as Penn Trafford Elementary School's head coach for the next five years and has been the assistant junior high coach for the past two seasons.
        In addition, Mr. Hohman is a wrestling coach for the Young Guns Wrestling Club, run by former Pitt-Johnstown National Champions and Hall of Famers Jody and John Strittmatter.
        Mr. Hohman, his wife Toni, and children Troy and Maci Jo currently reside in Irwin, Pa.
        "Joining my UPJ brothers in the Pitt-Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame is the biggest honor I have ever received in my lifetime," Mr. Hohman said. "I am truly humbled and extremely proud to be included in the "Best of the Best" of Pitt-Johnstown athletics."
          Johnstown native Casey Long will go down as one of the most prolific power hitters in Pitt-Johnstown baseball history.  In only a three-year Pitt-Johnstown baseball career, Long belted 39 career home runs on his way to garnering 2006 Independent Collegiate Athletic Association (ICAA) National Player of the Year honors, two All-Region honors, and helping to guide Head Coach Todd Williams and the Mountain Cats to their first ever NCAA Division II North Atlantic Region Tournament berth.
        Mr. Long burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2002 with a home run against Virginia State University in his second collegiate at bat.  He went on to finish that season with a .368 batting average, 46 RBI, and a Mountain Cat freshman record 12 home runs, which ranked 29^th in Home Runs Per Game nationally.
        The following year, Mr. Long transferred to the University of Pittsburgh to play Division I baseball in the Big East Conference, before re-enrolling at Pitt-Johnstown in 2004.
        Due to NCAA transfer rules, Mr. Long was forced to take a red-shirt in 2004, but rejoined the Mountain Cats for the 2005 season and hit .341 with a team-best 10 home runs and 42 RBI in 42 games-played.
        However, it was his senior year in 2006 that Mr. Long and Pitt-Johnstown made history by earning a spot in the NCAA Division II North Atlantic Region Tournament.  Led by Mr. Long's career-best .401 batting average and Pitt-Johnstown single-season records of 17 home runs, 63 RBI, and .814 slugging percentage, the Mountain Cats advanced to the regional tournament and finished with a program-best 33-18 record.
        Following the 2006 season, Mr. Long was named the ICAA National Player of the Year and earned spots on both the American Baseball Coaches' Association (ABCA) and National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) All-North Atlantic Team.
        Nationally that season, he ranked eighth in Home Runs Per Game, 20^th in RBI Per Game, and 11^th in Slugging Percentage.
        Mr. Long finished his stellar Pitt-Johnstown career with a .370 batting average, which still ranks fifth in Mountain Cat history.  His 17 homeruns, 63 RBI, and .814 slugging percentage in 2006 remain Pitt-Johnstown single-season records, while his 39 home runs and .641 slugging percentage sit atop the Mountain Cat career records.  Mr. Long also ranks sixth in career doubles with 41.
        That summer, Mr. Long had a chance to sign professionally with the Slippery Rock Sliders of the Frontier League, but chose to complete his dual major in History and Citizenship Education with a minor in Political Science at Pitt-Johnstown and do his student-teaching to prepare himself for his own career in education.
        From 2008 through 2015, Mr. Long taught Social Studies at Forest Hills Middle School and coached baseball at several local high schools while working on his Master's Degree in Education in Curriculum and Instruction at Clarion University and his Principal Certification at Indiana University (PA).
        Mr. Long was hired as the Assistant Principal at Penn Cambria High School for the 2015-16 school year, before being named the Associate Principal at Derry Area High School a year later.
        Mr. Long also works with Pitt-Johnstown in reviewing student-teacher graduation portfolios with local high school administrators and current Education Department professors.
        Mr. Long was a former two-time Mid-Atlantic Coaches Association Pennsylvania All-State choice at Greater Johnstown High School. Mr. Long played summer baseball in the Johnstown AAABA, where he was named Rookie of the Year, won two batting titles, and earned Most Valuable Player honors from 2000-2003.
        Mr. Long and his wife Kristin reside in Portage with their son Nico.
        "I am both very humbled and honored at my induction into the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown Athletics Hall of Fame," Mr. Long said.  "I credit the hard work, support, and sacrifice of my family, coaches, teammates, and training staff, all of whom allowed me to compete at a high level during my collegiate baseball career."
          Scoring 1,000 points in a four-year career is an accomplishment, but for Josué Nieves, it took just two seasons to score 1,023 points at Pitt-Johnstown.  Mr. Nieves, a 1998-99 Preseason All-American candidate, proved to be one of the nation's top scorers and graduated from Pitt-Johnstown as one of the best shooting guards in the program's history.
        After scoring more than 1,100 points in two years at Penn State-New Kensington, Mr. Nieves joined Head Coach Bob Rukavina's Mountain Cats for the 1997-98 season and immediately made a name for himself, both regionally and nationally.  The Rio Grande, Puerto Rico native scored 520 points and averaged 17.9 points per game.  He scored in double figures 23 times, including 20 or more points 11 times and 30 or more points three times.  His 70 3-point field goals broke a Pitt-Johnstown single-season record, while his 46.4% shooting from behind the 3-point line ranked 12^th in NCAA Division II.  Mr. Nieves was also 12^th nationally in free-throw percentage at 85.8%.  His efforts helped the Mountain Cats to a 25-4 record and a second consecutive berth in the NCAA Regional Tournament.  That same year, Mr. Nieves earned Most Valuable Player honors at the Clarion University Pizza Hut Classic and All-Tournament Team honors at both the Pitt-Johnstown Laurel Bank Classic and the Gannon University Gary Miller Classic.
        Mr. Nieves entered 1999-2000 as a preseason All-American candidate, but an early season-ending injury forced him to take a red-shirt and miss the entire year.
        The injury didn't slow Mr. Nieves down.  As a senior in 1999-2000, Nieves, the Laurel Bank Classic and Clarion Pizza Hut Classic Most Valuable Player, scored 503 more points, including 18 against Point Park University on February 22 to become Pitt-Johnstown's 12^th 1,000-point scorer.  He averaged 18.6 points per game and shattered his own single-season 3-point field goals made mark with 89.  His eight 3-pointers against West Chester University on February 16 broke the Mountain Cats' single-game record.  Nationally, his 48.1% 3-point field goal percentage ranked 11^th and 3.3 3-point field goals per game ranked 19^th.
        Along with setting the single-game 3-point field goals made record and scoring 1,023 points in less than two seasons, Mr. Nieves finished his career as Pitt-Johnstown's leader in 3-point field goals per game (2.8) and free-throw percentage (85.6%).  Mr. Nieves also finished second on the all-time 3-point field goals made list with 159, six shy of Matt Lushko's 165.
        After graduating with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Management in 2000, Mr. Nieves played professionally for 13 seasons in the Superior Basketball League in Puerto Rico for the Caguas Criollos, Mayaguez Indians, Arecibo Captains, and Bayamon Cowboys.  While playing for Arecibo, he won his first league championship and the team's first title in 53 years.  He still holds the 3-point field goal percentage record in the history of the league at 48.0%.
        Mr. Nieves retired from professional basketball in 2007 and began refereeing high school basketball games in Florida.  The immediate success provided him the opportunity to work at NCAA Division I games in 2012, as well as NBA D-League games for three years. 
        Mr. Nieves currently referees in eight NCAA Division I conferences, including the Southeastern Conference (SEC).  He also works for DexYP as a Major Accounts Representative selling digital advertising and software solutions for small and medium businesses.
        Mr. Nieves and his wife, Sureily Font, and their children Fernando and Diego Nieves, reside in Winter Garden, Fla.
        "It is a great honor to be part of such an elite group of athletes that represented Pitt-Johnstown in their respective sports," Mr. Nieves said.  "This induction is a testament of all the years of hard work, dedication, and commitment playing the sport of basketball.  This is the most valuable award I've ever received in my life representing my individual achievements."
                                                                                                                                                                                                       
 
        Pitt-Johnstown's inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame class was inducted on September 30, 2007 and included:  Lisa Britt (Women's Basketball), Sean Isgan (Wrestling), Carl Sax (Men's Basketball), C. Edward Sherlock (Men's Basketball and Athletic Director), and James Wilkes (Men's Basketball)
 
        Class of 2009:  Carlton Haselrig (Wrestling), Clyde Horner (Head Coach), Joachim Knispel (Men's Soccer), Paul Leonard (Baseball), Dave Roman, Sr. (Men's Basketball), and Mindy Young-Gagliardi (Women's Basketball)
 
        Class of 2010:  Jodi Gault (Head Women's Basketball Coach), Dr. Robert Hartnett (Men's Basketball/Meritorious Service), Dave Hoff (Baseball), Rich Ragan (Men's Basketball), Patty Ritter-Sharbaugh (Women's Gymnastics), and Lee Schickel (Wrestling), and the 1996 National Championship Wrestling Team
 
        Class of 2011:  Bob Bulas (Men's Basketball), Don Elzer (Men's Basketball), Steve Parker (Men's Track and Field/Cross Country), Jody Strittmatter (Wrestling), and Trish Wajers-Carr (Women's Basketball)
 
        Class of 2012:  Mike Gresik (Baseball/Men's Basketball), Quinn Harris (Men's Basketball), Maureen Latterner-Brown (Women's Basketball), Teri Menett-Cruse (Women's Basketball/Volleyball), John Strittmatter (Wrestling), and the 1999 National Championship Wrestling Team
 
        Class of 2013:  Tony Albertelli (Wrestling), Jill Halapin (Women's Basketball), Bruce Haselrig (Wrestling Coach), Justin Walther (Men's Basketball), and the 1986-87 Women's Basketball NCAA Final Four Team
 
        Class of 2014:  Eric Dinyar (Baseball), Barry Gresh (Wrestling), Ken Keiper (Baseball Coach), Emanuel "Book" Richardson (Men's Basketball), and Lenore Shimkus-Schell (Women's Basketball)
 
        Class of 2015:  Denise Gallo (Women's Basketball), Devlin Herring (Men's Basketball), Tim Nolen (Men's Soccer), Pat Pecora (Wrestling Coach), and Rob Yahner (Wrestling)
       
        Class of 2016:  Rick Baxter (Baseball), Chuck Bradford (Men's Basketball), Bridget Hale-Sherick (Women's Basketball), Steve Littleton (Men's Cross Country and Track and Field), and Dan Revesz (Wrestling)
 
        Class of 2017: Troy Barbush (Wrestling), Amy Kessler (Women's Basketball), Brent Matish (Baseball), Chris Rhames (Men's Basketball), Dr. Clark Strausser (Meritorious Service, and John Sumoski (Men's Soccer)