Sheela Agrawal a 1999 graduate of Joseph Case High School in Swansea Ma. A two-time Boston Globe Female Athlete of the Year in cross country, Agrawal finished second in the state in her junior and senior cross country seasons. One might say, “oh she finished 2nd but when you find out she finished 2nd to Olympic silver medalist and recent winner of the New York marathon, that’s not so bad finishing 2nd. Agrawal twice qualified for the
prestigious Footlocker National Championships, finishing 22nd her first time and 11th in her senior year, earning All-American honors. As a Junior Agrawal won the New England Championships in the 2 Mile run clocking in at 10:39. As a senior, she won the prestigious Dartmouth Relays in the Mile. Her time of 4:59.4 was the fastest female indoor time in the country. Her time also qualified her for the Millrose Games in Madison Square Garden. Her accomplishments also include a second place finish in the Indoor National Championships in the mile. She also competed in the Outdoor national Championships and finished 2nd place in both the 1Mile and 2 Mile. By the time Sheela graduated she would hold the state record in the 1 mile with a time of 4:46.0 and the 2 mile with a time of 10:19.0

At the end of her stellar high school career, she earned a scholarship to Duke University where she would continue to perform at the highest level. At Duke, Sheela became the quintessential Student Athlete. A Duke publication stated the following in 2002:

Duke junior Sheela Agrawal was named to the 2002 Verizon Academic All-District III first team, as announced by Verizon and the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Agrawal, one of the Blue Devils' most decorated female runners ever, is a three-time All- American selection, earning cross country honors as a freshman and sophomore and indoor accolades as a sophomore. This season, she finished 16th in the 5,000-meters at the NCAA Indoor
Championships. Her top finishes came at the 2000 NCAA Cross Country Championships, where she was seventh, and at the 2001 NCAA Indoors, where she was ninth in the 3,000-meters.

The Swansea, Mass., native has a 3.710 grade point average as a biology major. Agrawal is a two-time All-East, three-time All-ACC and two-time ACC Academic Honor Roll selection.
As a freshman in 1999-2000, Agrawal was named the ACC's Rookie of the Year for Cross Country and Indoor Track and Field. Her 1 mile PR at Duke was 4:40.0 and she held Duke Records in the indoor 3,000 at 9:23 and 5,000-meters at 16:29 and distance medley relay.

Also at Duke University, Sheela made the USA National Junior Cross-Country team that competed in the IAAF World Cross-Country Championships in Portugal. The team included two other former Massachusetts superstars in Shalane Flanagan and Julie Spolidoro. Sheela said about those championships “that was a really humbling experience; the level of competition was unreal. I remember we started out of actual gates. The Kenyan junior national team was right next to Team USA and looked so calm and collected compared to us. Even more intimidating was that most of them were running barefoot. I think they outran all of us except
for Shalane.

When asked about her high school days she says,
“My closest friends to this day are all the gals I ran with in HS- All have been incredibly successful outside of running which is amazing to me. We encouraged and pushed each other to do our best in all aspects of our lives.
I am profoundly indebted to my coach and best friend Judi St. Hilaire who took me under her wing my junior and senior years. If it had not been for her, I probably would have exited the HS running scene altogether and never made it into my dream college.

After graduating from Duke University, Sheela earned a PHD from Ohio State University. She currently works as an environmental scientist who specializes in water and waste management treatment. She currently resides in University Heights, Ohio.

Said Ahmed Boston English H.S. 2001. No doubt one of the most accomplished middle distance/distance runners to come out of the city of Boston. Said is a four-time All-American, three-time SEC champion and a four-time All-SEC selection while at the University of Arkansas. In 2006, Ahmed found his rhythm in the 1,500 meters/mile, ending the season ranked #4 in the U.S. by Track & Field News. The highlight of his season was a new 1,500m personal best of 3:35.94 set in Stockholm on July 25. Please welcome Said Ahmed to the MSTCA Athlete Hall of Fame.

Andy Alsup a 1997 graduate of Haverhill H.S. and a 2002 graduate of
Northeastern University. His accomplishments are outstanding.

According to his high school coach, Mike Maguire, “Andy was and still is a humble, hard working and loyal person. He is, “one of the finest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of coaching and working with”

Andy givesmuch of the credit to his early success to his unofficial coach, his dad Glen, to his freshman coach and current friend and mentor Mike Maguire and to his coach from grades 10-12 Dawn Caputo, whose knowledge and passion for the sport were next level. Andy is the son of twolife-time teachers.

As mentioned earlier, Andy earned a combined football and track scholarship to Northeastern. Managing your academic and athletic time as a division 1 collegiate athlete is difficult enough, but to compete in three seasons, as Andy did, is truly an outstanding
accomplishment.

One of Andy’s most memorable accomplishments was when he helped his
team win their conference championship by winning the 200m, 400m, 4x100 and 4x400 relays. According to his college coach Sherman Hart, “Andy is my team’s captain. He is my team’s leader and he is my teams’ heart and soul”.

Andy returned to Haverhill High School as a guidance counselor and track coach and was instrumental in the success of the sprinters and
jumpers.

He now watches his children, Lia (a senior at Pentucket Regional High School), and Drew (a sophomore at Central Catholic High School), as they compete in their contests with his wife and high school sweetheart Kate.

Stetson Arnold is a 1974 graduate of Southwick High School way out there in the other half of Massachusetts. Before we begin Stetson’s accolades I have to mention two events in his high school career that we as athletes and more specifically as runners could only dream of. The first is one that all athletes would wish would happened to them in their young athletic career: in the December 1973 issue of Sports Illustrated, if you have that issue at home, you can see Stetson in the “Faces in the Crowd” the write up said: “Stetson Arnold, a senior at Southwick High School, capped a cross-country season in which he was unbeaten by winning the state championship for the second time; Arnold set a new record over the 2.85-mile course, finishing with a time of 14:31. The second event is one that many high school distance runners could only dream of. Can you imagine being a high school athlete being recruited by the University of Oregon in the early 1970’s. They fly you in and bring you to see their track. On the track is this runner from Coos Bay Oregon, yes non other than Steve Prefontaine. Stetson and Steve start talking, go for a six-mile run, Pre gives Arnold a ride in his MG, they go to a store where Stetson buys a peer of Nike’s just like the kind Pre wears. If you get a chance you will have to ask Stetson about that one.

According to Dick Atkinson, his high school coach, Stetson is the best runner to come out of western Massachusetts ever. He became the first runner from the region to capture back-to-back Western Massachusetts and All State Cross Country Championships doing so in 1972 and 1973. This was done when there was only one division at the All State Meet. While running Cross Country at Southwick Stetson ran a total of 37 races and won 33 of them. In the process he set 24 course records. At the New England Cross country meet his junior year he finished 3rd, however he did so after he fell down and rolled off the tee on the golf course in Maine. Stetson was undefeated during his senior year.

When the Cross Country Season was over, Stetson continued to train throughout the winter months in preperation for the Spring Season. While on the track, Stetson ran 29 races. He won all but 3 of them. His numbers might seem to be a little low here, but that was because he broke his leg in his sophomore year and severely sprained an ankle as a senior losing about 5 weeks of training. He won the Western Mass 2-mile as a junior with at time of 9:09.8 and went on to win the New England’s with a time of 9:17.4. He repeated as the Mass champ with a time of 9:20. Stetson still holds the Western Mass Track and Field Championship Meet record in the 2 mile with a time of 9:09.8.

As a result of Stetson’s stellar high school career, he earned a scholarship to Providence College. There, his talents would continue to grow. His outstanding rookie season would include a 4th place finish at the New England Championship, one in which he helped his teammates win the team title. His 4th place finishing time of 23:46 was the 6th fastest time ever on the Franklin Park Course. On the track that same rookie year Stetson ran an incredible mile on the Bowdoin College track with a time of 4:07.6. He also ran the New England College 3-mile race at Umass, finishing 2nd in 13:46.
As a sophomore Stetson earned his first NCAA All American Award. On November 24, 1975 on a difficult Penn State course he finished the 6-mile race with a time of 29:28 finishing as the 17 American and helping his P.C. Friars to a 3rd place finish.

Stetson transferred to Umass for his Junior and Senior years. In 1977, he led the University of Massachusetts to the IC4A Cross Country Championship at the famed Van Cortland Park in New York with a 5th place time of 24:23 on the 5-mile course. Stetson would go on to earn his second All-American award at the NCAA finals.

John Barrett Saint John’s Prep School Danvers 1960. His relay team members were often told “just get me the baton and I will do the rest” These were words often spoken by track legend John Barrett prior to running the anchor leg. Two members of this relay team are here in the building today. The fabled track coach out of Falmouth, John Carroll and one of the most respected track officials in Massachusetts, Chris Lane.

John, the son of a major league baseball pitcher spent his first two years playing baseball and Football for Central Catholic High School. In the middle of his sophomore year, Barrett transferred to St John’s Prep in Danvers. It was then that he decided to join the Indoor Track and Field team.

“It was while at St. John's that I met my future wife & I met a man who, other than my father, had more influence on me than any man that I would ever meet. His name was Brother Patrician and he was also my track Coach. Brother Patrician had an immediate impact on Barrett.

During the 1959 Indoor Track season, he was a dominating force on the Boston Garden boards. He was the State Class C 300 Yard Champion, as well as the anchor leg on the winning Relay team. During the spring season, John was the Class C State Champion in the 220 Yard dash and runner-up in the long jump. His 220 Yard time established a new meet Class C Record.

In his Senior year, John set a new Class C Record in the 300 Yard run with a time of 32.6, and once again anchored his team to another relay title. Later that season, the St. John’s Prep team travelled to New York City to compete in the National Indoor Championships. The team won the National title in the 4x440 Yard Relay with Barrett anchoring the team with a 50.6 second split on the old and slow boards of the Garden. The winning time was 3:27.5.

In the spring Barrett was named the New England Catholic Meets most “Outstanding Performer” as he established meet records in both the 100 and 220 Yard Dashes. Later that spring he went on to break his own 220 Yard Class C Record, and was crowned New England Scholastic champion at 220 Yards.

John had personal best times of 9.7 in the 100 Yard Dash, 21.3 in the 220, 48.5 in the 440 yard run.

After high School, John attended Boston College on a Football scholarship. Before getting injured at BC one of his best college friends Dave Duffy said this of Barrett football prowess, “As for John's speed, I have a vivid memory of #22 (which years later was Doug Flutie's #) when his quickness made watching his "end runs" a joy to behold.”

John Barrett is a member of the Massachusetts State Track and Field Officials Association, where he started many of the State meets in the 1980’s.

John Barrett won many State Class Titles, he was a New England Champion, and a national champion. He was also the States leading scorer in Football, but when asked what his favorite memory was in his high school career this is the answer he gave us.

“My fondest memory at St. John's Prep was the day that I realized that I had been accepted by my new teammates. I had transferred from Central Catholic in Lawrence to St. John's in the middle of my sophomore year. Central & St. John's had been fierce competitors at that time. I did not know if I would be welcomed by my new team. The day that a teammate said to me "you are one of us" remains, to this day, my favorite memory.”

Darlene is one of the best if not THE best Massachusetts High School middle
distance/distance runners ever… period.

These statements are extremely difficult to dispute. In addition to her phenomenal resume, she is also one of the pioneers of women’s middle distance/distance running coming out of the 1970’s when
women were just beginning to be allowed to run races over ½ mile. She along
with the likes of Lynn Jennings, Judi St. Hilaire, and Lesley and Lisa Welch put Massachusetts on the world stage running map.

While in high school her resume is quite impressive. She was the U.S.
Junior Olympic Mile champion, the U.S. Junior 800m champ, U.S. Junior
1500m champion, the U.S. Olympic Committee Sports Festival 1500m champ
and selected as the Most Outstanding Runner at the United States v. West Germany Junior Meet. She also competed in a meet in the old Soviet Union. Her PR’s in high school were, 2:04.6 800m, 4:19.6 1500m and 4:41.9 in the mile.

At Harvard University she was the National Collegiate Champ indoors
in the 800m, a National Collegiate Champ in the indoor mile, she set the National Collegiate mile record in 1980. She was the Ivy League Champion in both Cross and Track. She was a multiple All-American and never lost a meet on the famed Harvard indoor track. In 1998 Darlene was inducted into the HarvardVarsity Club Hall of Fame. Her PR’s in college were 2:05.75 for 800m, 4:14.0for 1500m and 4:32.30 in the mile.

After college Darlene was the U.S. Indoor Mile Champion in 1983 and
1987. She was a Bronze medalist in the 1500m at the 1985 World University
Games. She was a U.S. Olympic Trials finalist in 1984 which were held in Los
Angeles. Her 4:07.42 was just 3 seconds off making the Olympic games that
year. At the 1987 WORLD Indoor Championships, she finished 7th with a time
of 4:13.57 also held in Indianapolis. Darlene ran 15:53 to set the US women’s
5k road race record. Her final personal best performances are very compelling: 2:02.93 for 800m, 4:04.81 for 1500m, 4:30.12 in the mile and 15:53 in 5k.

Jim became the New England AAU Open 60-yard
dash champion running a quick 6.6 seconds at the Fargo Building in Boston. For placing 1st at that meet, he
was awarded the Ed Sanders Memorial Trophy. At the
State Meet Jim’s senior year he won and tied the state
record in the 300-yard run with a time of 33.0 seconds.
In March of his senior year he led his Somerville High
track squad to a team championship at the Bowdoin
Interscholastic Track Meet. Jim won three events, in
the 50-yard dash, the 300-yard dash and the broad
jump. At the National Track and Field Championships
held in Madison Square Garden, he would finish 5th in
the nation. By the time Jim graduated, he had become
one of Somerville’s most decorated athletes. His accomplishments included the Boston Athletic Associations 50-yard title, the indoor All-State 50-yard champ,
the outdoor state champ in the 100-yard dash, the indoor New England champ in the 40-yard dash, a 3x
Champion New England 100 yard champ, the New
England and AAU 60-yard champion the Greater Boston 100 and 220 yard dash Champion.
At Villanova University his main events were the 220
and 440. In one particular 4x220 relay it was said by a
local newspaper that “Excellent baton passing and
blistering 220's by Blackburn and Collymore were the
features”. The highlight of that 1959 season came
when Jim Blackburn along with Joe Manion, Charlie
Stead, and Ed Collymore were crowned the Penn Relays Mile Relay Champions, running a blistering
3:11.80, which is still the Villanova school record. Not
bad for a kid from Philly, two kids from Boston and
the quiet kid from Somerville Mass.

Our next inductee is a 1947 graduate of Hingham High School. Unfortunately for us however Cliff Blair is unable to join us here today. He lives in Florida and for the last 8 years has been suffering with Parkinsons disease. I think a lot of his personality and humility can be seen in a note he wrote to me saying, “Thank you very much for your  thoughtfulness and interest.  I am amazed people still remember me.  My son Brian was only 4 when  I was inducted into the BU Hall of Fame and of course too young to remember.  His wife Debbie is a lovely woman, CEO of a major HMO with over 8oo employees.  Quite a gal.  They get along better than any couple I know.” Cliff is obviously very proud of his son and daughter-in-law and sounds like a very nice person.

What an athlete Cliff Blair must have been. His career really exploded after high school but the story of how he got to B.U. Is very interesting. Cliff was mainly a shot putter while at Hingham H.S. He didn't think he was going anywhere until coach Doug Raymond at BU brought Cliff in for a look/see. On the recruiting trip, Coach Raymond showed him a new event called the discus, and after a brief lesson, Cliff was throwing further than the other athletes already at BU. This meeting with Coach Raymond and the introduction to the discus led to Cliff's claim to fame “The hammer.”

His induction into the B.U. Hall of Fame discribed his career very well. So I quote form that induction ceremony, “Cliff Blair was the first collegian to ever throw the 16-lb hammer more than 200 feet. He would later set a world record in the event and may have added Olympic gold to his resume, if not for a last minute decision. Blair, a journalism major at BU's School of Public Communications, earned a berth on the U.S. Olympic team that competed in Melbourne, Australia in the summer of 1956. Just months earlier, on July 4, 1956, performing at an AAU meet, he set a world record in the hammer throw, his toss of 216'4.75” besting his own national mark of 211'3” and the world mark of 216'1/2” held by Russian Mikhail Krivonosov.

Leading up to the Olympic Games and while at the Olympic venue, Blair was filing reports on the Olympics for the Boston Globe that year. Although he was not being paid for his reporting and there was no rule barring athletes from writing newspaper articles, Blair's coach decided it was not in the Olympic Spirit and dropped him from the team the day before the Hammer was to be contested. Blair was far from dejected. “Earning that spot on our Olympic team was the greatest thrill of my athletic career. I would loved to have participated. I guess I just wasn't enough of a politician.

Fernando is a 1980 graduate of Peabody High school. Fernando is also one of only a few individuals who will now be in both the Athletes Hall of Fame and the MSTCA Coaches Hall of Fame.
While at Peabody Fernando took the Greater Boston League by storm running for coach George Smyrnios. He still holds the Massachusetts all-time high school record in the 5000 meter (14:52), which he set in 1980. Braz was a high school All American in both cross country and track, winning a dozen individual state titles, and incredibly, along with his teammate and fellow MSTCA Hall of Famer, Lesley Welch, was the first ever in the state to take back-to-back cross country All State crowns. He finished 15th at the Kinney (now Footlocker) Cross Country Nationals in 1980, and 10 years later was inducted into the Peabody Hall of Fame. His high school PR’s are quite impressive. 800m 1:57, 1-mile in 4:21.1, 2-mile in 9:15.6, the aforementioned 14:52 in the 5k and an impressive 10k in 30:42.
When asked about his time at Peabody High School Fernando mentions the opportunity to be coached by George Smyrnios, the relationship with his teammates including Lesley and Lisa Welch (both MSTCA Hall of Famers) but most importantly, having his brother Helder as a teammate his senior year.
After high school Fernando earned an athletic scholarship to Boston College, where he continued his unbelievable career. In 1981 and 1982 he became the first Eagle to qualify for the NCAA national championships as an individual. The 82 season was one for the ages as he became the Big East indoor and outdoor 5K champion, the indoor New England 5K and the outdoor 10K crowns. In 1984 he helped lead the BC cross country team to an 11th place NCAA finish. Braz was a 6X Big East All Conference selection, was named All-New England 12 times, and was a three-time cross country MVP for the Eagles. In 2001 he was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame. Fernando said he is grateful for his time at BC, especially the coaching of Jack MacDonald and being a part of the first and only Men’s XC team to qualify for the NCAA Championships and the lifelong friendships he formed.
After graduating from Boston College he turned pro to run for Nike Boston and was a two-time qualifier for the Olympic Marathon Trials. His lifetime best performances include: a 13:59 for the 5K, 29:02 for the 10K, he ran 10 miles in 48:36, a half marathon in 1:06.1 and a full 26.2 miles in 2:18.26.
In addition to his current coaching at Peabody H.S. he is the president and head coach of “Going The Distance” an organization that coaches not only track athletes but people from other sports looking to improve their speed and stamina. Jay Smith, who was the throwing coach for the Tanners says of Fernando, "…. Fernando cares about the whole person first, and that he's never afraid to hold everybody — himself first, the staff, and the kids — to the highest levels of personal accountability, responsibility and effort, ….He achieves this with real humility. He is equal parts coach, wizard, psychologist, comedian, taskmaster and motivator."
Fernando currently lives in Peabody with his wife Pamela and has 2 children Shane and Ella. He is a teacher and coaches the boys and girls XC/Track Coach at Peabody High School.

The Brockton High School 4X440 Relay Team:

Our next group of inductees will be the MSTCA’s first relay team to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Without a doubt, they could all be inducted individually, but TOGETHER as a team, Dennis Doucette, Jim MacKinnon, Paul Neves and Mike Sullivan, were unstoppable as they set a National High School Record that stood for 18 years, and for the last 35 years still hold the Massachusetts and New England High School record. Needless to say, this team of four were instrumental in leading the Brockton High School Boxers to both the Indoor and Outdoor Class A and All State Team Championship.

Dennis Doucette was the glue that held the team together. He had high school PR’s of 49.9 in the 440 and 22.5 in the 220. He would go on to the University of Southern California where he would run a 48.0 400 meters. After USC, Dennis went to the University Of San Diego School Of Law and earn his JD in 1986. He is presently a partner at the Law firm of Procopio and Cory in San Diego. Dennis recalls this story, “The announcement came over the loud speaker at the Leverone Field House at Dartmouth College, that the Brockton team of Doucette, Sullivan, Neves and MacKinnon have just set a National High School record in the 4x440 relay.” The team, coached by Ed Delgado, were elated and we actually all saw a seldom seen emotion on Coach D’s face, a small smile. (However, remember, in 1979 there were no cell phones or internet. Instant information was not available) it was a good old fashion telephone call later that revealed the night before, a newer, faster National record had been set by Fairmont Heights High School in Washington D.C. running a few tenths of a second faster than us. Coach D was not to be outdone. He found us another meet two weeks later on the Gordan Track at Harvard University. This meet was the New England Association A.A.U. Indoor Track and Field Championships on January 28, 1979. It would be here, 3:17.8 seconds after the gun went off that a new National High School Record was set. One that would stand for 18 years. Jim MacKinnon lead off with a 50.3, Paul Neves would run 49.2. Dennis Doucette would run 50.4 and Mike Sullivan anchored with a 47.9. What a Team. What an Effort!! Coach D’s smile came back to his face.

At Brockton, Jim MacKinnon would run PR’s of 48.8 in the 440, 1:56 in the 880 and 1:12.3 in the 600 yards. He was the 600 yard champion his senior year helping the Boxers to the team title, and finished 3rd at the Eastern States at Princeton. In his senior year spring track, Jim would finsish 3rd at the All State meet in the 800 behind Neves the eventual winner. He would go on to study nursing at Northeastern University where he would run 1:10.6 in the 600 and 1:50.4 in the 800. He is still on NU’s 4x800 school record relay team running 7:29.1 and on their 4x400 school record relay team with a time of 3:12.79. Jim is now the head of Infections disease at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton.

Paul Neves while at Brockton had an outstanding career. After a stint on the freshman football team, Coach Delgado asked him, “Why would you want to play football? In three years, you could be part of a relay team that breaks the 4x440 relay record” After that statement, Paul had no choice, but to dedicate himself to 3 seasons of running. I’m personally wondering, did Coach Delgado mean he could be part of a school record, state record, a New England record team, or did he realize that early that he would have a National record team? Paul’s accomplishments in high school were pretty good, 48.8 440, 1:50.2 880, 2:15.5 1000 yards, 4:29 mile. He was the Class A, All State and New England Champion in the 1000 yards. Paul would go on in the spring to win the All State 800 meters and finish 6th in the long jump with a leap of 21’1”. After high school, Paul went to The Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he would continue to shine. While at MIT he would run PR’s of 2:09 in the 1000 yards and run 1:49.22 in the 800. That time is still the 7th fastest time ever run by a Division III athlete. He was a Division III All American1980, 81 and 82. And still holds the MIT school record in the 800. After college Paul would end up running 1:47 for 800meters and a 4:03 mile.

Paul is currently a Software/Business Development Consultant and lives in Southern California.

The Anchor of the team was Michael Sullivan. Mike’s PR’s at Brockton are to say the least, quite impressive. 30.9 for 300 yards, which earned him a state title indoors, 9.5 for 100 yards, 21.8 for 200 meters and he would set a state record of 47.6 his senior year and a state Championship. That performance earned him an invitation to the prestigious Golden West Invitational in California. It was there that Mike Sullivan became the only high schooler from our state to break 47 seconds. That day he ran his personal best time of 46.9. These performances earned Mike an athletic scholarship to Arizona State University. There he would end up running 45.0 for 400 meters and was part of a relay team that was a 2x Pac 10 champion and a 2x Division I All American. In 1981 his team ran 3:04.19.

Mike has never stopped competing. He currently holds the masters age 50-54 Indoor World record in the 400 meters running 52.44 and ran the anchor leg on the masters’ 50-54 outdoor 4x400 relay World Record team during the World Championships in 2011 in Sacramento. At that same meet he was the Masters World champion in the 200 and 400 in 2011.

Mike is currently in his 27th year of teaching physical education and coaching in a junior high school. As a high school teacher and coach myself, I give him all the credit in the world to work with junior high kids.

I asked each one of these athletes if they had any one in their athletic career that had an impact on them. All four of them said the same thing, #1 was Coach Ed Delgado and #2 they all said, each other. They were not just great teammates they were even Greater Friends.

Let’s please welcome Dennis Doucette, Paul Neves, James MacKinnon, and Michael Sullivan into the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Athlete Hall of Fame.

Thomas had career best of 11.8 in the 100-meter dash, 48 seconds in the 400-meter and he topped out at 1:56 in the 800 meters. Some of you may be saying how could someone with these PR’s be inducted into this Hall of Fame. These feats certainly are not that impressive in today’s standards but they certainly were in the late 1800’s. Thomas Edmund Burke was an 1893 graduate of Boston English High School, an 1897 graduate of Boston University and a 1901 graduate of the Harvard Law School, a true Bostonian, I would say. In 1896 Tom wrote a letter to his college dean asking for permission to take a leave of absence to attend an athletic event that hadn’t taken place in 1500 years. He of course was asking to attend the first modern Olympic games in Athens Greece. He wrote, “I shall wear the colors of BU in these games, and hope to uphold the reputation of the University.” Uphold the reputation he did as he went on to win both the 100 meters and the 400 meters in the 1986 Olympic games. IT wasn’t a gold medal he received however; as it was, in the first Olympics the winner received a silver medal and an olive branch.

As you will hear, Thomas Burke’s range in races is remarkable. As a senior at Boston English High School, Tom won the New England Interscholastic Athletic Associations 440 yard Championship when he ran a 50 and 3/5th second time. Then in 1895 he was crowned the United States National Champion in the 440-yard run with a time of 49.6. 1896, needless to say, was a great year for Tom. First he won his second of three U.S. Championship in the 440 with an American Record time of 48 and 3/5th seconds. Regarding his Olympic performance, Edward Sears in his book, “Running Through the Ages” states, “Thomas E. Burke, of Boston, became the first 400-meter Olympic champion by winning in 1896 at Athens in 54 and 1/5th seconds. And David Wallechinsky in his book, “The Complete Book of The Olympics states that, “The slow time was a result of the quality of the track rather than the quality of the contestants. The turns were so sharp that the runners had to slow down drastically to keep from falling. Burke who won by over 13 meters, had previously beaten the world record holder Edgar Bredin. …. Burke also won the first Olympic 100-meter championship” poor weather conditions on the track that day also led to a slow winning time of 12.0. In 1896 and 97 he was not only the U.S. National champion but also the two-time IC4A champion for Boston University in the 440. In 1898 and 99 Tom showed his great versatility by becoming a two time U.S. national champion in the 880 and in 1899 added the IC4A 880 Champion when he was competing for Harvard University.

After his running career, he was instrumental in organizing the first Boston Marathon and served as the official starter of that first race. He briefly served as the track coach at a school in Pennsylvania but returned to Boston where practiced law and wrote articles for the Boston Journal and the Boston Post. At the age of 43 he enlisted in the U.S. Army at the outbreak of World War I. Thomas Edmund Burke passed away on February 14, 1929. On behalf of the Thomas Burke, I would like to ask the Head Master of The English High School Dr. Sito Narcisse, to come forward to and accept this award.

As a 4ft11, 75 pound Freshman from Randolph High School, Leanne Burke burst onto the High School Cross-Country scene in 1987 with an impressive third place finish in the Eastern Massachusetts Division 1 Championships. A week later, the tiny Freshman finished an impressive 6th place at the MIAA All State Championships. This earned her a spot on the Boston Globe All Scholastic team.

As a Sophomore in Cross-Country Burke continued to improve, as she won some memorable battles with Wouburn’s Diane Connolly nipping her twice at the finish line. After edging Connolly out for the Eastern Massachusetts Division 1 title, Leanne Burke was starting to be known throughout the State as having one of the most fierce “Finishing Kick’s” around.

As a Junior, Burke began to dominate the High School Cross-Country scene. She went undeated in Massachusett and she won her first All State Cross-Country title. She finished 3rd at the Kinney Northeast Regionals in New York City, she would later finish 23rd at the National Championships a few years later.

She dominated Massachusetts Cross-Country again as Senior. Winning her second All State Cross-Country title and again qualified for the Kinney National Championships. This time she finished 4th place which landed her as a First Team All American.

To this day, Leanne is one of only five MIAA Cross-Country runners to finish in the Top 5 at the Footlocker / Kinney Cross Country National Championships.

Her Track credentials were just as strong as her Cross-Country accomplishments. She is a 5 time Massachusetts High School 1 Mile State Champion, winning three Indoor titles and two Outdoor titles. She also won the Massachusetts State Championshionship in the 800M run.

She also excelled on the Track in both Regional and National competition. She won the Keebler International Games in the Mile run as well as the New York Games in the 800M run, and the Eastern Indoor Championships in the 100 Yard Run.

Her personal best times on the track were :
800: 2:08.68, Mile run 4:52.95, and 10:43 for the Two Mile.

Other Accomplishments Include

She was a 9 x Boston Globe All Scholastic, four of which she was named “Athlete of the Year”
She was also named New England High School Runner of the Year.

Her Guidance Councelor John Donovan once said “ What amazes me is this Peanut-size person is such a Giant Killer. Leanne may be small in Stature but she has the heart of a Lion and runs like the wind”

In the classrom, her academic resume was just as strong as her athletic one. At Randolph High School she was #1 in her Class, carried a 4.0 GPA and scored 700 on her Mathmetics Level 2 Achievment tests.

She went on to attend Providence College where she was a 2 x time NCAA Cross Country Qualifier. She earned All American status as a member of the 4x800M Relay Team.

It was at Brookline High that Sandy began to make a name for herself as one of the best throwers not only in Massachusetts but also New England. At a time when girl’s high school track and field was just starting to take off, Sandy was having a positive and tremendous impact for the advancement of all the high school girls in Massachusetts. Her PR’s at Brookline included a 44’9” shot and a 142’ discus throw. In 1997 Brookline inducted Sandy Burke Fowler into their Hall of Fame. After earning all state, all New England and all American status Sandy accepted a scholarship to attend Northeastern University.

While at Northeastern she was a four-year, eight-time All American. From 1979 to 1985 she was consistently ranked in the top 10 for the United States in the shot. In 1980, 81, 82 she was the New England Indoor and Outdoor shot put champion. In 81 and 82 she was also the New England Champ in the Discus. Also in 1981 she was the ECAC shot put champion. In 1982 Sandy was the AIAW (the NCAA’s predecessor) Outdoor Shot Put champion. Sandy still holds the Shot Put record at Northeastern with a toss of 53’11.75” and the Discus record with a throw of 165’10”. Fowler also competed internationally for the U.S.A. several times. In 1981 she went to Bucharest, Romania, which hosted the World University Games during that same year she went to New Zealand to compete at the Pan Pacific Games. She also participated in the 1981 and 1982 USA vs. Russia meets held in Leningrad, USSR and Indianapolis, Ind. Respectively, she also competed in a Dual meet v. East Germany in Karl Marx Stadium. In 1988 Northeastern inducted Sandy into NU Hall of Fame.

In the middle of her collegiate career Sandy earned a spot on the United States Olympic squad as an alternate in the Shot Put. But her dreams, like so many others were smashed when the U.S. chose not to participate in the 1980 Olympics.

Sandy would take her passion, her experience and her expertise and bring it to hundreds of young athletes into a stellar coaching career. From coaching at her alma matta at Brookline High School, to stints at James Madison University, to Syracuse University, to the University of Florida, all the way to her present job as the Head Women’s Track and Field Coach at the University of Alabama. We were very pleased when Sandy was able to take some time away from her team which is competing in New York this weekend at the Milrose Games to be with us here today. One of her top coaching honors was when in 2005 she was chosen to be the Head Track & Field Coach of the United States World Championship Team that competed in Helsinki, Finland. Some of her other coaching accomplishments include: 2 United States Olympians ----1 World Champion -----25 NCAA All-Americans ----1 NCAA Team Title -------4 SEC Championship Teams ------ and probably even more importantly 74 Academic All-SEC honors (at Alabama)

Lance Campbell was a 1987 graduate from Cambridge R&L where he competed in nine seasons of Cross Country, Indoor and Outdoor Track at CRLS. During those nine seasons, CRLS boys' Cross Country and track had an unprecedented run, winning multiple league, divisional and all-state championships. Lance was an integral member of twenty championship teams while competing for CRLS.

No team in Massachusetts high school history had ever completed " the Triple Crown"- that is winning the state class and all-state championships in cross country, indoor and outdoor track. In 1987 that was accomplished for the 1st time in Mass. history by CRLS. Lance Campbell ran on all three of those teams.

He was named to three Boston Globe and Boston Herald All- Scholastic teams. In his senior year he was the all-state champion in the 1000 yd. run indoors with a time of 2:16.60 and in outdoor the 880 yd. champion with a time of 1:53.50. He also ran on the undefeated state and all state mile relay championship teams. He culminated his exceptional high school career when he won the New England High School Championships and set a CRLS, Mass. high school and NE record! His time of 1:51.2 is the all-time Cambridge record and is still among the best ever run in Mass.

After graduating Cambridge R&L Lance continued his cross country and track career at Westfield State University where the middle-distance standout earned two All-America honors, 14 All New England certificates, four Massachusetts State Conference championships, and was a six-time national qualifier in the 800 meter run.

Mary Carew was a 1931 graduate of Medford High School. In a sports editorial from the era, someone wrote of Mary Carew, “There is one girl in Medford who easily puts to shame, or should, certain members of the high school track team. Miss Mary Carew represents the right spirit in athletics and the right type. She stands out as the leading girl athlete in New England today. Her fame may extend further for all we know.” The editorial goes on to say, “…she loves sports, is a clean wholesome girl and loves to go out and test herself with other girls. She has the right spirit and that means the race is half won before she starts…. Continuing at her present rate, and barring athletic politics, we prophesize her to be a United States representative to the 1932 Olympics.” I’m not sure who wrote this editorial, but they certainly had it right.

Between 1929 and 1932 Mary Carew Armstrong was the four time national champion in the indoor 40-yard sprint. Twice she equaled the world record time of 5.2. In 1930 she was the National outdoor champion in the 50-yard dash running 6.2. Think about these titles I just read about Mary Carew and remember what year she graduated from high school. Her first national title came when she was only 15 years old. She equaled world records while a student at Medford High. In 2002 Michael Bailey from the Boston Globe wrote in Mary’s obituary and I quote: “In April 1929, just a high school sophomore and still learning proper starting and sprinting form, she was deemed ready to face the nation’s best. To challenge for the national title, however, Mrs. Armstrong had to run in track shoes so big that they had to be taped to her heels so they would not slip off, said her coach, Ed Pidgeon. Nothing bothers her. She will go out and race with the best of them and do it as though she were practicing, Pidgeon said at the time. “Nothing scares her. Nothing disturbs her.” In 1932 she was the Millrose Games Champion in the 50-yard dash again running a time of 6.2.

The apex of her career came in the summer of 1932 as a member of the Olympic 4x100 meter relay team. Her explosive starts made her the optimal choice for the lead off leg of this team. In Mary’s own words taken from and interview with Louise Tricad author of “American Women’s Track and Field series in 1993 Mary said: “There’s no man or woman that could be in front of me in ten yards”. So on that day the United States found themselves in lane 4 at the coliseum in Los Angeles. The gun went off and Mary sprinted to the lead and gave Evelyn Furtsch of Los Angeles the lead. Evelyn handed off to Annette Rogers of Chicago and she handed off to Billie Von Bremen. The foursome ran extremely well and when the tape was broken, they had defeated the Canadians by three yards. They ran a new Olympic and World record time of 46.9. In those days only one person from the team got to stand on the podium and Mary was chosen by her teammates to have that honor.

There really is a lot of information on Mary Carew Armstrong, to date she is still the only female Massachusetts High School Graduate to win an Olympic Gold medal in Track and Field. Probably the most amazing aspect of her life is that she was orphaned at the age of five. Both of her parents died in the 1918 influenza outbreak. She was taken by a family member to Connecticut, where for two years was treated very poorly. Her father’s brother, Uncle Larry came to take her back to Massachusetts when he knew something wasn’t right. For some time Mary had a hard time adjusting to a normal life, but adjust she did. As mentioned before, as a result of her modest, kind, and compassionate personality she was chosen by her teammates to stand on the podium to receive the gold medal. But possibly an even greater insight into her character and personality was the decision for the U.S. Olympic committee to chose her as the roommate of Babe Diedrickson. A notorious braggart, with very few friends, Mary was the perfect fit for the Babe. Opposites attract and the two became good friends.

Upon retirement from competition, Mary Carew Armstrong taught in Malden for 27 years. She also served as chairwoman for the women’s track and field for the New England AAU and secretary to the New England Olympians and Alumni Association. She is a member of the New England Women’s Hall of Fame and the recipient of the New England Women’s Fund Trail Blazer Award.

Maurica Carlucci began her climb to the top of Massachusetts Track and Field in the winter of 1994 as an 8th grader. That spring she qualified to compete at the National Championships in Raleigh, North Carolina. It would be the starting point of an outstanding middle distance career at Franklin High School. Maurica won individual championships at the Divisional and State Meets in the 600, 800 and 1000 meter races. Maurica had a passion for relay running. She was a member of two 4x800 relay teams that competed in the Championship of America Event at the Penn Relays. She had a quest to be a member of the first Massachusetts high school 4x400 relay team to break the 4 minute barrier indoors. In her senior year she was so determined to break 4:00 minutes she made 8 paper tabs reading “3:59” and taped them on the heels of the each of her teammates’ shoes. It worked!! The Franklin foursome ran 3:58.8 winning the 4x400 at the 1998 Indoor New Englands, setting a meet record. Later that year the Franklin relay team went on to run 3:54.30 during the spring outdoor season. The Boston Globe named Maurica Carlucci the 1998 Indoor Track and Field Athlete of the Year.

As a student athlete at Stanford University from 1998-2002, she ranks in the top 10 all-time for Stanford in the indoor 800 meters with a 2:07.51 and outdoor 800 meters with a 2:06.63 and 1,500 meters with a time of 4:16.51. She earned All-American honors in 2002 in the 1,500 meters outdoors and indoors as a member of the distance medley relay when her team ran an outstanding 11:09.23. In the Pac-10 Championships, she was a three-time scorer in the 800 meters and also placed in the 1,500 meters as a junior and senior. She took seventh in the 800 meters as a freshman in the 1999 U.S. Junior Championships. She is a member of the Stanford school record team in the 4x800. As an English major in 2001 Maurica was voted as a Pacific-10 Track & Field and Cross Country All-Academic selection.

. Maurica coached an NCAA National Champion Cross Country Team at Oregon University and is currently coaching at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Jeff Chakouian is a 2000 graduate of Seekonk High School. Jeff’s accomplishments, as you will see, distinctly qualify him for this honor. While at Seekonk Jeff made an immediate impact on the track scene. I remember reading our local newspaper about this freshman kid from Seekonk putting the shot over 50 feet. I remember saying to myself, this must be a misprint. Fortunately for us, it wasn’t. His exploits just continued to grow every year. As a sophomore Jeff won and set the Freshman-Sophomore meet record with a toss of 56’00”. By the time his high school career was over he would set the Massachusetts and New England indoor and outdoor shot put records with a throw of 67’10. 75”. He would sling the discus an amazing 177’ and as a true sign of his great athleticism he asked his coach Frank Mooney, if he could compete in the Hammer throw at the National Track and Field Championships? As you know, Massachusetts does not compete in that event at the high school level. Yet, Jeff after a few weeks of practice went to the Nationals and placed 6th with a performance of 175’9”earning him all American status in two events that year as he also placed 2nd in the shot with a toss of 65’2. 75” In addition to all that, Jeff won the shot put titles at the Golden West Invitational and the USA Junior National Championships... Ranked first nationally outdoors in the 16-pound shot by Track & Field News with a top heave of 59-10.50 and second indoors and outdoors in the 12-pound shot..

He was named All-Conference seven times, conference champion on six occasions, qualified for the All-State meet seven times, won a state championship title five times; was All-America seven times in high school... and was named the Boston Globe Indoor Athlete of the Year in 2000...With all these accomplishments under his belt, Jeff earned a full scholarship to the University of Kentucky. Coach Kenneson from Kentucky said this of Jeff “"When I saw him at a high school meet, when I saw how he competed, I was totally sold right there on the spot, He was an eye-opener, man. Wow. That's a coach's dream when you get that type of person to work with."

If you thought that his High School career was impressive, let’s look at his resume at Kentucky. He was a six-time all-American in the shot put while a member of the track team. He was a five-time Southeastern Conference (SEC) champion, an eight-time all-SEC selection in the shot put and was a team captain for three seasons.

Jeff competed in several international competitions, finishing in 5th place at the Jr. World Championships (Santiago, Chile) in 2000, placing 1st at the Jr. Pan Am Games (Sante Fe, Argentina) in 2001, while being ranked no. 6 all-time on the Jr. World Shot Put List.

In 2001 Jeff was the junior national champion in both the shot put and discus as well as being elected team captain of the USA vs. Great Britain Junior World Tour. In 2006, Chakouian placed 5th at the USATF Outdoor Championships, with a throw that would be the 17 best in the world that year.

In 2002: He won his second consecutive SEC Championship in the shot put with a toss of 63-06.75...Took first-place honors in the shot put four times…with his best throw of the season coming at the Penn Relays where he took the title with a throw of 64-03.25…

In 2004 Jeff had the unique distinction of being the only collegiate athlete at the United States Olympic trials where he finished 7th with a throw of 64’9”.

Mary Cobb is a 1995 graduate of Pittsfield High School.. Upon graduation from Pittsfield H.S. Mary earned a scholarship to Stanford University. According to her high school coach Rob Colantuono “In track, she never lost a race in Ma., running the 400, 800, mile, and 2 mile.” She won the 3000 at the Penn Relays defeating NorristownN.J. senior Donna Fidlerand by five seconds running a time of 9:37.51. In her senior she was also the National High School Mile Champion running in North Carolina, setting a national meet record when she ran 4:45.48

Last July Brian Sullivan of the Berkshire Eagle wrote an article about Mary. He recalled Mary’s high school career by saying, ” Mary Cobb was the greatest female distance runner in the history of Pittsfield and Berkshire County, and …was considered to be the best female runner to come out of the state since Lynn Jennings in the late 1970s Cobb was dubbed by one Eagle sportswriter as "The Duchess of Distance." Cobb had a less-than-auspicious beginning to her high school career. She failed to win her first cross-country race during the fall campaign and didn't come home a winner in her second race. But she never lost another Berkshire County race after that. Cobb was the Berkshire County cross country champion in 1991, 1992 and 1994 and repeated in those years as Western Mass. champion. She was state champion in both 1992 and 1994. She finished second in 1991 as a freshman, one second behind the winner. You might be saying what about 1993? Much to the disappointment of her coaches, Cobb moved with her family to California, but was able to convince her parents to allow her to come back to Pittsfield for her senior year. In 1994, Cobb won the Foot Locker Eastern United States Cross Country Championship and placed third in the national championship later that year. The spring track season saw little change. Cobb never lost the one-mile run in a dual meet and that event would soon be known as ‘Mary's Mile." Cobb set a state record in the mile during her senior season when she ran a 4 minute, 41 second time while winning the Western Mass. title. Later that year she was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year in track and field. Cobb attended Stanford University and would become a member of the cross country and track teams. 

A 1998 Stanford Cross Country pre-season publication stated that: …led by Mary Cobb as captain …, the Stanford women will continue to fly the Cardinal colors. Mary Cobb is a six-time All-American, and the captain of the 1998 squad. She led an impressive cross country campaign last fall, running consistently in the top three throughout and finishing 22nd at the NCAAs as Stanford's third woman. Cobb has been a prominent component of Stanford's rise to national contention. Her talents are priceless, and her leadership will prove pivotal in shaping the women's season. … As a veteran of the 1996 NCAA Championship squad, she understands the elements of a highly successful season. Mary is still ranked in the top 10 at Stanford in cross country running 17:05 on their home course. On the track Mary ran 9:27.37 in the 3k and 16:04.21 in the 5k. Mary was a 6x All-American at Stanford. Her team was conference champions 3 out of her four years, they were national champions in 1996. In her junior year, she finished 4th at both the Pac 10 and the NCAA west regional championships. Moving back east after her graduation, coach Colantuono became her coach again. Her training for the 2000 Olympic trials were going very well. Unfortunately, about three weeks prior to the trials in Sacramento, she suffered a lower leg injury. She competed in the 1500 meters and ran a respectable 4:17, but the lack of quality training leading up to the trials had hurt her and she finished out of the money.

Mary attributes most of her success to three people, in Mary’s words, “As a young runner, I was very inspired by Lynn Jennings. She accomplished so much, and was so talented (and was from Massachusetts). I was also very inspired by my high school track and field coach, Rob Colantuono. He had great confidence in me, and was able to guide me to greater heights year after year (even post-collegiate). Most of all, however, I contribute my success as a runner to my mother, Sara Cobb. Beginning when I was 8 years old, she registered me and my siblings in a Mother's Day Race each year. We used to 'train' for the race, practice visualizing the race, and 'carbo-load' the night before.”

Mary Cobb highlights include:

1991 WMass Cross Country Champion

1992 WMass and State Mile Champion

1992 WMass and State Cross Country Champion

1993 WMass, State and New England Mile Champion

1994 WMass, State and Footlocker Eastern Region Cross Country Champion

1995 IAAF World Cross Country Junor Championships – 25th place

1995 WMass, State and National Mile Champion, Penn Relay 3000m Champion

1995 Gatorade Track & Field Player of the Year

11 Time NCAA All-American:

Cross Country - 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998

Indoor & Outdoor Track – 3K, 5K and DMR in 1996 - 1999

US Olympic Trials Qualifier in the 1500m: 1996, 2000 and 2004.

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Jesse Cody, a 1993 graduate of Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School will be our next inductee into the MSTCA Athlete Hall of Fame, we will be recognizing his remarkableachievements as an athlete, teammate, and leader.

Jesse's high school career was nothing short of extraordinary. A ten-time Suburban League All-Star and nine-time Boston Globe All-Scholastic selection, he won eight individual statechampionships across cross country, the indoor 1000-yard run, and the one-mile run and one All-State title as a member of the 4x800 relay. As a three-time Boston Globe Athlete of the Year, Jesse's junior and senior years were especially historic, as he claimed state titles in crosscountry, indoor track, and outdoor track, solidifying his dominance across three seasons.

Jesse's crowning achievements included winning the New England High School One-MileChampionship and being named the Massachusetts Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year. Hispersonal records still stand as a testament to his speed and determination: a 50-second 400-meter, 1:54 in the 800-meter, 2:17 in the 1000-yard, 4:15 in the mile, 9:20 in the two-mile, anda scorching 14:55 on the storied Franklin Park cross country courseHis victories extended to prestigious events like the Mobile Grand Prix meet mile and theDartmouth Relay mile, where his 4:15.6 mile placed him as the third-fastest high school miler
in the nation that year.

Jesse's accomplishments on the track were matched by his character off it. His coach, FrankMcCarthy, described him as “a coach’s dream,” praising his unparalleled work ethic,unselfishness, and positive attitude. Jesse himself credits his success to the bond he shared with
his teammates, saying, “Nothing was achievable without my teammates and the profound bondwe shared. We challenged each other to reach our highest potential, forging a brotherhood thatI have not experienced since.”

After a brief time at Providence College, Jesse returned to Cambridge Rindge and Latin, wherehe joined his brother Scott and Jamalh Prince, both MSTCA Athlete Hall of Famers, in thecoaching ranks.Bringing his knowledge and experience after his own illustrious career, Jesse transitioned into
coaching, where he continued to leave an indelible mark. He contributed to two Massachusettsstate track team titles and, as the head boys' cross country coach, led his team to the EasternMassachusetts State Championship in 1998.

For the next 15 years, Jesse faced many personal challenges with mental illness. However, hisstory took a transformative turn when he discovered the healing power of long-distance hiking,which gave him a renewed sense of purpose. To date, he has hiked over 16,000 miles across the
United States, including the Appalachian Trail.

Now a passionate mental health advocate and founder of the nonprofit organization Hike theGood Hike, Jesse uses his platform to inspire others, sharing his story as a writer and keynotespeaker. In 2025, his journey will be chronicled in a full-length documentary, highlighting howhis miles on the trail have become a mission to raise awareness for mental health.

We celebrate Jesse Cody not just for his historic athletic achievements, but also for theresilience, passion, and purpose that continue to inspire others.

Our next inductee is Scott Cody along with Jamalh, a 1988 graduate of Cambridge Rindge and Latin school, Scott was also a 1992 graduate of Providence College where he earned his degree in Health and Physical Education. He has dedicated his life to his Alma mater as he currently
teaches and coaches at Cambridge Rindge and Latin for the past 27 years.

Great minds think alike and so, like Jamalh, some of Scott’s cherished memories from high school are his fellowHall of Famers, his coaches, Frank McCarthy and Bob Maguire. According to Coach McCarthy,

“Scott was a determined, focused and resilient runner. Regardless of the settings, he took each race like it was his last. His work ethic, drive, team first and vision served as an excellent role model for his younger teammates.

According to Coach Maguire, “Scott is every coach’s dream.
He might have been our best “dig down deep” competitor, and we did have a great many of them. His work ethic was unmatched and he relied on that strength in every big meet he ran.”

Those two coaches' accolades may have come from Scott’s philosophy of running which is, “I believed that running was about managing pain. I always thought I was willing to hurt more than my competitors. If I was hurting, I knew they were hurting, so I pushed the pace.” He is very
proud to have been an integral part of the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School’s Triple Crown, winning the All-State titles in Cross County, Indoor track and Spring Track during the 1986-1987
school year.

I’m not sure if any other team has ever done that. As mentioned earlier by his fellow inductee, his successful coaching career at his Alma Mater will assuredly get him into the MSTCA’s Coaching Hall of Fame as well.

Scott is very proud to have been the captain of thE Providence College Cross Country team that placed 3rd at the NCAA Division One Championships in 1992. That PC team also won 3 Big-East consecutive titles in 1990, 91, and 92. In addition to his coaching duties at Rindge he currently coaches alongside his fellow PC teammate Mark Carroll at the BAA

ive times between 1966 and 1972, Leon Coleman placed in the top six at the AAU Championship in the high hurdles, and in 1969, he tied [Willie Davenport] for first place. Coleman attended Winston-Salem State College, graduating in 1972. He went on to finish fourth place in the Olympican Games in Mexico City in 1964.

Dr. Edward Collymore a 1955 graduate of Rindge Technical High School. Ed would begin his track career as a freshman at Rindge Tech where he trained under Coach Duffy and by the time he was a senior he found himself as the premier track athlete in the Boston area. In 1954 and 55 Ed went undefeated in both the indoor and outdoor seasons, while gathering wins in the Class A and New England Championships in the 220 and 600 yard dashes. Though Ed would say his favorite race was the 220 it would be the 440 that brought him first to National prominence.

During his senior year at Rindge he found himself as the national indoor 440 high school champion. His victory helped propel the Rindge team to the National High School Team Title. With Ed’s outstanding high school career, Villanova offered him a scholarship to run for the Wildcats. Ed flourish in his new surroundings and proved that his range of ability from the shorter 60-yard races to the longer 600 yards would be invaluable to the Villanova team. Ed ran his first dominant collegiate race in 1957 as a sophomore at the IC4A Championship when he won the 220 in a remarkable time of 21.0. Later that year Ed would qualify for the finals of the NCAA Championship in the 100Y and place third in the 220.

In 1957 Ed’s performance helped the Wildcats of Villanova capture its first NCAA Team Championship. With his performance in the 220 he would be ranked 6th in the world at that distance. IN his junior year he would get a 5th in the NCAA 100 yard at 9.7 and would win the NCAA 220 Championship with a time of 20.7 He would go on to place 5th in the AAU 100 Yard and 4th in the 220. IN a meet verses Russia in 1958 he would gain a 2nd in the 100m in a time of 10.2 and win the 220 in a time of 21.0. Also in 58 at a meet in Compton Calafornia he would run a 9.5 100 yard and 20.3 in the 220. In 1958 Ed would be ranked 3rd in the world at the 220. Just to show his wide range of ability Ed Collymore would complement his long sprint dominance with a USA Track and Field Championship performance in the 60-yard dash with a world leading time of 6.1. His most dominant overall season would be his senior indoor year when TRACK and FIELD NEWS ranked Ed Collymore # 1 in the world for the combined 440-600 yard races. During that 1959 indoor season he would go unbeaten in the 600 yard and anchor the NCAA 4 X 440 relay team in a victory over the number one ranked team in the country from the University of Texas. Ed’s 45.6-anchor leg gave the Villanova Wildcats a 3:10.4 to 3:10.7 win over the favored Texas team. In one of his more spirited races that indoor season, Ed Collymore defeated his former high school and college teammate Charlie Jenkins, a member of this Hall of Fame, in a blazing 600 yard time of 1:10.3 just 8 tenths off the meet and world record time. In his senior year outdoor he again won the IC4A 220 but pulled a muscle and was unable to compete in the NCAA championships. Upon graduation from Villanova Ed would join the marines where he competed for the Marine track team.

In 1960 he would finish 3rd in the USA Track and Field Championship and would make it to the finals of the 1960 Olympic trials. He reached the level of colonel upon retirement from the reserves and earned his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. Villanova must have made a huge impact on Dr. Ed Collymore, as he would spend a large portion of his professional career at his Alma Mata, most notably as the Director of Multicultural Affairs. Ed retired in 2004; he enjoys fishing and has a black belt in karate. He lives in Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania with his wife Marcia

Our next inductee is Andrea Comeau Braham who is a 1996 graduate of Reading Memorial High School and a 2000 graduate of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. As you will see in Andrea’s is one of the best all around athletes this state has ever seen. As a multi-eventer, she could do it all, run, jump and throw.

According to her bio from her induction into the Reading H.S. Hall of Fame, “From her sophomore year to her senior year, she never lost
a league running or hurdling event, winning or sharing the league MVP honors for both indoor and outdoor track for three consecutive years.

She was named the Daily Times Chronicle outstanding girls track performer for 5 of those 6 years.” In remembering her years at Reading,
she gives most of the credit to her coaches Ken Feit, Nancy Madden and John Barret She says,

“They were all so patient through the typical whining of high school girls and they taught her how to move and practice for every event.” She also recalls being at a two-day competition right here at Reggie Lewis and that her and her teammates were joking about how there were no
medals or trophies. Coach Feit told them what they were getting was the opportunity to compete. The next day her teammate brought a glass jar so they could capture that “Opportunity”. To this day Andrea keeps that jar full of “Opportunity”. What a great outlook on life. It’s pretty evident
that Andrea must have seized every one of those opportunities throughout her life.

According to the Boston Globe, “Comeau was the key ingredient in Reading’s charge to the EMass Class B title and its first All-State crown”. While at UMass Andrea recalls special friendships formed
with Melissa Ward, Vinnie Pullia and her coach Jim Giroux. She remembers her team winning the A-10’s by beating among the other A-10 teams, Virginia Tech at Virginia.

Andrea received her degree in education and has been teaching for the past 20 years in both England and Wakefield. She currently is a 3
rd grade teacher at Greenwood School in Wakefield. She resides in Swampscott with her husband Darren and her three children 14-year-old Ollie,11-year-old Violet and 8-year-old Theo.

Pam Connell is a 1986 graduate of Norwell H.S. I was fortunate enough to witness some of Pam's accomplishments. I had just started coaching and remember wanting to go and watch this phenom from Norwell compete. All the talk was about how this girl could do anything. She could win track meets all by herself. Pam however was not about herself. She says that some of her fondest high school memories are of her practices with teammates, meets and her coaches. Specifically, Bob Littlefield. Pam recently told me that she loved Bob's unique workouts such as: Running around the school driveway avoiding the patches of ice. Running in sub-freezing temperatures into a bitter headwind Sprints up loose grain sand dunes, pushing his VW Rabbit for leg strength and 200m sprints on the beach. When I asked Pam what running track meant to her she replied: “In the 80's it was a time to blow off steam with friends. I looked forward to track practice every day because I knew I would feel exhausted yet stress free before I went home for the day. After a track practice, everything that seemed so overwhelming during school hours were placed into a more realistic perspective after a workout.” As a coach of high school athletes today, I would only hope that they would all have the same outlook as Pam did back then.

In 2010, Pam was inducted into the Norwell High School Hall of Fame. It only took us a year to find Pam. The Norwell Hall of Fame had the following to say about Pam: “Pam Connell Gess was the premier runner and jumper in New England during her high school years. A five-time Boston Globe All-Scholastic student athlete, Pam was twice named as the Globe's Athlete of the Year. Pam set 16 Norwell High School records while a member of the Clipper Indoor and outdoor track teams, and won an unprecedented 14 All-State Championships, including gold medals in the 600-yard (her most memorable race), long jump, triple jump, high jump, 300 meter hurdles, and the mile relay. Twenty-four years later, Pam's New England record of 43.00 in the 300 hurdles still stands. Pam also led her team to two All-State Championships in 1985 and 86. While still a high school student athlete, Pam was a two-time national indoor champion in the pentathlon, and represented the United States at the World Junior Track and Field Championships in Athens, Greece. Pam still ranks #3 all time in the national high school pentathlon.

With such a tremendous resume, Pam earned an athletic scholarship to Penn State. She would go on to become an NCAA all American in the Heptathlon. To this day at Penn State Pam ranks #10 in the 200 @ 24.32 10th in the 4X400 @ 3:44.72, 8th in the long jump @ 19'7” 8th in the 400 IH @ 61.05, 8th in the 4x100 @ 46.63, 6th in the 100 meter hurdles @ 14.13, 6th in the 4x200 @ 1:39.40, 5th in the Sprint Medley @ 3:55.55, 2nd in the High Jump @ 5'11.25” and beyond stating the obvious # 1 in the Heptathlon. In 1990 Pam earned the “Ernest B. McCoy” award for being the top female Student/Athlete at Penn State.