Carlsson, Bajuszik join BC3 Hall
BUTLER TWP — Stefan Carlsson and Nicole (Sebastian) Bajuszik will be the latest inductees into the Butler County Community College's Charles W. Dunaway Pioneer Hall of Fame.
The pair will join 14 others in BC3's 6-year-old Hall of Fame. Their accomplishments will be celebrated at a Hall of Fame ceremony in May of 2022.
Carlsson is the school's lone two-time All-American in golf. The Knoch graduate received those plaudits in 2014 and 2015.Bajuszik, a Seneca Valley graduate, recorded 1,360 assists as a setter for BC3's women's volleyball team. The Pioneers were a combined 48-12 in her two seasons, including a fifth-place finish at the 2002 NJCAA Division III national tournament in Minnesota.Carlsson is one of four BC3 athletes since 1971 to be a two-time NJCAA Div. III All-American. He qualified for the national tournament in both of his spring seasons with the Pioneers.“My first year, I was the only golfer on our team to go,” Carlsson said of nationals. “The second year, our entire team qualified. That was fun. Chris Kier was one of my high school teammates and he was on that really good BC3 team.”Carlsson placed 10th in the 2014 national tourney and 15th in 2015. He was also the medalist in leading the Pioneers to the Pennsylvania Invitational Tournament championship in the fall of 2014 and to the NJCAA Region XX title in the spring of 2015.“Bill Miller was one of the best golf coaches I ever had,” Carlsson said. “He was always a calm, level-headed guy and he knew what to say to you.“He never tried to change your swing or anything like that. He just kept you in a good mental frame of mind and that's a big part of golf.”Carlsson is still involved in the game, serving as a full-time caddy at Oakmont Country Club. Oakmont is hosting the U.S. Amateur in August.“I've gotten to meet a lot of cool people,” Carlsson said of working at Oakmont.
Bajuszik, a 2000 Seneca Valley graduate, now married, with three children and living in Saxonburg, was the first full-time setter for the Pioneers under coach Rob Snyder.“It was a great surprise to hear the news, very humbling,” Bajuszik said of her induction. “It takes a team and chemistry to create stats.“Good passers have to get you the ball and hitters have to attack it smartly, so it's a whole puzzle that works together.”She finished fifth in all of NJCAA Div. III with 8.205 assists per set in 2002 and 14th with 7.449 in 2003. Her teams won two WPCC, Region XX and PCAA state championships.After leaving BC3, Bajuszik went on to play volleyball at La Roche and became a team captain there.“It doesn't matter how many good hitters you have if you can't get them the ball,” BC3 volleyball coach Rob Snyder said in a prepared statement. “The key was being able to get them the ball and Nicole did that very well.“The consistency of having the same player setting all the time was kind of a first for us and important for our program's development.”Bajuszik met her husband while playing volleyball at BC3. She is now in her ninth year as head women's volleyball coach at La Roche University and her teams have made seven consecutive trips to the AMCC Tournament.“Our culture is not only based around volleyball, but creating a strong, healthy lifestyle when you graduate,” Bajuszik said.“Volleyball is my passion.”Carlsson and Bajuszik are joining 14 others in the Pioneer Hall of Fame. They will be inducted with 2020 honorees Hal Koenemund and Tracy Pease during the 2022 HOF ceremony.
