Mrs. Patty Bohannon, Director of Alumni Relations, announced today the 2011-2012 inductees to the AHN Athletic Hall of Fame.  These awards follow the meeting held yesterday by the Hall of Fame Selection Committee, consisting of Sr. Mary Glavin, Ms. Martha Connors Minahan, Mrs. Camille Jowanna, Mr. Kevin Vargas and Mr. Chris Severini.

Inductees include Tara Hyer, A’04,  who will be formally inducted at the Fall High School Sports Banquet on Wednesday, November 16.  Jennifer Jacobs, A’04, a softball all-star and an all-round athlete in cross country and volleyball, will be inducted at the Spring High School Sports Banquet on Wednesday, May 2, 2012.   The third inductee, Jay Trezevant, B’74, a premier swimmer and diver for Academy and Jesuit and now a highly respected federal prosecutor and attorney, will be inducted at the Middle School Sports Banquet on Monday, April 30, 2012.

In her press release, Mrs. Bohannon provided the following information about the inductees:

• Tara Hyer, A’04.   A four year letterman and captain of the swimming and diving team in 2001, 2002 and 2003, Tara still holds the school’s two diving records eight years after she set them.  While attending AHN, Tara was named MVP of the swim/dive team in 2000, 2001 and 2003 and named First Team All-American, Florida District and Regional Champion, Florida Catholic State Champion and Top Three Finisher in the Florida State Meet in each of her four years of high school!  Tara was also a Junior Olympic Diving Nationals Qualifier in 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002.  She matriculated to Notre Dame where she continued to excel, receiving the Coaches Award and being named MVP of Notre Dame’s Diving Team in 2007 and 2008.  Tara was named the Big East Champion in Platform, All-Big East Diver 2005-2008 and Captain of the Swimming and Diving Team in 2008.  After graduating from Notre Dame with a 3.53 GPA in Graphic Design, Tara began working  as an acrobat diverat Sea World in San Antonio, Texas, where she continues to perform with beluga whales and white-sided Pacific dolphins.  Tara is also a certified instructor in Bikram Yoga, with which she inspires students from beginner to advanced.  In May 2009, Tara earned a gold medal in the REAL Diving Cliff Diving Championships in Mexico.  As her nominator wrote, “Tara is a gifted athlete who is a wonderful role model and demonstrates the character that AHN hopes to develop in their athletes.”

• Jennifer Jacobs, A’04.  Outstanding athlete best known as a softball pitcher, Jen lettered all four years of high school.  She was first-team All-State as a senior and second-team All-state as a sophomore.  Jen was team captain and three-time squad MVP.  She was selected as district MVP as a senior and All-County sophomore through senior year.  She also played volleyball and ran cross country.  During Jen’s senior year, the softball team went undefeated in the district and ended the season with 13 wins.  If Jen was pitching, AHN was winning!  Upon graduation, Jen matriculated to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill on a full athletic scholarship.  Playing softball for her entire college career, Jen finished second on the school’s all-time homeruns (31) and RBI’s (144) list.  Upon graduation with a degree in exercise and sports science, Jen returned to Tampa to work and served as a coach for AHN’s softball team, where she was praised by other coaches and parents for her contributions and her demeanor as a coach.  Jen is completing her Masters Degree in occupational therapy this spring.  As one of her nominators wrote, “Jennifer is the perfect AHN athlete- a lady who is poised and talented in the classroom and on the field.”

·        Jay Trezevant, B’74  A standout in the pool or on the court and field, Jay excelled in the four sports Boys Academy offered: basketball, swimming, track and softball.  Jay was the recipient of the Gold Shirt for Physical Fitness Excellence given to the outstanding athlete each year.  He was also a standout in the classroom as a steady member of the honor roll. Jay led the Boys Academy as President of Student Council and was a member of the yearbook staff during his “senior year” at Boys Academy. As a student at Jesuit, swimming and diving became his sports of choice.  During Jay’s junior year in high school, he experienced a catastrophic diving accident, resulting in injuries that left him a quadriplegic.  For one dealt such a devastating hand at such a young age, it is almost impossible to imagine the mental strength and fortitude it took to get up each day, go to school and graduate with his classmates.  Jay did it, graduating with his 1978 class!  He then went to the University of Florida where he earned four degrees-an undergraduate and Master’s degree in accounting and his law degree and Master of Law in taxation.  Jay entered the working world as an attorney and is now a federal prosecutor.  Named as one of St. Pete Times “10 people to watch” in 2008, Jay was recognized for being a tough and highly successful prosecutor.  The NY Daily News noted in a 2008 article that Jay is “one of the toughest, hardest working adversaries in the courtroom.”  Jay may be best known for prosecuting mobster John Gotti in 2008.  Jay is an inspiration to all who know him.  He is positive and upbeat and never uses his handicap as an excuse.  He is quoted as saying of his disability, “Every individual has to deal with his or her own challenges.  Every individual faces obstacles. I don’t know that my challenges are any more significant than anyone else’s. I have dealt with mine for so long that it has become somewhat second nature in my thinking. My approach is to simply move forward, do what I’m doing, and then figure out how to deal with any obstacles as they appear.”