Former McDevitt track standout named final recipient of Paul Poiesz Alumni Scholarship | Registration for 2024 Football Hall of Fame Inductions ceremony now open

The Friends of Bishop McDevitt announced that Syniah White, a former student and 2024 graduate of West Catholic Preparatory High School in Philadelphia, has been named the last recipient of the Paul Poiesz Alumni Scholarship.

The organization noted that White (pictured above), who was a freshman when the high school closed for good, is the last athlete in the Lady Lancer track program’s 41 years.

The scholarship is given in honor of Coach Poiesz’ 25 seasons in Wyncote, during which he captured 14 Catholic League championships.

“The Lady Lancers were coached by Marie Jones and were led by nationally recognized Phyllis Buber ‘83. The last year of the Lady Lancer track program was 2021 and was coached by Lancer Hall of Famer Eric Young ‘86 [pictured above] and also had a nationally recognized athlete, Taleea Buxton ‘23,” Friends of Bishop McDevitt said in a post.


White was named First Team All-Catholic Indoor and Outdoor and was a member of the 2024 PIAA State Champion Burrs. She will be attending Norfolk State this fall.

In related news, registration for the Bishop McDevitt High School Football Hall of Fame Inductions for the Class of 2024 is now open.

The event is scheduled for October 3 at Lulu Country Club in Glenside and will be coupled with the fourth annual Big Doc Memorial Classic sponsored by the Lancers Football Alumni.

This year’s inductees include:

  • Tom McLaughlin ’66
  • Manny Harrison ’06
  • Brendan Hanagan ’15
  • Stephen Leach ’15
  • Nasir Pettus ’18


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