Bob Rentschler, Donna Long, Carl Mathias head Oley Valley’s inagural Hall of Fame class

State championship coaches Bob Rentschler and Donna Long and major league pitcher Carl Mathias are among 12 members of the inaugural Oley Valley Athletic Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2024 also includes Tim Brill, Seth Brizek, Mike Distasio, Alfred Knabb, Mitzi Reitnouer, Barry Stebbins, Bob Stebbins, Larry Wildermuth, and Carl Williamson. Brill, Knabb, Rentschler and Wildermuth are being inducted posthumously.

The induction ceremony will take place Friday, Jan. 26, at the high school with a light dinner, induction ceremony and plaque presentation. Public recognition will take place in the gym between the JV and varsity boys basketball games that evening at approximately 7 p.m.

Here are bios of the inductees:

Tim Brill

The 1973 graduate was a standout athlete in soccer, basketball and baseball. In soccer he was named All-Berks and Striker of the Year and led the Lynx to a county title. In basketball he was named All-Berks and was Oley Valley’s first 1,000-point scorer, finishing with 1,033 points. He led the Lynx to the 1972-73 Berks Eastern Division title. In baseball, he was named All-Berks as both a catcher and pitcher.

Seth Brizek

The 1992 graduate was an All-State selection in basketball and baseball and named Berks County Athlete of the Year in 1991 and 1992. In basketball he was a three-time All-Berks pick and two-time All-State selection. He averaged 29.1 points per game as a senior to lead the county and finished his career with 1,956 points. In baseball he was a member of the 1989 PIAA championship team and is the Lynx’s career leader in home runs, RBIs, wins and ERA. He was named All-Berks four times. He also played soccer and led the Lynx to two division soccer titles. In golf he helped the Lynx to a division championship. He played baseball at Clemson and was drafted by the California Angels and Seattle Mariners.

Mike Distasio

The 1986 graduate was a two-time All-Berks and All-State selection in baseball, helping the Lynx to a 70-11 record. He was the first player at Oley Valley to collect 100 career hits. In 1984 helped the Lynx to District 3 and PIAA championships. In 1985 he helped Oley Valley win county, district and state titles. In 1986 he was selected as a second baseman for the Olympic Sports Festival. He was later named an Amateur Softball Association All-American and helped the Tampa Bay Smokers win the ASA national championship.

Alfred Knabb

The 1931 graduate was an exceptional athlete who coached at Oley for 26 years in various sports. He played basketball and soccer and led the Lynx to the 1930 Berks title as the team captain. In track and field he established the 880-yard and mile records (4:34) in Berks County in 1931.

Donna Long

Long has coached Oley Valley’s field hockey team for 23 years, winning 459 games and leading the Lynx to 12 Berks, six District 3 and two PIAA titles. She produced countless All-Berks, All-State, All-Region and All-American selections. She was instrumental in starting the Oley Valley Youth League Field Hockey program and ran the first youth camp in Oley Valley. In 2002, she was inducted into the Kutztown University Athletics Hall of Fame and in 2018 was named to Kutztown’s 1980’s all-decade field hockey team. In 2006 she was inducted to the PA Sports Hall of Fame Berks County chapter.

Carl Mathias

Mathias was the 1954 Berks County Athlete of the Year as a senior. He was named All-County in soccer, basketball and baseball. He set the school record in basketball with 54 points in a game. In baseball he recorded five no-hitters and once struck out 24 batters in a game. In 1954 he was named the MVP of the Pennsylvania American Legion East/West All-Star Game. A year later he signed with the Cleveland Indians and pitched in the major leagues with the Indians and Washington Senators.

Mitzi Reitnouer

The 1978 graduate played field hockey, basketball and softball and went on to coach at Oley Valley. In basketball she was a two-time All-Berks pick and was Oley Valley’s first 1,000-point scorer, finishing with 1,261 career points. In 1978 she was Berks County’s leading scorer and named Duke DeLuca MVP. She went on to play at West Chester University, where she was the first player in program history to score 1,000 points. She finished her four-year career with 1,454 points, a school record.

Bob Rentschler

Rentschler coached the baseball team for 26 seasons, winning 328 games. His teams won 15 division titles, league championships in 1979 and 1985, District 3 titles in 1984, 1985, 1988, and 1989 and PIAA championships in 1984, 1985 and 1989. The Lynx made it to the state title game five times. He was Berks Coach of the Year four times. He coached the Oley Legion baseball team for six seasons. He also coached soccer for nine years, winning a league championship in 1972. In 1995 he was inducted to the PA Sports Hall of Fame, Berks County chapter.

Barry Stebbins

The 1973 graduate was a county champion multiple times and Athlete of the Year. He excelled in soccer, basketball and track and field. In soccer he played on the 1972 county championship team and was named All-County and Athlete of the Year. In basketball he helped the Lynx to the 1972 county championship game and was All-County. In track and field he swept the county, district and state titles in long jump. He went to Mount St. Mary’s College and competed in both soccer and track and field.

Bob Stebbins

The 1978 graduate was a was a two-time District 3 high jump champion and finished second in the long jump and high jump at states in 1978. In 1977 he set the county record in the high jump (6-9) and graduated as the school record-holder in both the high jump and pole vault (13-3). In 1978 he was named an All-American. He went on to compete collegiately at Mount St. Mary’s College and was a two-time All-American in the decathlon.

Larry Wildermuth

Wildermuth coached wrestling for 28 years, from 1969-1997, amassing 278 wins. He coached 25 PIAA qualifiers and four PIAA medalists. The program won eight division championships and the 1990 and 1991 Berks championships. He was the head coach of Tulpehocken’s junior high wrestling program for one year and the youth club wrestling coach for four years.

Carl Williamson

The 1982 graduate was an All-County pick in three sports. As a senior he was the Duke DeLuca Scholar Athlete and went on to Duke University, where he walked onto the soccer team and played for four years, earning a starting position as a junior. In his final season of athletic eligibility he started every match and helped Duke defeat Akron for the NCAA championship — the school’s first team championship. He assisted on the game-winning goal and received Academic All-American Honors.