2019 Hall of Fame Inductees

Michael Cuscino - Athlete

Michael Cuscino was a master of consistency for the Butler County Community College golf team from 2007-2009, always steady in the tee box, cerebral on the fairways and stellar on the greens.

His approach paid off for Cuscino, a graduate of Shenango High School, who became a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association Division III All-Region XX selection and BC3’s second All-American in golf.

In the fall of 2007, Cuscino averaged a 79 and was picked to the All-Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference squad, and the All-WPCC tournament team by finishing eighth in the championships with an 81. He later placed fourth in the Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Association tournament, where he earned all-state honors.

The next spring, Cuscino became the first BC3 golfer in 10 years to qualify for the NJCAA national tournament in Chautauqua by shooting a fourth-place 161 in the NJCAA Division III Region XX championships. At Chautauqua, Cuscino fired a four-round 303 for a 13th-place finish and All-American honors.

Cuscino missed the fall 2008 season with an injury, but the following spring finished second in the NJCAA Division III Region XX tournament with a two-round 154. He again qualified for the NJCAA national tournament in Chautauqua, where he finished 26th with a four-round 306.

Cuscino attained two bachelor’s degrees from California University of Pennsylvania, and earned a Class A PGA membership in June 2014. He served as assistant golf professional at St. Clair Country Club from 2014-18, and has been Upper St. Clair High School’s girls varsity golf coach since 2015.

Tom McConnell - Athlete

Behind the scoring and passing of lightning-quick point guard Tom McConnell, the Butler County Community College men’s basketball team compiled a 39-7 record, winning a BC3-record 11 consecutive games in the 1978-79 season, and 10 in a row in 1979-80 – and the program’s first Skyline Athletic Conference championship.

McConnell, a graduate of South Hills Catholic High School, became the first BC3 men’s basketball freshman selected to the All-Skyline Athletic Conference team after scoring 300 points and breaking the BC3 record with 148 assists. The Pioneers’ 19-3 record in 1978-79 was their best in the 12-year history of the program.

BC3 entered the 1979-80 season having won SAC titles in every sport but men’s basketball. With McConnell as a co-captain, that would change.

In a rematch of the 1979 championship, McConnell had 10 assists as BC3 dethroned the Community College of Allegheny County-Allegheny 48-46 in overtime to win its first SAC crown and earn a berth in the Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Association title game. Despite McConnell’s game-high 26 points against Northampton Community College in the PCAA contest, BC3 fell 85-65 and finished 20-4.

McConnell was again named to the All-SAC team, and went on to become the first former BC3 student-athlete to play NCAA Division I basketball, where at Davidson he was a co-captain. He was an assistant men’s basketball coach at Wake Forest, Marquette and Dayton; and head men’s basketball coach at St. Francis (Pa). He was an assistant women’s basketball coach at the University of Colorado and at Old Dominion before becoming the current head women’s coach at IUP in 2013.

Megan (Smith) Nimmo - Athlete

As a 6-foot freshman, Megan Smith stood tall on the Butler County Community College volleyball team. After her 2002 and 2003 seasons with the Pioneers, she stood even taller.

Smith, a Butler Senior High School graduate, led BC3 to a combined 48-12 record, consecutive Western Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference, Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Association and National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Region XX crowns, an appearance in NJCAA national tournament in Minnesota, and became BC3’s second two-time NJCAA All-American.
The middle hitter was twice selected to the all-WPCC and All-PCAA squads, and the NJCAA All-Region XX and All-Region XX tournament squads.

As a freshman, Smith ranked fourth in the NJCAA’s Division III in aces, fifth in hitting efficiency and ninth in blocks, and led BC3 to the PCAA crown with a win over Lehigh Carbon Community College, and the NJCAA Division III Region XX title with a victory over Montgomery-Rockville. The Pioneers later placed fifth in the NJCAA national tournament in Rochester, Minn.

As a sophomore, Smith finished seventh in the NJCAA’s Division III in hitting efficiency, eighth in kills, 12th in aces and 13th in blocks, and again sparked BC3 to the PCAA title against Lehigh Carbon Community College, and the NJCAA Division III Region XX title with another victory over Montgomery-Rockville. She had 11 kills, 10 blocks and four aces in BC3’s season-ending loss to Columbus State in the NJCAA Division III District G championship.

During her two years, Smith had 640 kills, 205 blocks and 184 aces for BC3 teams that finished 28-4 and 20-8. She played volleyball for two years at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and coached volleyball at Union High School.

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(Published May 2019)