From left, Janet Merrill, Rose Marie Greene, and Sybil Stanton.
Two former Walton CSD athletes and one long-term contributor were inducted into the Section Four Athletics Hall of Fame this past weekend in Binghamton.
Janet Merrill, Sybil Stanton, and Rose Marie Green were inducted in this year’s class.
Merrill and Stanton were standout athletes for the Warriors, and Green has served as the athletics department secretary in her retirement, and before that coached numerous sports at the school. She has been serving Walton for 57 years.
Below are the bios that appeared in the program at the event.
Congratulations to all three for this well-deserved honor!
ATHLETES
Janet Merrill
A four-year starter on the Walton High School girls’ basketball team, Janet not only graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,240 points, but the 1989 class valedictorian as well.
During her junior season, she scored 477 points, averaging 24.5 points per game, while as a senior she scored 412 points, grabbed 282 rebounds and blocked 133 shots in leading the Warriors to the Section IV Class C finals.
Playing before the implementation of the three-point shot, Janet was named The Daily Star Player of the Year following her senior campaign, the Susquenango West Most Valuable Player in both 1988 and 1989 and to The Daily Star All-Area first team in 1988. She was also tabbed a two-year selectee to the Press & Sun-Bulletin All-Metro Team.
Her devotion to the game was inspired at an early age by her parents, Duane and Peg. As a youth she grew at the sport of basketball by attending Golden Valley Sports Camp, the Cathy Rush Camp, Blue Star Basketball Camp and many travels to Schenectady to play AAU ball. The late Wendell Spear, her high school coach, remarked at the conclusion of Walton’s very successful 1988-89 season, “As a coach, one could not ask for a more dedicated, cooperative player as her enthusiasm for the game of basketball was contagious to all that knew her.”
Janet graduated from Yale University in 1993 and Albany Law School in 2007. She currently resides in Las Vegas, where she has volunteered for many years with the youth of Henderson, NV and the Girls Youth Basketball of Las Vegas.
Sybil Stanton (Henschen)
A five-year starter on the Walton girls’ basketball team, Sybil still holds the school record for career points with 1,351. She is also the record holder for the most assists in a season with 74 and scored a team-high 422 points for a 20.1 average during her senior year. Sybil, a very strong all-around athlete, also played four years of varsity field hockey and one year of softball.
Prior to her graduation in 2007, she received All-State recognition in basketball both her junior and senior seasons, and was named an All-State midfielder in field hockey her final fall. Sybil was also tabbed a Midstate Athletic Conference (MAC) basketball all-star in 2007, and an honored cager on both The Daily Star first team and the Press & Sun-Bulletin All-Metro Team for her basketball prowess.
After graduating from Walton, she played basketball and lacrosse at SUNY Morrisville. A resident of Wolcottville, IN, Sybil remains active in youth athletics by coaching girls’ basketball. She also has been an Executive Director of Early Learning Centers as well as a Director of Women’s basketball.
CONTRIBUTOR
Rose Marie Greene
“Posie,” as she is known throughout Section IV, has been involved in area athletics for the past 57 years. She began teaching physical education in Walton in 1965, and before her retirement in 2002, she coached numerous sports for the Warriors.
Perhaps, her greatest contributions were founding the Walton Varsity Club and promoting athletic opportunities for female athletes. She came out of her short-lived retirement in 2005 when she began serving as Walton’s part time athletic secretary. Through several athletic directors, “Posie” has been the foundation of Warrior athletics. Whether it is helping to coordinate tournaments, rescheduling postponements, finding scorekeepers or announcing games, she makes sure everything runs smoothly for the athletes and coaches.
“I can say without any hesitation that I would not and could not do this job if it wasn’t for Rosie Greene,” admitted Walton AD Adam J. Hoover. “Posie’s” contributions do not stop when the school year ends. Every year she organizes and runs the Walton Warrior Sports Awards Ceremony in June. This annual award, given to the top senior female athlete, is named in her honor. Kelly Gates, a former teaching and coaching colleague of “Posie’s,” describes her as “trustworthy, honest, reliable, loyal, dedicated and caring.” Ms. Gates went on to say, “You know who she is, what you see is what you get. If anyone bleeds Walton Orange, it is her. She would do anything for the ‘kids’ of Walton.”
“Posie” was honored as the 2013-14 Distinguished Service Award winner by the Walton Board of Education.