Two North Penn High School alumna who were stellar standouts in their respective sports are part of the eight inductees in the 2023 Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Montco Class being celebrated Friday, Oct. 20 at Presidential Catering in East Norriton, according to a press release from the nonprofit organization.
Furthermore, the 1985 North Penn High School Girls’ Softball Team will be given special recognition for its 27-2 record and three championships, alongside Kobe Bryant and the triple-champion 1973 Norristown Area High School Track & Field Team.
Kristin Sommar (Class of 1996) and Chris Kwortnik (Class of 1989) were named to the Hall of Fame for their accomplishments in lacrosse and wrestling, respectively. Sommar and Kwortnik were inducted into the North Penn Alumni Athletic Association Sports Hall of Fame in 2005.
Sommar played lacrosse, field hockey, and basketball for North Penn. She went on to attend the University of Maryland, where she was named to its Hall of Fame. She is a three-time NCAA All-American and played on Maryland’s four National Lacrosse Championship teams from 1997 to 2000, per the press release. Sommar was field hockey MVP at North Penn in 1996, and lacrosse MVP in 1995 and 1996, and named North Penn Female Athlete of the Year in 1996.
Sommar was also on the All-NCAA Tournament team from 1998 to 2000; the All-Atlantic Coast Conference and All-ACC Tournament Team in 1999 and 2000; the U.S. Lacrosse World Cup Championship Team of 2001; the U.S. World Cup Team in 2005; and the 2002 ACC 50th Anniversary Women’s Lacrosse Team.
Kwortnik graduated from North Carolina State University in 1993 and holds the North Penn percentage win record and pin record. His record was 141-1, losing as a ninth grader in the PIAA State Tournament. Kwortnik wrestled in the 167 and 171-pound weight classes.
He won three PIAA State Championships for North Penn in 1987, 1988 and 1989, and a team championship in 1987, and was the only three-time PIAA State Champion from the Southeast PA region. Kwortnik was named Most Outstanding Wrestler in 1989 and was selected as the 1988 USA Wrestling second team All-American and the 1989 USA Wrestling Dream Team All-American first team, per the release.
Kwortnik is a member of the District One Coaches Hall of Fame, the Pennsylvania Hall of Fame, the Southeast Regional Hall of Fame, the District One Hall of Fame, and was a two-time ACC Champion.
The nonprofit Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame Montco Chapter was founded in 2009, “to perpetuate the memory of athletes who have brought lasting fame to Montgomery County PA and/or the State of Pennsylvania through their athletic achievements.” It also honors individuals who brought recognition to the county or state through contributions to sports via managerial, promotional, or leadership roles.
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