HALL OF FAME
Athletes, Coaches and Community Heroes
Matt McGrath
MATT MCGRATH
PHS CLASS OF 1988
McGrath, a 1988 PHS graduate, earned three (3) varsity letters in football and baseball and four (4) varsity letters in basketball. In football Matt earned awards as a 1st Team All-League Wide Receiver; 1st Team All-League Free Safety; Oakland Tribune Prep of the Week; Team MVP; and East Shore Athletic League Player of the Year. During his time on the team they made the NCS playoffs and ended a 10 year losing streak to Miramonte. In basketball, McGrath was selected as the team MVP. He was selected as a team captain his senior year to the football, basketball and baseball teams. In addition to athletics, Matt was selected as the senior class president, 1988 Male citizen of the year and senior athlete of the year. McGrath continued to Princeton where he played two years for Princeton Football and continues to be an avid coach and advocate for youth sports.
Additional Photos:
Brendan Newland
BRENDAN NEWLAND
PHS CLASS OF 2007
Newland, a 2007 PHS graduate, earned three varsity letters in football and three varsity letters in lacrosse. On the football team he earned three (3) BSAL 1st team All-League honors and a two (2) time team Defensive MVP. In his senior year he was selected team captain and was awarded BSAL Player of the Year. In lacrosse, Newland was a two (2) time team captain and selected DVAL 1st team All-League as a junior and senior. Brendan continued his athletic carrier at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, where he was a four-year letterman and a captain his Senior Year. He finished his career with 15 goals, 5 assists and 105 ground balls and named to the NESCAC All-Academic team his Junior and Senior Year; Brendan graduated with Honors in 2011 with a Double-Major in Economics and Political Theory. Upon Graduation, Brendan returned to the Bay Area and married his high-school sweetheart, Brooke. The two of them currently live in San Francisco. Brendan works as a Property Insurance Broker and Vice President at Ryan Specialty Group.
Chazny Nunes (Morris)
CHAZNY NUNEZ
PHS CLASS OF 2006
Nunes, a 2006 PHS graduate, earned four (4) varsity letters in basketball. She was a member of the 2005 CIF State Championship team. In her senior season Chazny received the following honors: CIF All-State Team; All-Metro Team; All-Bay Area Team; BSAL Player of the Year; BSAL All-League first team. In her junior and senior years, the team won the North Coast Championship.
Nunes earned a full scholarship to the University of Missouri, Kansas City (2006-10). She was the 2009 Summit League Player of the Year and is UMKC’s all-time leading scorer with 1,806 points. Morris was a first-team All-Summit League selection in both 2009 and 2010, while earning second-team honors in 2008. She ranks second in field goals made; three-pointers made (231); free throws made (357) and scoring average (15.3). She is sixth in rebounding (633), three-point field goal percentage (.373) and steals (185), while sitting fourth in blocks (118) and seventh in free throw percentage (.778).
Nunes was enshrined into the UMKC Athletics Hall of Fame in December 2016. She played overseas in Reykjavik, Iceland for 4 months, averaging 19 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals before injuring her knee and ending her professional basketball career. Nunes received her bachelor’s in communications in 2010 and her master’s in Public Administration in 2013 from University of Missouri, Kansas City. In 2017, Chazny married her best friend, Stephen Nunes and in February 2019 welcomed Zayden Anthony Nunes to the world.
Links:
Chazny’s University of Missouri - Kansas City basketball profile
SF Chronicle Article - The other sisters give Piedmont added punch
Arlyn Upshaw
ARLYN UPSHAW
PHS CLASS OF 2012
Upshaw, a 2012 graduate, earned four PHS varsity letters in swimming and one varsity letter in water polo. She set BSAL records at the league swimming championships each year in the 100 Backstroke and the 200 Individual Medley. She also competed in these events at the NCS championships all four years, placing 3rd in the 100 backstroke her junior year and 2nd in the 200 Individual Medley her senior year. Upshaw was a three (3) time All-American in the 100 backstroke and 200 Individual Medley as a sophomore, junior, and senior. During her senior year, Arlyn qualified for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, competing in the 200 Individual Medley. After graduating from PHS, Upshaw attended and competed for the UCLA varsity swim team, serving as a team captain during her senior year. She received top honors as UCLA’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, awarded to the graduating female student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA. In 2016, Arlyn qualified for and competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials for the second time. Arlyn currently attends the University of Michigan Law School, from which she will graduate in May 2020.
Will Conn
Will Conn
PHS Class of 2007
Conn earned nine varsity letters at PHS while competing in Football, Basketball and Lacrosse. He earned three varsity letters in Football, serving as captain his senior year. In 2005 the team was Bay Shore Athletic League Champions and he was named the league MVP. He was selected as the 1stteam All-League quarterback his junior and senior seasons. He was given the team Optimo Award (MVP) in 2005 and the Brick Johnson leadership award in 2006. He played three years on the varsity basketball team, serving as captain his senior year. He received All-League honorable mention in 2007 and his teammates selected him as Most Inspirational. As a three-year varsity player in Lacrosse, he earned multiple All-League honors. He was a two-time All-League attackman (2ndteam in 2006 and 1stteam in 2007) and served as team captain his senior year. The team was league co-champions in 2006 and an NCS semi-finalist in 2007. He was the PHS Male Athlete of the year in 2007.
Annie Crangle
Annie Crangle
PHS Class of 2006
Crangle lettered all four years in both basketball and tennis. She was a four-year singles player for the varsity tennis team that won four Bay Shore Athletic League (BSAL) titles. She earned All-League honors in tennis for three years. Crangle was also a four-year starter for varsity basketball. This powerhouse team won four BSAL titles, four North Coast Sectional Championships, three Regional Championships and two California State Championships. She holds the current records for Most Games Started, Most Games Played and Most Games Won (for both boys and girls). She was First Team All-League her senior year and received All-League Honorable Mentions for the SF Chronicle’s All-Bay Area Girls Basketball team for three years (2002-2005). She was named a BSAL All-League Team all four years of competition. She was the PHS Female Athlete of the year in 2006. Crangle joined the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Basketball team from 2006-2008 and was awarded Academic All-Big Ten for the 2007-2008 season.
Links:
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2006/05/03/crangle-takes-hard-route/
Jim Kilmartin
Jim Kilmartin
PHS Class of 1967
Jim Kilmartin epitomized the three-sport athlete during his high school years. Competing in Football, Basketball and Baseball, Jim received seven Block P awards. His teammates remember him not only as a skilled and competitive athlete but also as a very humble individual.
As the senior quarterback, Jim earned 1st team All FAL and was selected to the 1967 Alameda All Star 1st team. Under the direction of Coach Bob Muenter and Jim, the 1967 football team was the highest scoring team in the East Bay. Jim then played at Merritt College holding career quarterback records for many years. In 1970 and 1971 he started as quarterback for Oregon State. He led the PAC-8 league in rushing for quarterbacks in 1970 with 239 yards and three touchdowns.
In basketball, Jim improved year after year culminating in a stellar senior season. He was selected to the 1st team All FAL and All Metropolitan team as well as received the team Optimal Award. Jim led the team in steals (57) and broke the school record for shooting percentage.
In the spring Jim played baseball. He started on the Varsity team for three years and earned 2ndteam All FAL honors in both his junior and senior years. Jim served as Sophomore class president and as a Student Body Officer his junior year. As a senior, he was named Athlete of the Year.
Linda Siegel Splivalo
Linda Siegel Splivalo
PHS Class of 1979
When Siegel Splivalo was not traveling the world as a Junior National Tennis Champion, she competed on the PHS boys tennis team. Her teammates included Hall of Fame members Dana Gilbert Heinemann and Richard Carlson.
In 1973 she won her first Junior National Championship – US 12 Hard Court. In 1977, her sophomore year, she was a two-time US Junior National Champion – US 16 National Championships and US 18 Clay Court Championships. She beat Tracy Austin in the semis and Pam Shriver in the finals of that tournament to achieve the #1 National ranking in the 16 division that year. In the 18 tournament she defeated Peanut Louie in the finals. In 1978, her junior year, Linda defeated Ivanna Madruga 6-4, 6-4 to win the US Open Girls Championship. She also made it to the final of the South African Open Women’s Singles Championships.
In 1979, her senior year, she achieved a WTA (World Tennis Association) pro ranking of 36. That year she played in several Grand Slam tournaments: US Open, Wimbledon and the French Open. Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Virginia Wade and Evonne Crawley are some of the opponents she faced during her professional career.
Links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Siegel_(tennis)
Mina Duffy
Mina Duffy
PHS Class of 2008
Ms. Duffy played Varsity Softball for four years. As a Freshman, she was the #1 pitcher in strikeouts in the Bay Shore Athletic League (BSAL) with 162 in 120.2 innings pitched. She had an ERA of 2.15. During her Sophomore year she tied a national record for most strikeouts in a single game (16 innings) with 30. She was named to the All East Bay First Team as well as the BSAL Most Valuable Player. In addition, Duffy was voted to the All-State Small School Team, as well as, the AU-State Undergraduate team.
Duffy received San Francisco Chronicle and Oakland Tribune Athlete of the Week' honors. As a Junior she posted a win/loss record of 13-4 with an ERA of 1.38 with 240 strikeouts in 116.1 innings pitched. In both her Junior and Senior seasons Duffy received an All-State Softball nomination. Following graduation, Duffy played for 4 years at Quinnipiac University earning Scholar-Athlete honors (2009-2012). In April 2012, she tied a national record for four consecutive home runs. She finished that season with 30 RBI (2nd on the team) and 7 home runs (tied for 1st) and was named to the NEC All-League Second Team. Duffy finished graduate school at Cal State East Bay University.
Aileen Finney
Aileen Finney
PHS Class of 1980
Ms. Finney's tenure as the Piedmont Water Polo coach spans 18 seasons over a 20-year period. Prior to coaching, she played on the Cal Womens water polo team (2 times Nadonal Champions) as well as on the USA Women's National Team. In 1995, she launched the PHS Girls Water Polo program and alone managed both the Varsity and JV programs until 2008. In 1991 and 1999, she single-handedly coached all water polo teams (Girls Varsity, Girls JV, Boys Varsity and Boys JV). After a two-year break, she returned to coach the Varsity Team from 2010 - 2014.
In total, Finney coached over 500 games (378 varsity girls' games). Her teams were 5 time ACCAL/WACC Girls' League Champions with 12 appearances in the North Coast Section Championship Tournament. In 2002, Finney was selected as the North Coast Section Honor Coach of the Year/Water Polo. She was the first Piedmont coach honored and the first female water polo coach selected. In 2012, she was the WACC Coach of the Year. Finney served on the North Coast Section Sports Advisory Committee from 2001-2006.
Beginning in 1996, after noticing a need for a girls water polo program in the East Bay, Finney organized the competitive Oakland Water Polo Club. The ongoing legacy of Finney's coaching is exemplified by 28 of her former players who have played or, are playing, in college. Finney taught her teams the importance of winning with dignity, playing with passion and respect for the game. Finney currently teaches 4th grade at Havens Elementary School.
Dana Gilbert Heinemann
Dana Gilbert Heinemann
PHS Class of 1977
Ms. Heinemann is one of the top tennis players in PHS history. In 1974, the California Interscholastic Federation ruled that girls must be allowed to compete on high school boys teams. As a result, Heinemann starred on the Varsity Boys Tennis Team for 4 years (1974-1977). In 1974 and 1975 Heinemann was the #2 ranked PHS player and the #1 player in 1976 and 1977. Piedmont's 1977 tennis team was ranked #7 nationally. Heinemann also competed successfully on the US Tennis Association's Junior National circuit earning top 10 rankings five times in singles. Heinemann was a four time California State Junior Singles Champion and a four time California State Junior Doubles Champion (with Linda Siegel).
In 1977, she was selected to compete in the Maccabiah Games where she becaine the Singles Champion, and in 1978, she became the US Clay Court Singles Champion. Heinemann attended UCLA where she competed for the Bruins 1978-1979 earning All-America Honors both years. She played on the WTA Professional Tour for 6 years (1978-1984) with her highest singles ranking at #40. Heinemann became the first woman Tennis Teaching Professional at Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles in 1985. In 1994, Heinemann was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and in 2011, was honored as part of the first group of Legends of the Maccabiah from the Bay Area. She currently works as the property manager for family real estate investments.