Merrilynn Giles
Merrilynn Giles was a basketball and volleyball standout at West Middlesex High School who went on to an outstanding athletic career at Grove City College.
In volleyball in high school she was a four-year starter and letter winner, helping lead the team to a 1980 Tri-County title and 1981 Mercer County crown. The team qualified for the District 10 tournament in 1981 and 1982. She was named first-team All-Mercer County as a senior. Merrilynn was also a three-year letter winner in girls basketball.
At Grove City College, she played volleyball for two seasons and softball for four years. She earned two letters in volleyball and the team advanced to the NCAA Division III region quarterfinals in 1982 and boasted a 37-7 record. In softball, she was a four-year starter, a two-year captain and All-Conference her senior year.
Merrilynn went on to a phenomenal coaching career. In a dozen years as head volleyball coach at West Middlesex, her teams posted a dual-match record of 187-44, including a 115-5 mark in Mercer County Athletic Conference matches.
Her teams won county AA titles in every one of her 12 years as coach. The 1989 team won the District 10 crown and placed third in the state. She coached six All-State players, started a junior high program and tutored 12 county MVPs.
She is a well-respected PIAA volleyball official and has officiated the District 10 playoffs for several years. She has officiated in the state tournament as well, including the state finals.
She was inducted into the West Middlesex Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.