Washington County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2019

The three members of the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame who were inducted in the hall's 33rd class in 2019:

Ashley Grier

According to the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame: “Ashley started playing golf at age 6 when her parents bought Yingling's Golf Center. She was involved in the Washington County Junior Golf program. Her outstanding performance in the program encouraged her to continue playing golf in high school. In Ashley's senior year at Smithsburg High School, she won the individual state girls title.

“She went on to play golf at the University of Central Florida, where she graduated summa cum laude in business. From 2007-11 she competed professionally on the Duramed Futures Tour. In 2007, she competed in the U.S. Women's Open at Pine Needles.

“Ashley became a member of the PGA of America in 2014. She reached new heights in April 2017 as the first female to win a Philadelphia PGA section points title against a field of 115 male PGA professionals. In 2018, Ashley was named Philadelphia Assistant of the Year. She competed in the 2019 Philadelphia Open as the first female ever to do so. At the time of induction, she was working as an assistant professional at Overbrook Golf Club.”

Denny Hockensmith

According to the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame: “Denny started playing Little League at age 8 and played at Valley Little League in Chewsville from 1959-63, then at the Hagerstown PONY and Colt leagues from 1964-67.

“He umpired his first Little League game at Valley in 1968. While serving in the Navy from 1969-78, Denny umpired Little League at his assigned duty station, or his local community when not deployed. After being discharged, he began umpiring at South Mountain Little League in Boonsboro in 1980.

“He attended Little League Umpire School in Bristol, Conn., and Williamsport, Pa. Denny then became Umpire in Chief at South Mountain and served in that role from 1988-2010.

“Denny became an umpire consultant for Maryland District 1 in 1989. He was inducted into the South Mountain Hall of Fame in 2005.

“Denny umpired in the East Region Little League Baseball Regionals in 1994 in Bristol. He also umpired at the Little League Softball World Series in 2002 at Seattle. Denny went on to umpire at the Little League World Series in 2010 at Williamsport, Pa. — always as a volunteer.”

Mike Tesla

According to the Washington County Sports Hall of Fame: “Mike is a native of West Babylon, N.Y., where he played three years of high school varsity soccer. He then went to Farmingdale Community College and finished at James Madison University. As a graduate assistant at JMU, he got the bug to coach.

“Tesla's introduction to coaching was a four-year stint as an assistant boys soccer coach at Williamsport High School under head coach Stan Stouffer. From there, he coached for 20 years at South Hagerstown High School. While at the helm, his boys team won one Tri-State championship, two CVAL titles and two MVAL titles.

“He had extensive involvement in the Maryland State Youth Soccer Association and Hagerstown Soccer Club, and remained active as a regional director for the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association at the time of induction, with 26 years of service and 20 years on the state soccer committee. Mike also initiated the Washington County Rec summer soccer league and the indoor soccer league at Williamsport High. He was camp director at St. Maria Goretti for 15 years and is a key fixture for the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (now the United Soccer Coaches).

“At the time of induction, Tesla was a pre-Academy Director and trustee of Liverpool FCIA Western Maryland. In 2019, the Washington County high school soccer tournament was named the Tesla Cup in his honor.”

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Washington County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2019