As Northwestern Lehigh moves closer to potentially playing in its third straight PIAA softball semifinal, another group of student-athletes went through the same long road 40 years ago for the program.

In 1985, the Lady Tigers were state champions, and got together recently to remember those days and just what winning it all has meant to them over the years.

The ’85 team was coached by Hope Donnell and her assistant Shelva Keilman. They finished the year 26-1 and defeated Rockwood in the PIAA finals 5-0. Candice (Snyder) Danner, who pitched for that team, allowed just one hit to Rockwood and struck out 10 hitters in the game, which was played at Shippensburg University. Ironically, Danner would go on to pitch for Shippensburg University.

Looking back, Danner remembers what it took to be a championship team.

“I think our work ethic and that we were a close knit team was a big part of our success,” said Danner at the reunion of the team back in April. “It was never just one of us on the field, we all worked together and supported each other and encouraged each other. We worked really hard, and we did a lot of offseason training to prepare.”

Perhaps even more than the state championship game, a game that stands out in the historic run was the PIAA semifinal game against Minersville. Northwestern scored three runs in the top of the seventh, and the game was mired in controversy over what Minersville thought was a misinterpretation of the re-entry rule. A call had to be made to the National High School Federation to get a ruling on how the rule was applied, and the call went in favor of the Tigers. Had it gone the other way, the game would have been a forfeit.

“I remember that game going into discussions, and we had to just wait through it all, and it was a good hour where we were waiting for an answer,” said Patty (Walko) Mengel, who went on to play at Temple. “I think once we got that ruling, we knew we were going to win it all.”

Many of the tenants that have marked the 2025 team and their run to states were present 40 years ago. The team had undeniable chemistry, and were each other’s biggest fans. The team also put hard work first, and never allowed themselves to think about just how good they were.

“We believed in hard work, and we believed in each other. We never put a limit on what we could do, it was just that we were going to play our best and we believed that we were going to come out on top because we were going to do whatever it took,” said coach Donnell, who was inducted into the Lehigh Valley Softball Hall of Fame in 2018. “The girls were an incredible group of athletes, and they bought into what we were trying to teach.

“I don’t think they every looked at it like we’ve got tons of talent, it wasn’t that. It was just that they thought ‘I’m going to do my job and do it the best I can do.’ It wasn’t that we thought we were a great team, we just got there.”

The players and coaches from 1985 all like what they see from the 2025 team, and are hoping to see them get the program’s first gold medals in 40 years. Danner was today’s version of pitcher Emma Freeman back in 1985, and has liked what she has seen from the team as they get closer to a potential state championship. If she were to give this year’s players some advice, it would be simple.

“I would say work hard every day. Every game is a new game, so don’t get ahead of yourself, and keep supporting each other,” said Danner. “Offense wins games, defense wins championships. I firmly believe defense is the key to winning.”

Although 40 years have passed, and the players and coaches have seen their lives go in separate directions, they still have that bond of being state champions, and will for the rest of their lives.

“We’re in each other’s lives one way or another. I think that Northwestern Lehigh and New Tripoli means a lot to us, and when ‘homegrown’ became a motto for Northwestern over the past few years, even though we didn’t have that motto back then, it felt like that,” said Susan (Geiger) Day. “I told the athletes that won state championships this year that they will not realize the impact that has on your life and on your relationships right now, that comes later.”