by Dawn Kane | Oct 14, 2024
Meghan grew up in the village of Hamburg and her passion for athletics started at a young age playing sports in the driveway with her two older brothers, Kevin & Sean. She started dance at the age of 3 and softball at the age of 6 through the Hamburg Junior Baseball league. At the age of 8, she started playing travel ice hockey for the Hamburg Hawks where she continued through her senior year of high school.
Her field hockey career began in 7th grade and she went on to excel, playing varsity from her sophomore year on. She was selected for the 2008 Empire State Team, representing WNY. Her varsity accolades include three-time First Team ECIC and two-time First Team All-WNY. She was named team captain in 2009 as well. She finished her career with 36 goals and 20 assists. One of Meghan’s favorite memories was scoring the game winning goal with seconds left in overtime against Orchard Park senior year to advance the team on to section semifinals. Her softball career continued through her senior year as well where she was the starting shortstop and team captain in 2010.
She also stood out in the classroom earning the Outstanding Scholastic Student Athlete Award for Hamburg High School 2009-2010 with a 98.5 GPA, one of her most proud honors, and graduated in the top 10 of her class.
After high school she received a scholarship to play Division II Field Hockey at Mercyhurst University where she went on to start all 73 games of her career. She made the All-PSAC 2nd team in 2013, ECAC Division II All-Star team in 2013 and was nominated for the Mercyhurst Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2014. She was chosen to play in the NFHCA Division II North/South Senior Game in 2013. Also served as team captain her junior and senior year.
After college, Meghan attended the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo where she received her MD. She completed a 4-year residency in combined internal medicine & pediatrics at UB and was named chief resident her 4th year. Meghan still resides in the Village of Hamburg, and she works as a board-certified internal medicine and pediatrics physician in primary care. She enjoys golf and continues to play adult league field hockey, softball and the occasional ice hockey tournament with her old teammates.
by Dawn Kane | Oct 14, 2024
When both of your parents are over 6 feet tall, it was a given fact that Blake McLimans, would grow to be one of the tallest athletics to ever participate in sports at Hamburg High School. The only question would be: what sport would he excel in, considering his late father, Jeff, was a standout pitcher and former Hamburg JV baseball coach? For Blake, who would grow to become 6’10” it would be three sports; as he was a 3-year varsity letterman in volleyball, basketball and baseball.
During his senior year (2007-08), he averaged 19.5 points, 11.0 rebounds, 4.7 blocked shots and 4.0 assists, and was named ECIC II player of the year leading the basketball team to its first divisional championship since 1990. Blake finished his basketball career at Hamburg as the all-time leader in blocked shots (208), fourth all-time in scoring (968) and fifth in rebounding (553). Also, during his senior year, Blake was named All-WNY- 2nd team in Volleyball and on the diamond, he was named All-WNY-honorable mention while co-captaining and leading the team to its first baseball sectional championship in school history. Trifecta! What a year! At the end of Blake’s high school career, he had the difficult decision to either play baseball at West Virginia University or take his chances going to prep school for a year to get recruited in basketball. The decision was made late in his senior year to attend Worcester Academy in Massachusetts and take his chances on the court. Because Blake was a three-sport star he didn’t participate in AAU basketball and therefore wasn’t on the radar of big-time Division I programs during basketball recruitment, so Worcester became a great decision. After just 3 weeks at prep school, he decided to commit to the University of Michigan to play basketball on a full scholarship, coached by Buffalo’s own John Beilein. During his time at Michigan, he helped the team to a BIG TEN championship in 2012 and was a member of the 2013 team which made it to the national championship game.
Blake graduated Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in Economics. Currently, Blake is the Vice President of Revenue at RFX and lives in Tampa, FL.
by Dawn Kane | Oct 14, 2024
Biographical Comments Commemorating Ada Meloy, Esq. – by Edwin Beck, Her Friend
“It’s been nearly ten years since we lost our dear friend and classmate, Ada Meloy. Driving on Thanksgiving Day to a gathering near Bethlehem PA, she encountered a fatal accident, ending a life filled with contribution and service to others. As a strenuous advocate for students, faculty, and the higher education communities which she served; her achievements as a lawyer representing New York University, and in her final years, as General Counsel for a higher education advocacy group in Washington, DC. As a co-founder of The Prisoners’ Reading Encouragement Project, Ada Meloy took on the issues affecting increased justice for incarcerated Americans, a venture which paralleled her continual regard for others.
Ada joined the Class of 1967 in our freshman year, making her new home in a charming, antique house on Main Street. In a short amount of time, Ada became known for her love of learning and her love for her new friends. As a scholarly and gifted student, her mission was clear: Ada would become a lawyer.
At the June 1967 graduation, Ada was honored as the Class’s Salutatorian. And for those of us lucky enough to have been her good friends, we were aware of last minute effects, silently assuring (her) the second academic spot; that rather than becoming Valedictorian, she would allow one of her friends, a boy, the honor – that in those days, a young man’s future would have secured greater opportunities with “Valedictorian” on his resume, than it would have been for Ada. This was how she excelled, even early on as a young adult, as the wonderful and woman whom she would become.
Within three years from Hamburg High School, Ada would be graduating from the esteemed Wellesley College For Women, and in another three years, leaving NYU’s Law School, achieving her J.D. – and on to her journey of profound concern and enduring service to others.”
by Dawn Kane | Oct 14, 2024
For Ryan, sports were always a big part of life growing up the youngest of three boys. He always looked up to his older brothers and wanted to play and compete with them any chance they would let him play with them. Whether it was baseball, golf, or wrestling, sometimes being the youngest has its advantages, especially when you’re used to competing against older competition.
Ryan’s athletic start at Hamburg was in golf, as he was a 6-year starter on the Varsity Golf team from 7th through 12th grade. He was part of the Golf Team of Distinction- Dynasty (1988-1999), coached by Wall of Famer, Jim Henneberg, that was inducted into the Wall of Fame in 2017. Starting in 1998, Ryan was a 3-year Captain of the golf team, and in 1999, during his junior year, Ryan was invited to participate in the NYS Junior Invitational Tournament in Baldwinsville, where he would shoot a 74 on the second round taking 3rd place. Throughout his golf career at Hamburg, Ryan carried a 9-hole scoring average in the 30’s. Ryan still competes competitively in golf today, as he won the club championship at Orchard Park Country Club in 2023, after several close calls.
While Ryan also wrestled three years, it was lacrosse that became his passion. In 8th grade, Ryan traded in his catcher’s mitt and picked up a lacrosse stick for the first time, with the encouragement from legendary Hamburg Lacrosse Wall of Fame coach Ed Van Tine. He was a quick study and fell in love with the game and was pulled up to the varsity team his freshman year where he started for the next 4 years. At a midfielder, Ryan was one of the section leaders in WNY in ground balls and faceoffs, and he set the HHS record for faceoffs won until Chris Pieczonka broke his record the very next year. Besides doing the dirty work in lacrosse, he also scored over 100 goals for the purple and white, and was named All- WNY- 1st team his junior and senior year, after being named to the 2nd team his sophomore year. Ryan capped off his lacrosse career by being named MVP of the Senior All-Star game.
After pondering several offers to play lacrosse at the collegiate level, Ryan chose to play at Division I, Stony Brook, on a full scholarship. After his playing days were over, Ryan came back to Hamburg where he coached for 3 seasons, before joining the officiating ranks, where he officiated 12 seasons, working dozens of WNY playoff and sectional finals.
Ryan continues to make Hamburg his home, marrying his high school sweetheart and best friend, Heather, who he met in Mr. Jagoda’s 9th grade Earth Science class. Today Ryan and Heather are the proud parents of three budding Hamburg athletic daughters, who play lacrosse and tennis for the Lady Bulldogs. Ryan is currently the General Manager at Hamburg Overhead Door.
by Dawn Kane | Oct 14, 2024
Brian started teaching Physical Education and coaching the Boys’ Varsity volleyball team at Hamburg in 1996, after graduating with honors from SUNY Cortland with a degree in Physical Education and Sports Medicine/Athletic Training.
Coach Carroll’s ascension as Hamburg Varsity Volleyball Coach happening quickly, as the team’s first breakthrough took place when Hamburg won its first ever Sweet Home Tournament in 1998. This laid the foundation for the 2000 team, which won Hamburg’s first ECIC Division Championship in over 20 years, paving the way for the 2004 and 2005 teams that went on to new heights winning 4 out of 5 local tournaments, ECIC, Section VI, Intersectional, and finally back-to-back NY State titles over McQuaid Jesuit. En route to the State Tournament, the 2004 Section VI Final win was a victory over West Seneca West, captained by 4-time Olympian Matt Anderson. In the 2005 Section VI final, Hamburg was up against an Orchard Park team that was stacked with three Division I collegiate players, and Hamburg playing with a completely revamped lineup after graduating 5 seniors from the 2004 team. Every year after 2004 and 2005, Coach Carroll’s teams were always in conversation as a potential winner for the state title. The Bulldog brand was respected statewide. In 2009 Hamburg won the ECIC and Section VI tournaments, and finished 2nd (26-5) in NYS, dropping in 5 sets in the finals. Then in 2013 Caroll’s Bulldogs won 4 of 5 local tournaments, ECIC Division, and the Section VI tournament, but fell to Victor, the eventual NYS Champion. The 2014 team won 4 of 5 local tournaments, the ECIC Division, and Section VI as well, but dropped extremely close matches in Far West Regionals to (again) the eventual state Champion, Victor.
One of Coach Carroll’s biggest highlights was starting a small “mom and pop” style volleyball club; Southtowns Volleyball Club, where he was involved with every player in his program (HMS/HHS and the USA Volleyball club) from the time they started in 7th grade all the way through graduation. They played in tournaments up and down the East Coast and sometimes traveled to USA Volleyball Nationals if his club team won a “Bid to Nationals”.
Coach Carroll stepped down from coaching after the 2018 season. During his tenure as the Boys’ Varsity Volleyball coach, his teams won numerous ECIC Division I and II Championships, 6-Section VI Titles, 2- New York State Championships, and 1-NYS runner up, and he was named Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2009 and the Joe Gillespie friend of WNY Volleyball 4 times in his coaching tenure.
Brian settled down in 2012 with his wife Mary, and they have four children Mary, Patricia, Brian, and Evelyn.
