The Exeter Township School District inducted three athletes into its Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, January 3 during a ceremony held at Exeter Township Senior High School, followed by recognition during halftime of the Eagles’ girls basketball game. The athletes inducted were Dave Nowotarski, a 1974 graduate; Dave Winterhalter, a 1972 graduate; and Elise Dickie, a 2014 graduate.

Nowotarski was an All-County selection in both football and baseball and was a three-year starter at linebacker and catcher for the Eagles. After leading the team in tackles through six games as a sophomore before an ankle injury ended his season, he returned as a two-way starter and earned All-County and All-Inter County League honors as a junior. Despite a late start to his senior season due to injury, he again was named All-Inter County and earned second team All-County recognition.

In baseball, Nowotarski batted .350 as a sophomore and was named to the All-Division team as a third baseman. He moved behind the plate as a junior, replacing his brother Mike, and earned first team All-County honors after batting .391 and leading the Eagles to the Berks championship series. As a senior, he batted .333 and again earned All-County honors. He went on to have a successful Legion career, played in the Lebanon Valley League, and later became a member of the Berks County Umpires Association.

Nowotarski earned a degree in Physical Therapy from the University of Pittsburgh before working at several area medical facilities. He later earned his Doctorate of Chiropractic from New York Chiropractic College and returned to Berks County, where he operated a practice in Sinking Spring for 30 years before retiring in 2018.

Winterhalter was a three-sport athlete and a key contributor to two Berks County championship teams. A three-year, two-way starter at end and defensive end, he helped lead the football team to a 21-4 record during his career, including a 9-0 Inter-County League championship season in 1971. He was selected to the 1972 Berks Touchdown Club All-Star Team.

A late bloomer in basketball, Winterhalter emerged as one of the Eagles’ leading scorers and rebounders as a senior, helping Exeter capture its first Berks championship after winning its first 24 games during a 25-2 season in 1972. He went on to play basketball at Kutztown University. A member of the track team as a shot put and discus thrower, he later became a Category 2 licensed amateur bicycle road and track racer and mentored junior riders entering the sport.

Winterhalter remained active throughout his life, completing a 60-mile bike ride just weeks before his second brain cancer surgery. Following surgery, he relearned how to walk through rehabilitation before passing away in April of 2015 at the age of 60. His posthumous honor was accepted by his brother, Jon.

Dickie was a three-sport athlete and became the first female golfer from Exeter to medal at the BCIAA Tournament since 1974. She competed on both the boys and girls golf teams for two seasons, placing fifth at the Berks girls tournament as a junior and third as a senior, qualifying for the District 3 tournament both years.

She also competed in field hockey for two seasons and lacrosse for three, helping the Eagles qualify for the Berks playoffs each year. The lacrosse team won the Berks championship during her junior season and finished runner-up her senior year, when she earned All-Division honors.

Dickie went on to become one of the top golfers as a freshman on Delaware Valley University’s first women’s golf team, becoming only the second female from Exeter to compete collegiately. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Millersville University in Biology/Animal Behavior and Chemistry, followed by a master’s degree in Microbiology from Colorado State University. She worked in veterinary medicine and was enrolled at Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine at the time of her induction.