Announcing the 2024 Hall of Athletic Honor Inductees
Every other year, Church Farm School recognizes the best in athletics and its values – sportsmanship, teamwork, and excellence - through the Hall of Athletic Honor. This year, three individuals have been selected for this honor after reviewing the nominations: Micheal Eric '07, Jason Kittlesen '91 and the late Richard Lunardi. These individuals and their families will be honored at the Alumni Reunion Dinner on May 11.
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Mike Eric '07 was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, and came to the US as a teenager. He spent his last two years of high school at CFS. He said Coach Marc Turner always reminded him that "it's not about you, it's about the team" and to be the best person he could be for others. Over the course of two seasons, Mike averaged 17.2 points, 14.6 rebounds, and 6.4 blocks per game while leading Church Farm to the KSAC regular season championship. He earned first-team all-league and all-area both years.
After CFS, Mike signed a National Letter of Intent to play for Temple University. As a sophomore, he finished fifth on the team in scoring and second on the team in both blocks and field goals. As a junior, Mike was named the team co-captain and started the first 24 games of the season before fracturing his right patella which sidelined him for the remainder of the season and most of the following season. He tied his career-high with 19 points and a game-high 15 rebounds against UMass in 2012.
After Temple, Mike had multiple stints in the NBA Summer League, playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers (2012), Philadelphia 76ers (2013), Golden State Warriors (2013), Milwaukee Bucks (2015) and the Washington Wizards (2016). He also played briefly for the Texas Legends in the NBA G-League and was named to the West All-Star team for the 2016 NBA G-League All-Star Game. At the season's end, he earned NBA G-League All-Defensive Team honors, He has played abroad in Greece, Italy, Spain, Turkey and Russia. He is currently playing for the Korean Basketball League.
Jason “Kitt" Kittlesen '91 attended CFS from 8th to 12th grade, excelling in multiple sports for the Griffins earning nine varsity letters. His most dynamic sport was wrestling, where he was a consummate leader, demanding hard work from everyone on the team and giving maximum effort every day under Coach Art Smith. His pride in the school was infectious. In addition to winning multiple league championships, Kitt’s senior year was a standout – he had only one loss heading into the State Championships. The team won the league title and finished undefeated. Kitt had an excellent chance to win the State Tournament, but suffered a fractured wrist and was unable to compete. After CFS, Kitt enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving 30 years from 1994 through 2024. A decorated officer, he was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He was also an Apache helicopter pilot; in 2007, he presented CFS with an American Flag he flew during a reconnaissance mission in Baghdad, Iraq. He earned a BS in History, Secondary Education from Appalachian State in 2004 and received his MS in Adult, Occupational and Continuing Education from Kansas State in 2015. A recently retired service member, he plans to work in the education field with veterans, their families and the future service members of our nation.
Richard Lunardi came to Church Farm School in 1981 to be the school’s guidance counselor. During his 31-year tenure, he touched the lives of countless students in his roles as Director of Admissions, teacher, college counselor, administrator and coach. Rich had a passionate belief in the educational value of the CFS Athletic Program. An avid sports fan, he was the head coach of the cross-country and lower school basketball teams before assisting for 10 years at all levels of the CFS baseball teams. He also loved to run the scorer’s table for basketball and wrestling. Rich was one of the most loyal supporters of the CFS Griffins at home and away events, believing it was vital to show up for our boys who often did not have family there to encourage and cheer them on. Rich passed away on November 5, 2013, after a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer.
Register for Alumni Weekend to see their inductions here.
Register for Alumni Weekend to see their inductions here.
Church Farm School | 1001 E. Lincoln Hwy. | Exton, Pennsylvania 19341
Phone: 610.363.7500 | Fax: 610.363.5367 | Admissions: admissions@gocfs.net
Phone: 610.363.7500 | Fax: 610.363.5367 | Admissions: admissions@gocfs.net
The Church Farm School is an independent boarding and day school for boys in grades 9-12 located in Exton, PA. Founded in 1918 to provide an excellent education to young men from limited means, Church Farm School now serves boys from a range of socio-economic circumstances who are seeking an extraordinary educational opportunity. The school offers a challenging college preparatory curriculum and an exceptional level of personal attention, with class sizes averaging between just 7 and 12 students.
