News Post

The St. Joseph’s Academy Athletic Hall of Fame will welcome its 2025 induction class during a special evening celebration on Thursday, March 13, in the Academy Student Center. 

Laura Hallin Mumber ’86 (swimming), Ashley Duhon Deal ’88 (volleyball) and Rachel Fenner Zuzul ’14 (soccer) will be honored as members of the 10th class of inductees. 

Tickets are now on sale at www.sjahalloffame.org. The reservation deadline is Thursday, March 6.

For additional information about tickets, please contact Wendy Coniglio at conigliow@sjabr.org or (225) 388-2336. 

Laura Hallin Mumber ’86
Laura Hallin Mumber graduated from St. Joseph’s Academy in 1986 following a highly decorated four-year career as a member of the swim team. Named the team’s most valuable swimmer in each of her four years, Laura was an eight-time automatic high school All-American, eight-time Louisiana high school state champion and eight-time Louisiana high school record holder in the 100 freestyle (1983), 200 individual medley (1983, 1985 and 1986), 100 backstroke (1984, 1985 and 1986), 200 freestyle (1984) and 100 butterfly (1985). She was also a member of the 1985 state champion 200 medley relay team. Twice she was named the female swimmer of the meet at the LHSAA Division 1 championship and was honored as the Advocate’s Star of Stars for Swimming in 1986. She was the recipient of the SJA Scholar-Athlete Award, one of SJA’s four major athletic awards, in 1986. 

Nationally ranked in numerous events in her age group, Laura was a Junior Nationals qualifier at age 13 and a Senior Nationals qualifier at 15. She participated in the U.S. National Sports Festival in Baton Rouge in 1985 and in Houston the following year. 

After graduating from the Academy, Laura attended the University of Virginia, where she was a five-time Atlantic Coast Conference champion and ACC championship meet record holder in the 800 freestyle relay (1987, 1988 and 1990), 200 freestyle relay (1988) and 400 freestyle relay (1988). She was a 12-time NCAA All-American and UVA relay record holder and set the 200 individual medley record in the 1987 ACC championship meet. She was a member of the 800 freestyle relay team that won the ACC championship in 1987 and was one of three team captains for the 1990 team which won UVA’s first-ever ACC swimming championship. She competed in the 1988 U.S. Olympic swimming trials.

An outstanding student, Laura was a three-time member of the ACC All-Academic Team. She graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in history and earned a master’s degree in teaching in 1991. 

After several years as a teacher, Laura turned her time and talents to coaching. She coached numerous high school, summer league and USA Swimming programs, recreational basketball regular season and all-star teams and recreational soccer teams. 

She is especially proud to have coached all three of her sons in their various athletic endeavors. John went on to play Division 1 basketball for the Samford Bulldogs. Samson was a Georgia high school state individual and relay champion, a USA Swimming state and zone meet champion and a Senior Nationals qualifier. He swam for the University of North Carolina before taking a medical retirement. Marcus became a three-year varsity basketball player at Darlington School in Rome, Georgia, and also posted numerous USA Swimming state meet qualifying times. 

Laura is the co-owner and business manager of numerous family-owned rental properties. She is married to Dr. Matt Mumber, whom she met at UVA, where he was also a captain of the swim team. He is a radiation oncologist at the Harbin Clinic Cancer Center in Rome. John is in his second year at the VCOM Auburn Medical School, and Samson is in his second year at the VCOM Carolinas Medical School. Marcus is in his third year at Mercer University majoring in biology and psychology. He works part time as an EMT.

Ashley Duhon Deal ’88
At a very young age, Ashley Duhon Deal was introduced to sports by her parents. From swimming to basketball, tennis to gymnastics, Ashley loved them all. But when she discovered volleyball, she knew she had found her true passion.

At St. Joseph’s Academy, Ashley earned a spot in the starting lineup as a sophomore. She would end the season being selected to the Louisianna Volleyball Coaches Association (LVCA) All-State Team. As a junior, she led the Redstickers to the first state championship in program history. She was a team captain, team MVP and the Division I State Tournament MVP. She was an All-District Team selection and was named to the LVCA All-State Team for the second year in a row.

As a senior, Ashley once again served as team captain and was named team MVP. She was selected to the All-District Team and LVCA All-State Team. Leading the Redstickers to a state runner-up finish, she was invited to play in the LHSAA/LHSCA Allstar Game, where she was named co-MVP. She was also named the Advocate’s Star of Stars for Volleyball for the 1987 season. 

After graduating in 1988, Ashley was offered a scholarship to play volleyball at the University of New Orleans. She was a two-time team captain and would set the NCAA Division I individual assist record in 1989, recording 1,781 assists in 163 games. Her 4,788 career assists are second in UNO volleyball history and eighth in Sun Belt Conference history. She earned a bachelor of science degree in management.

After college, Ashley played amateur beach and indoor coed volleyball. She also completed numerous duathlons and triathlons. She worked at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association, eventually being promoted to the role of business manager. 

She met Danny Deal while playing sand volleyball at Mangos Volleyball Club in Baton Rouge. They married in 2000 and moved to Dayton, Ohio, where Ashley worked as a sales representative for Gatorade and Energizer. Danny’s job took them to Cincinnati, where their son, Tanner, was born in 2003. The young family returned to Baton Rouge in 2004 and welcomed daughter Addison in 2005.

In 2008, they moved to Orange County, California. As a full-time mom, Ashley enjoyed being involved with her kids’ activities and especially loved introducing them to sports. She became a Certified Level 1 Crossfit trainer and a Certified Stott’s Pilates instructor.

In 2018, Ashley and Danny established Deal Management & Logistics Inc. They are independent contractors with FedEx, providing delivery and pickup services for two Southern California zip codes.

Today, Tanner plays basketball at Grinnell College in Iowa. Addison is a senior at Mater Dei High School and will play basketball on scholarship for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes next year. 

Ashley remains highly involved in her kids’ activities and loves traveling to their events. A passionate basketball fan, she is the statistician for all their games. 

When at home, her favorite hobbies are long walks near the beach, working out, Pilates and cooking.

Rachel Fenner Zuzul ’14
A 2014 graduate of St. Joseph’s Academy, Rachel Fenner Zuzul was a standout midfielder for the soccer team, earning four varsity letters. As a senior in 2014, she helped lead the Redstickers to the district championship and a berth in the semifinal round of the LHSAA Division I Soccer Tournament for just the second time in school history.

Following her senior year, she was a finalist for the Louisiana Gatorade/USA Today Player of the Year award. The honor recognizes the nation’s most elite high school student-athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character. She was also named to the Louisiana All-State First Team that year, was the 2014 Greater Baton Rouge All-Metro Player of the Year, the Times Picayune/NOLA.com Baton Rouge Player of the Year and the LHSAA District V most valuable player. She was also chosen as The Advocate’s Star of Stars for Soccer. 

Rachel was the recipient of the 2014 Sister Ursula Harelson Scholar-Athlete Award, one of SJA’s four major athletic awards, which honors a senior student-athlete who is hard working, selfless, competitive yet humble and is an outstanding student.

Rachel was named to the All-Metro First Team in 2012, 2013 and 2014; the All-District First Team in 2012, 2013 and 2014; the All-State Second Team in 2013; and the Freshman All-State Second Team in 2011. 

In addition to her SJA playing career, Rachel competed for the Louisiana Olympic Development Program team from 2009 to 2013 and was a Region III final pool player in 2013-2014. She was a Girls IMG Academy 150 Player Selection in 2014.

An outstanding student, Rachel graduated with a 4.43 grade point average, earning an honors diploma. She was named to the LHSAA Composite All-Academic All-State Team. She also received The SJA Award, the highest honor given at the time, in recognition of recipients’ embodiment of the Academy’s ideals of sanctity, joy and action. 

After graduating from SJA, Rachel attended Wofford College in Spartanburg, South Carolina, earning a bachelor of science degree in biology with a minor in chemistry. She graduated summa cum laude in 2018, receiving the W. Ray Leonard Award in Biology, given in recognition of outstanding achievement, character and intellectual promise. She was initiated into the Beta of South Carolina Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, Wofford’s highest academic honor. She was a four-year letter winner for the Division 1 Wofford Terriers soccer team, earning All-Freshman Team honors in 2014. She was also named to the Southern Conference Fall All-Academic Team in 2015 and 2017.

Rachel spent two years at the National Institute of Health in Baltimore, Maryland, working on Alzheimer’s disease research at the National Institute of Aging. 

Rachel graduated from Duke University Medical School on May 12, 2024, and is now a resident in Internal Medicine at Duke University Hospital. She married Miha Zuzul on May 27, 2023, and they are expecting their first child in May of 2025. 

 

Mindy Brodhead Averitt
Communications Director