Hall of Fame
The 1996 Panther Volleyball team was led to a national title by Head Coach Trevin Morgan, in his first and only season at York College. This championship squad was led by co-captains, Terri Bond and Tiffany Sparks, alongside senior Amy Wishard on a team otherwise filled with underclassmen.Â
The regular season saw a challenging schedule with many games on the road, several regional tournaments, and three matchups against Top 25 teams. Team members included Jen Tyson, Janet Bell, Laura Hastings, Amy Wishard, Lynn Pafford, Lavica Gammill, Dorothy Bumgardner, Chandy Silvey, Maria Esquerra, Terri Bond, Tiffany Sparks, Natalie Heersche, Micah Bonde and Cindi Zwemer.
The team finished the season at the National Small College Athletic Association Championships. The first day saw York College winning 9 of 10 matches in a round robin format, losing only to Dominican College, the number one seed. Earning a bye in the final phase of the tournament, the Panthers defeated Martin Luther College in four sets, setting up a rematch with Dominican College in the final. York College won the first set 15-12 before losing the second and third sets. In the end, the Panthers held off the competition by winning the fourth set and the decisive fifth set 15-10, to clinch the 1996 -1997 Small College National Championship. Wishard and Sparks were named to the All-Tournament team, and Sparks was recognized as Tournament MVP and All-American.
Because of their achievement 25 years ago as the Small College Athletic Association’s National Champions, on October 23, 2021, the 1996 Panther Volleyball team is inducted into the York College Athletic Hall of Fame as a Team of Distinction.
