After starring for Kiski Area, Vick twins part of latest Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame class

By: Mark Nitowski
Saturday, April 12, 2025 | 12:29 PM

Like a lot of twins, Jaime Vick and Jodie Vick McCartney were pretty inseparable while growing up. That closeness was never more evidenced than by their athletic endeavors.

The 2002 Kiski Area graduates excelled in basketball and volleyball, while also competing in track and field, with the Cavaliers. Both went on to attend Saint Vincent, where they were basketball standouts. After college, they returned to Kiski Area to serve as teachers and coaches.

It makes sense, then, that the Vick twins will enter the Alle-Kiski Valley Sports Hall of Fame together. They will be among eight individuals and two teams recognized at the 54th annual induction ceremony May 17 at the Pittsburgh Shriners Center in Harmar.

“It’s definitely an honor to be enshrined with the greatest in the A-K Valley,” Jodie said.

Jaime passed away in 2012 at age 28 after battling acute lymphatic leukemia.

Her father, Dave Vick, will accept induction for Jaime at the banquet.

“We think about her every day,” he said. “You learn how to cope, learn to live with it, but you don’t get over it. We do celebrate and appreciate the time we had with her, and the impact that she had on the community and the kids.”

Jaime’s initial battle with leukemia came in the eighth grade. When the cancer returned in college, she received a bone marrow transplant. She faced her third and final bout with the disease beginning in 2010, during her time as a Kiski Area math teacher and volleyball coach.

“She was the closest person in my life,” Jodie said. “We’ve decided to live life to the fullest and honor her and share her story.”

Dave Vick said the 5-foot-11 sisters were different ballplayers, particularly on the basketball court.

“Jaime was more of a tall shooting guard, while Jodie was more of a power forward,” he said.

Jodie agreed.

“Jaime always had a smile on her face, and I was the serious one,” she said with a laugh. “I was the one who was more aggressive while she was more of a finesse player.”

As juniors, the Vick sisters helped to lead Kiski Area to the 2001 section basketball championship. The following season, the Cavaliers set a school mark with a 23-2 record.

Jodie earned four basketball letters and was a two-time captain. She was team MVP as a senior.

Jaime was a three-year starter and senior captain.

Both girls were selected to play in the Roundball and Cager Classic all-star games.

In volleyball, Jodie was a three-year starter and senior captain, whereas Jaime received three letters.

The Cavaliers won the section volleyball title in 1999 and 2000.

“More than specific wins and losses, I remember how much fun we had in basketball and volleyball and the great memories with our teammates,” Jodie said. “We had a great culture at Kiski, both the boys and girls. We supported each other, and the teams were successful.”

While the twins were close, they initially were set to attend different colleges.

“I was going to Bucknell, and Jaime was going to school in Florida,” Jodie said.

But the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, changed the sisters’ plans.

“After 9/11, they just couldn’t be that far apart if something like that happened again,” Dave said.

Jodie added: “9/11 was a horrible moment, but it gave me four more years with my sister that I wouldn’t have had if we had gone to different schools.”

The Vick sisters decided to attend Saint Vincent as a package deal.

As freshmen, the twins played on a team that qualified for the NAIA basketball tournament.

Jodie ended her Saint Vincent career with 627 points, 423 rebounds and 159 assists. She was a three-year starter, two-year captain and three-year NAIA scholar athlete.

“There was a family feel at Saint Vincent like at Kiski,” Jodie said. “I still keep in touch with a lot of my old teammates.”

Jaime’s career with the Bearcats was interrupted after a leukemia relapse in 2004. She recovered for the 2005-06 season, playing in 24 of 28 games. An NAIA scholar-athlete, she served as team captain during her senior season.

Jaime’s fight against cancer drew media attention, and she was a finalist for ESPN’s Jimmy V Award in 2006.

“Seeing her battle back definitely put things in perspective,” Jodie said. “She was inspiring to all of us.”

After graduating from Saint Vincent, Jaime and Jodie returned to Kiski as math and elementary teachers, respectively.

Jaime also served as a Cavaliers assistant volleyball coach under Ellen Toy from 2007-11. At one point, Toy and Vick were battling cancer at the same time.

Toy passed away from cancer in 2016. She was inducted into the A-K Hall last year.

“There was an incredible bond between Jaime and Ellen,” Dave said.

A fourth-grade teacher, Jodie also has coached at Kiski, including a four-season stint as head volleyball coach. She stepped down from the position to follow her sons, SJ and Shane, play football and wrestle.

Jodie helps her mother, Debbie, and father operate the Jaime Vick Memorial Fund, which has provided scholarships to female Kiski Area students. The Vick family also assisted with the creation of a scholarship in Jaime’s name at Saint Vincent.

The Vick sisters will be just the second twins inducted into the A-K Hall. They will follow Garry and Barry Nelson, Fox Chapel and Duquesne basketball greats enshrined in 2011.

Though her father will be accepting Jaime’s induction, Jodie said she also plans to speak about her sister during the ceremony.

“I know the A-K Hall recognizes local high school athletes (during the banquet), and that will give me a chance to tell Jaime’s story so they can carry it with them,” she said. “We try to spread her message to the kids in our community. We want people to know she never gave up on her fight.”

If you’re going

What: 54th A-K Valley Sports Hall of Fame induction

When: 7 p.m. May 17

Where: Pittsburgh Shriners Center, Harmar

Tickets: $40

For more information, visit akhof.com.

Tags: Kiski Area