JoAnne Zola Harrison is a legendary, 3-sport, star athlete in high school and college in Mercer County, as well as a long-time successful teacher and coach.
She played softball, soccer and basketball at McCorristin Catholic High School (previously known as Saint Anthony High School and later renamed Trenton Catholic Academy) in Trenton. In 1983, with a 21-1 pitching record, she lead the Iron Mike’s softball team to the “triple crown” (Mercer County, Colonial Valley Conference and New Jersey State titles) and the NJSIAA Non-Public Group B Championship. At the 2013 Trenton Catholic Academy celebration of “50 Golden Iron Mikes,” she was heralded as: “Joann Zola was a flame-throwing right-handed pitcher for the Mike’s softball team, and behind Zola’s arm the Mikes captured their only state softball title.” In 2009 she was inducted into the Trenton Softball Hall of Fame.
JoAnne received a scholarship to attend MCCC and for two years played softball, soccer (both under long-time, successful head coach Bill Drake) and basketball for the Vikings. In 1985 she was selected as the Vikings first NJCAA All-American in Softball. According to then Athletic Director Al Leister: “JoAnne was an outstanding high school athlete and had opportunities other than MCCC. When Bill Drake called and told me that JoAnne was coming to Mercer I felt that this was a breakthrough in recruiting outstanding area female athletes. We did a press release announcing that JoAnne chose MCCC. My feeling was that once other area female athletes saw that JoAnne chose MCCC, they might consider Mercer also.”
After Mercer she received a scholarship and transferred to the U. of Delaware, where she played softball and soccer for the Fighting Blue Hens. After college she continued to play softball for a few seasons with traveling teams, including the Royal Ladies (coached by Bill Drake) and the Jersey Belles. For the past 30 years JoAnne has worked as a Health & Physical Education Teacher at Hamilton High School – West, as well as a long-time coach of varsity soccer and JV softball and basketball. During this period she returned to Mercer in 2000 (following the retirement of Bill Drake) to coach the Vikings Softball Team for 3 seasons. According to Athletic Director John Simone, “JoAnne helped us in the transition, by incorporating the Bill Drake style, while using her pitching expertise to enhance our pitching staff.”
Today this former star player and retired successful coach lists her two daughters as her proudest accomplishments and thoroughly enjoys attending their sporting events as a parent and a fan.
