Kayley Kovac — a 2018 graduate of Jim Thorpe Area High School and a 2024 graduate of St. Francis University with a Doctor of Physical Therapy — is a member of this year’s Jim Thorpe Area Sports Hall of Fame class.

Kovac is the Olympians all-time leading scorer in basketball (boys and girls) with 1,884 career points. She had a four-year average of 24.8 points per game. Kovac — a four-time All-State selection — would have surpassed the 2,000-point mark in her career, but suffered a season-ending knee injury just nine games into her senior campaign.

Kovac was a two-time Times News area Girls’ Basketball Player of the Year who scored over 30 points 24 times during her career with a single-game high of 40.

Kovac was the Valedictorian of the Jim Thorpe Class of 2018, a member of the National Honor Society and President of Student Council. At St. Francis, she graduated cum laude and was a member of the Student Athlete Mentors, and a four-year member of the Saint Francis University NCAA Division 1 Women’s Basketball Team.

The Jim Thorpe Hall of Fame Banquet will be held on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 1 p.m. at Jim Thorpe Area High School. Tickets to the banquet are $25 and can be purchased by contacting Jack Kmetz (570-952-4288) or Craig Zurn (570-325-3855).

The 2024 JTAHS Class also includes: Kevin Vitti, Joe Eichhorn Sr., Brooke Cope, Kelsey Carroll and the 2015 Boys’ Track & Field Team.

Every Saturday from July 13 until Aug. 24, a different inductees’ bio will be published in the Times News.