Parents of football player sue priest and church

The parents of former Pitt football player Billy Gaines, who fell to his death from a church… The parents of former Pitt football player Billy Gaines, who fell to his death from a church ceiling in June, filed a $75 million dollar lawsuit against Rev. Henry Krawczyk, who is accused of giving Gaines and other Pitt football player’s alcohol on the evening of the accident.

Police say Krawczyk hosted a barbeque for a few Pitt football players, including Gaines, and provided them with alcohol for several hours. Krawczyk is facing involuntary manslaughter charges.

Gaines, 19, died after he fell through a ceiling in St. Anne Catholic Church in Homestead, Pa., while trying to get to the roof through a crawlspace that Krawczyk had showed him, the suit said. In addition to the $75 million, the Gaines family also wants to be compensated for the money that their son would have made in his lifetime.

The suit, which was filed in federal court in Philadelphia last Thursday, also names the Diocese of Pittsburgh, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and three other Pittsburgh-area parishes.

Hatlestad earns Big East Honor

Pitt senior volleyball player Wendy Hatlestad can now add Big East Conference Co-Player of the Week to her list of accolades. After being named the most valuable player of the Pittsburgh Classic this past weekend, Hatlestad was recognized by the Big East Conference.

In the tournament hosted by Pitt, Hatlestad racked up 58 kills and 31 digs, as the Panthers went 3-0 with wins over Toledo, Northeastern and Texas Christian University. Following her impressive play this weekend, Hatlestad also moved into third place on the Panthers’ all-time kills list with 1,317.

This marks the third time Hatlestad has been named player of the week in her career. Hatlestad and the Panthers have won seven of their last eight matches and take their 9-3 record into this weekend’s action with Providence and Boston College.

Six Panthers Named Honorable Mention Academic All-Americans

Five members of the Pitt swimming team and one member of the diving team were named Honorable Mention Academic All-Americans by the College Swim Coaches Association of America.

Eric Limkemann, whose quality point average was a 4.0 in the spring semester, earned his second consecutive CSCAA Honorable Mention Academic All-American honor.

Raymond Bush and Michael Grube, both of whom graduated this past spring, earned the honor with a 3.69 and 3.758 Q.P.A., respectively.

Jenny Livingstone and Kelli Tielking were the lone female swimmers to receive the honor. Troy Kaczorowski was the lone diver to be named an All-American.

To be nominated for the award, a swimmer must have a 3.5 or higher Q.P.A. in the same semester in which they achieve an NCAA championship Meet “B” Qualifying time or better. A diver must have a 3.5 Q.P.A. or above in the same semester in which they qualify for the NCAA Diving Zone Championships.