Washington County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2024

The four Washington County Sports Hall of Fame members inducted into the Hall’s 36th class in 2024:

Vic Barnhart

Barnhart represented the third generation of the Barnhart baseball family and played three seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He followed his father Clyde, who played nine seasons with Pittsburgh, and his brother Bob, who played in the minor leagues.

Vic began his baseball career at age 17, before his senior year of high school. One sportswriter called Vic the “top prize third baseman” of the Class C Western Association League while playing for the Hutchinson affiliate of the Pirates. Upon joining the Pirates, he eventually moved from third base to shortstop.

He played most of his 74 major league games in 1945, supplemented by two brief stints in 1944 and 1946. He batted .270 in the three seasons with seven doubles and 19 RBIs.

He played 1,047 games over 10 seasons at various minor league levels, posting a .292 batting average with 27 HRs and 410 RBIs.

Vic graduated from Hagerstown High in 1940, where he excelled in football, basketball and baseball. Bob and Vic played together on the 1938 Washington County championship team, Hoffman Chevrolet, while Clyde watched from the stands.

After his baseball career, Vic spent 20 years as the athletic director at the Maryland Correctional Institute.

Megan Crawford

Crawford used the lessons she learned during her time at Williamsport High to create a successful era for the North Hagerstown volleyball team.

A steadfast application of two mottos — “Work hard and set high expectations” and “team before me” — were the cornerstone of 17 years of spectacular, yet disciplined, volleyball. It produced a career coaching record of 231-55 with four Maryland Class 3A state championships (2011-12, 2014 and 2022) before he steps down after the 2022 season.

She accepted the North Hagerstown volleyball job in 2006. During her tenure, North won six regional titles and appeared in five state finals. She has coached nine Washington County Players of the Year and has been named county coach of the year four times. In 2022, she was named Maryland Coach of the Year by the NFHS Coaches Association.

Crawford was a standout for Williamsport, playing on the Wildcats’ 1999 Class 1A state championship team and earning a spot on The Herald-Mail’s All-Area team. She also earned all-county honors in basketball and tennis for the Wildcats.

She played volleyball at Catawba College in North Carolina, where she is among the top players in a season, and at Shepherd University, where she was team captain in 2004.

Carolyn Showalter

Showalter has earned the label “Undisputed Queen of the JFK 50 Mile” ultramarathon. She is a six-time JFK women’s champion, including five consecutive years (1985-89). The six titles, including her last in 1994, tie the all-time record.

Showalter has completed the JFK 36 times (through 2023), including an incredible streak of 22 consecutive events (1982-2003) to become a member of the race’s 1,750 Mile Club. She has finished second in the JFK three times and in the top 10 16 times.

Showalter is also a two-time top 100 women’s finisher in the Boston Marathon, the only woman from Washington County to accomplish this feat. She has competed in marathons in Gettysburg, New York City, Chambersburg, Virginia Beach and Carlisle.

As of 2023, Showalter holds the active U.S. record for the most consecutive years completing an ultramarathon of at least 50 miles. That record stands for 45 years, from November 28, 1978, to November 18, 2023. That period is also the second-best record internationally.

Showalter graduated from Lancaster Mennonite High School in 1972, where she participated in field hockey, basketball, and track. She later graduated from Hagerstown Community College and Shepherd University.

Bill Sterner

Sterner was a Swiss Army knife of high school athletics in Washington County. He spent 41 of his 44 years as a teacher, coach and athletic director, primarily at Hancock before graduating from Clear Spring. There was no job or student too small to benefit from his expertise.

After starting as a volunteer line coach in football, Sterner joined Hancock’s faculty as a lecturer in 1983. Shortly thereafter, he assumed the duties of athletic director. It was his first of two terms in the post.

Sterner became Hancock’s head football coach, leading the team to its first playoff berth in 1986. He later led the softball team to the state semifinals in 1993. His work kept the football program going at the smallest public school in Maryland.

In 2018, he left Hancock to support the Blazers’ program as AD at Clear Spring.

One of Sterner’s strongest qualities was connecting with students by supporting, guiding and being strict.