The Andover Sports Banquet Center hosted over 140 attendees
From ACAA,
Photo: front (left to right): Peg Roorbach Shrum (Houghton Academy), Susan Roorbach Hellings (Houghton Academy), Sally Kus (Cuba-Rushford), Doreen Martin (Scio), Frank Russell (Andover)
back (left to right): Steve Bedwell (Belfast), Aaron Martin (Fillmore), Sean Smith (Genesee Valley), Jaime McLaughlin (Wellsville), Craig Burdick (Bolivar-Richburg)
The Allegany County Athletic Association hosted its 22nd annual Sports Hall of Fame banquet on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at the Andover Sports Banquet Center in Andover with ten honorees inducted.
This year’s inductees were: Frank Russell (Andover); Steve Bedwell (Belfast); Craig Burdick (Bolivar-Richburg); Sally Kus (Cuba-Rushford); Aaron Martin (Fillmore); Sean Smith (Genesee Valley); Susan Roorbach Hellings (Houghton); Peg Roorbach Shrum (Houghton); Doreen Martin (Scio); and Jaime McLaughlin (Wellsville). Read about each inductee at the end of this news.
In 2015, previous Hall of Fame inductees and siblings Teresa (Class of ‘07) and Dick (Class of ‘14) Joyce formed an LLC (“Andover Main Street Memories”) with a goal of saving and restoring buildings in their hometown. So far, they have successfully achieved that goal by renovating several structures. As part of their plans, they purchased the old Blarney Stone on Main Street with hopes of restoring the building and eventually opening a bar/restaurant on the first floor with a banquet center upstairs. While the bar/restaurant is not open yet, on Saturday the banquet facility played host to its first Allegany County Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
The nearly 140 guests in attendance were treated to a wonderful dinner catered by “The Main Place” in Hornell. Each of the inductees spoke and provided heartfelt memories of their days playing high school sports in the local schools.
By next year, the banquet facility should be even further along, eventually becoming the permanent home of the ACAA Sports Hall of Fame, housing exhibits, memorabilia, and photographs related to athletics of Allegany County.
Steve Bedwell– Steve Bedwell was a well-rounded athlete for the Belfast Bulldogs from the late 1960’s into the early 1970’s. During his early high school years, he ran track and played JV basketball. By his sophomore year, he had earned his way onto the varsity squads in basketball and soccer.
At the varsity level, he was captain of both squads (basketball and soccer), but it was on the hardwood where Steve made a name for himself. His senior year, he averaged 18 points and 15 rebounds per game, but he was also known as a fierce shot-blocker. His final season, the team won the Allegany County Class D title by going 18-0, and overall, the team finished the year 20-1, eventually losing in the sectionals. For his efforts, Steve was named to the Allegany County Class D All-Star Team three times.
Steve had several standout performances over the course of his career. During his junior year, he had 36 points and 26 boards against Richburg. His senior year, he scored 44 versus Rushford and had a combined 27 points and 22 rebounds against Fillmore.
Outside the sports arena, he was a fine student as he was the co-editor of the school newspaper, class president for one year, and president of the FFA. He was also a member of the student council and the senior choir.
After graduating from Belfast, he continued his basketball career at SUNY Morrisville where he was captain of the team. In 1982, he earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice from the United States Air Force. During his time in the service, he earned the USAF Peace Keepers Award and also a Commendation Medal.
Steve currently volunteers for the Office of the Aging and was recently elected to the Belfast Town Council.
Craig Burdick– One of the finest athletes to ever graduate from Richburg, Craig Burdick excelled in each of the sports in which he competed. As an adult, however, one of these sports transcended all of his previous accomplishments.
Craig played soccer for four years for the Bearcats, and during that time he had great success as he set an Allegany County scoring record in 1972. He also had one of the highest goal totals in New York State his senior year as he led the team to the Section V Class D title. He ran track one year with the broad jump as his strongest event. Playing basketball for four seasons, he helped Richburg to become one of the finest defensive teams in the area.
Yet it was his start in golf that helped propel him to greater accomplishments. Prior to his high school career, he won several junior championships at various different local golf courses. At the high school level, he was integral in getting the school to start a golf team, and along the way, he was the medalist at the Allegany County golf tournament for three years.
After graduating from Richburg, Craig headed to SUNY Brockport where he won the 1977 State University of New York Athletic Conference Medal. Since that time, he has continued his golf career by winning numerous tournaments around the region. Among those are five Wellsville Country Club championships with another five runner-up finishes. Along the way, he has recorded two holes-in-one.
He was the owner and president of Summit Technology Services, Inc. in Wellsville from 1996-2018 during which time he received a Small Business of the Year Award in 2024. In the past, he also sat on the Wellsville Chamber of Commerce Board and the Wellsville Board of Directors as VP of finance. For many years he worked on the Immaculate Conception School Fun Fair Auction Committee and for a short time served as a junior league soccer coach.
Susan Roorbach Hellings – A 1973 graduate of Houghton Academy, Susan Roorbach Hellings played at a time when there were limited opportunities and resources for female athletes, but she was able to rally support from schoolmates in order to organize teams in soccer and basketball.
On the soccer field she played center halfback, and on the basketball court, she played center, while at the same time serving as the captain of each squad. Her teams often had the best league records for the Allegany County Class D league. Her senior year, Susan learned about the new sport of girls volleyball, and from there she led a team that won the inaugural county volleyball tournament. In the spring, she excelled in track, winning the county title in the long jump and 100-yard dash.
After high school, Susan attended Houghton College where she started as a freshman on the womens varsity volleyball team and the womens basketball team. She earned four varsity letters in basketball and three in volleyball (missing her senior year due to student teaching responsibilities). She also earned a varsity letter the year the college started a softball program. The Highlanders participated in a post-season tournament where Susan was named to the All-Tournament Team twice and MVP once. At the conclusion of her senior year, she was awarded the Houghton College Student Senate Excellence Award for a female athlete. Additionally, she was the first woman to receive an athletics financial award from the college (a precursor to scholarships).
Following college, she became a high school math teacher and volunteered with the students’ athletics and activities in her hometown in New Jersey. She taught Bible studies in her church to children, youth, and adults. She married and then spent 20 years teaching math at the local community college.
In the 1980’s, when the National Christian College Athletic Association was forming and organizing women’s sports, the Women’s Volleyball Association instituted a national award and named it the Susan F. Hellings Award. This was presented to the student-athlete who exemplified athletic success, academic excellence, service, and Christian character.
In 2016, Susan was inducted into the Houghton University Athletics Hall of Honor.
Sally Kus– The resume and background of Sally Kus are possibly the most extensive and impressive of any previous inductee into this Hall of Fame. She is one of the preeminent volleyball coaches across the entire United States.
Sally’s high school coaching career spanned over 20 years at Sweet Home High School near Buffalo. During that time, she led her teams to 21 consecutive Erie County Interscholastic Conference championships, 20 consecutive Section VI Class A championships, and six consecutive NYS Class A championships. During the span from 1983-1996, her teams set a National Federation of High Schools record for most consecutive wins. She sent 70 players on to college with NCAA scholarships with one becoming an NCAA All-American. Seven players received High School All-American status with two earning MVP honors. The accolades poured in for her and her program over the years.
The Buffalo Sporting News rated the Sweet Home win streak as one of the ten most important accomplishments in Buffalo in the century. An article published in “Volleyball Magazine” honored her with the title “Best Prep Program Ever in the History of the Sport.” For her efforts and successes, she received a telegram from President Ronald Reagan and his wife congratulating her and her teams on breaking the national win streak.
Sally didn’t stop coaching at the high school level. Eventually she coached teams at the Empire State Games, and she also coached at Daemen College and the University at Buffalo. At each of these stops, she continued her run of excellence.
Most people probably do not realize this, but Sally has been the backbone of the Cuba-Rushford volleyball program since the 90’s. While her Sweet Home teams were winning all of their consecutive matches, she would host her team for preseason at her home on Cuba Lake. These teams would practice all preseason at Cuba-Rushford Central. Her team would practice, and then Cuba-Rushford would practice with Sally and some of her girls staying to help the CR program. According to Cuba-Rushford athletic director, Josh Tompkins, “Sally has been coaching Cuba-Rushford volleyball officially and unofficially for nearly 20 years. She won’t ever take credit for it, but she has done a lot for the program, and she deserves the recognition.”
For the Rebels, she coached varsity volleyball for five years, winning the county title each season and Coach of the Year once. Twice her teams finished as Section V Class D champions and twice more as Section V Class D1 champions. During that time, the team finished as Far West Regionals runners-up on two occasions.
Over the past few years, Sally has coached JV and modified volleyball, and she continues to provide dedication to the Cuba-Rushford School District as she sits on the Board of Education and serves as the Community Parent Representative for Special Education. She also still finds time to volunteer for the Cuba-Rushford volleyball teams.
Aaron Martin– Fillmore’s Aaron Martin was a dominant player for the Eagles both on the soccer field and the basketball court during his high school career. His three-year soccer career includes numerous awards. His senior season he was the Allegany County Division I MVP as well as earning his way onto the Section V All-Tournament Team. He was named to the county all-star squad twice and was the Fillmore team MVP. The Eagles made it all the way to the state semi-finals his junior year, finishing the season with a record of 22-1-1. His senior year, he was the most prolific scorer in Allegany County and sixth in Section V with 30 goals.
For his career he finished with several Fillmore records. These include: third in career assists (43), third in assists in one season (20), sixth in career points (139), and eighth in career goals (48). During the course of his career, he was awarded two prestigious honors – the Section V Ted Woods Scholarship Winner (awarded for character and service) and the Expressway Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Aaron’s awards and accomplishments on the basketball court are just as numerous. He was selected to the Hornell Spectator Great Eight All-Star Team twice (once second-team and once first-team), the Olean Times Herald Big 30 All-Star Team, and twice to the Allegany County All-Stars. Additional honors include the IABBO Basketball Officials’ Tournament All-Stars, Counselor’s Classic All-Star, and Section V Player of the Week for Allegany County twice. His individual accomplishments include finishing as the third-highest scorer in Fillmore history with 1128 points and leading the team in 12 statistical categories his senior year. An outstanding free throw shooter, he had the highest Fillmore free-throw percentage in the school’s history. He capped off his senior season by earning the Bob Davies-Lou Foy Memorial Big 30 Scholar-Athlete Award.
Doreen Martin– Scio’s Doreen Martin’s induction into this Hall of Fame is due to extraordinary dedication and excellence in three areas related to sports: playing career, coaching career, and athletic administration. A graduate of Caledonia-Mumford Central, she was a four-sport athlete while in school, and after graduation, she attended Slippery Rock University where she played three years of soccer
It is nearly impossible to list all of Doreen’s accomplishments over her career. First of all, she was a health teacher at Scio for 28 years, and she served as athletic director at that school for 26 of those years. Her coaching career included both girls’ and boys’ sports. On the boys’ side, she had two different stints as the volleyball coach. For the girls, she coached all three levels of soccer, along with basketball and softball. Toward the end of her career, she also led the modified track team.
On the administration side of athletics, in addition to serving as Scio’s athletic director, she was the Expressway League secretary and the Allegany County Athletic Association treasurer for over 20 years. She also made a huge impact on Section V sports by serving that organization as various league representatives, sectional class coordinators, and league coordinators for girls basketball, softball, and sportsmanship. Over the years, she served different roles reporting directly to the Section V Executive Committee: girls’ vice-president, girls’ sports representative, and league representative.
For her efforts, she was honored twice with the Allegany County Athletic Association Service Award (2010 and 2014) and New York State Athletic Administrators Association Award (2015 and 2025).
Jaime McLaughlin– A Wellsville Central School Athletics Hall of Fame plaque in her honor hangs in the school and states that Jaime McLaughlin is known for enthusiasm, leadership, and work ethic. These attributes combined to make her a standout not only in high school and college athletics, but also in the coaching field.
Graduating in 1995, she played and excelled in three sports – soccer, basketball, and softball. She was the starting goalie on the 1993 girls soccer team, the only team in Wellsville history that has won a sectional title. That same year she was chosen as the Section V Class B Defensive Player of the Year. The leadership traits on her plaque were on display as she served as the team captain her senior year in soccer, basketball, and softball. That same year, she was selected to the Expressway Conference Basketball All-Star Team.
The softball diamond is where Jaime really excelled. She played second base for a Wellsville team that won the Azalea Invitational Tournament in South Carolina against nationally-ranked teams. She led the team to back-to-back Section V Class B Championships in 1994 and 1995. Those same two years, she was selected as an Expressway Conference All-Star. For her senior campaign, she was selected to the New York State Class C Second Team All-Stars as a second baseman. Her junior year, she tied a New York State record by hitting three home runs in one game against Portville. At the end of her high school career, she was selected to try out for the 1996 Olympic Softball Team, a truly great honor although she did not make the team.
After graduation from Wellsville, she played second base for four years at Gannon University, starting that entire time. For her exploits there, in 2020, she was selected to the Gannon University Athletics Hall of Fame, just the fourth softball player to be so honored. Over the course of her time there, she finished as the program’s leader in hits and RBI’s.
After graduating with an undergraduate teaching degree as well as a master’s degree, Jaime returned to Wellsville where she continues to teach and coach. She started her coaching career as a softball assistant to legendary coach and 2008 inductee into the Allegany County Sports Hall of Fame, Frank Cady. From there, she has coached at almost every level of softball from youth to modified to varsity, along the way helping to coach soccer as well. She led the Lions to the 2024 Section V softball title on the way to winning the New York State Class B Championship. In addition to her Wellsville coaching duties, she has run the Alfred University women’s softball and soccer programs.
Frank Russell – A 1954 graduate of Hornell High School, Frank Russell played one year of JV basketball and two years of varsity soccer during his high school career.
After high school, he graduated from Cornell University with a major in Agricultural Education. His first job in education was teaching that subject in Friendship and Scio, and during that period, he also coached JV basketball and soccer in Friendship.
Frank soon changed school districts and took a job in Andover as the Agricultural Education teacher. He coached soccer and JV basketball where he made an additional $100 per year. During his third year in Andover, he started a track team for the school because several students asked him to do so. He also initiated a cross-country team in 1965. During his tenure at Andover, he earned his master’s degree at Alfred University.
When a position as a guidance counselor became available, he gave up coaching in 1974. He then took a job in administration at Pine Valley Central School in Chautauqua County. As the school’s superintendent, he felt that he had a great opportunity to support the athletic programs there.
Frank stated his beliefs about a coach’s influence. “A most important lesson I learned while coaching was how amazing your words and actions affect each individual and their memories of events and teamwork, and how these affect their actions to this day. Most coaches that I have had the pleasure of knowing gained as much pleasure and memories as the athletes they were coaching.”
Peg Roorbach Shrum – Peg Roorbach Shrum attended Houghton Academy for three years, graduating in 1974, and during those three years, she won seven varsity letters in soccer, basketball, and volleyball. On the soccer team she played goalie, and on the basketball team she was the point guard; both of those teams won the county championship.
After graduation, Peg went on to earn nine varsity letters at Houghton College: one in softball, two in volleyball, two in field hockey, and four in basketball. During her freshman year while playing in the state volleyball tournament, she served all 15 points in a game against SUNY Brockport, the defending state champions. Houghton came in second in the state that year. In a field hockey game against St. Bonaventure, she set the record for goals in a game with five, a record that stood for 30 years. Her senior year, she received the Student Senate Excellence Award as the best female athlete, just as her sister Susan had done the previous year.
After college, she worked as a physical education teacher and coach at several Christian schools and colleges including Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Indiana. In 1983, her volleyball squad at Indiana Wesleyan won the National Christian College Athletic Association national championship after finishing second the previous year. She was named the National Coach of the Year for her accomplishments.
In 1992, Peg became a missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators. She and her husband, Jeff, learned Portuguese and moved to Mozambique, Africa where they worked with local churches. They helped translate the Bible into the local language and develop literacy materials. Currently, they are consultants for other groups doing translation projects around the world.
For her accomplishments at Houghton University, she was inducted into the school’s Athletics Hall of Honor in 1998.
Sean Smith– Sean Smith joins his father Charlie (Class of 2005), brothers Gene (2008) and Leonard (2009) in this Hall of Fame, making it a true family affair.
A 1993 graduate of Belmont Central, Sean was a two-sport standout athlete in basketball and baseball. On the hardwood, he scored over 1000 points during his career while at the same time earning honors as a First-Team Allegany County All-Star. His other accolades include selection to the Big 30 All-Stars and the Hornell Spectator Great Eight All-Star Team. At the sectional level, he was twice selected to the Section V All-Tournament Team. In his senior year, along with his brother Leonard, he helped lead Belmont to their only Section V boys’ title in basketball. For his efforts in basketball, he was selected as the Genesee Valley team MVP.
Sean excelled on the baseball field in the spring where he made the Allegany County All-Stars and was twice chosen as the team’s MVP. Due to his outstanding athletic career, he was named to the Genesee Valley Wall of Fame in 2014.
After graduation, he attended St. John Fisher University where he played basketball for four years. He ranks second in all-time games played at Fisher, and he was selected as the team captain his final two seasons. He ranks eighth on the all-time list for three-point field goals made.
Sean currently lives in the Rochester, NY area and has been a teacher with the city school district for 25 years. Previously he worked as the varsity basketball coach at two schools, Eastridge and Bishop Kearney. He is also active with the Webster youth baseball and softball league and is currently a Section V referee and umpire.
