Connecticut: Softball Hall of Fame Inducts Seven

By Hal Levy, Shore Line Newspapers

Special to MaxPreps.com

The Connecticut Scholastic and Collegiate Softball Hall of Fame inducted seven new members on Sunday, March 2, at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, according to information provided by Vickie Fulkerson.

The inductees are high school players Cheryl Wasilewski (Lyman Hall-Wallingford), and Stacey King Pavano (Amity Regional-Woodbridge), college players Kelli Bartlett Philpott (Yale University and East Lyme High School), college player Jo-Lynn Cimino (Guilford and the University of New Haven), high school coach Judy Deeb (East Lyme), umpire Anthony Roberto and honorary inductee Frank Camp.

Cimino, an all-stater at Guilford and a 1998 New Haven graduate, was the first All-American in program history for the Chargers, pitching her way to an overall record of 66-29 and leading the team to its first two Division II NCAA Tournament appearances (1995-96). Cimino was a four-time all-conference and two-time all-region selection and set school records for career appearances (111), strikeouts (614) and was in the top three in innings pitched (623.3), earned run average (1.36) and wins. She is a member of New Haven’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

Deeb, entering her 37th season at East Lyme with a record of 494-237, is one of the most decorated high school coaches in state history in any sport. She is already a member of the Connecticut High School Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame (1995), the Connecticut Field Hockey Hall of Fame (2004) and Connecticut Basketball Hall of Fame (2005), the latter two as a referee. Deeb, a Danbury native and a resident of Niantic, was also awarded the prestigious Gold Key from the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance in 2006. The Vikings won the Class M state championship in 1994.

Roberto, who resides in Milford, is a member of the Southern Connecticut College Umpires Association and the East Coast College Umpires and has officiated collegiately at every level. Roberto has umpired the Women’s Major ASA National Tournament, the Women’s Over-35 National Tournament and in the Women’s Major ASA Fast Pitch League and has officiated every level of Junior Olympic softball. He has served as Connecticut ASA Deputy Umpire-in-Chief and as a member of the Connecticut ASA Advisory Board from 1993 to the present and in 1998 was selected to the Connecticut ASA Fast Pitch Hall of Fame.

Camp, of West Haven, is the former coach of the Coronets, a major fast-pitch program in the 1970s and ’80s, as well as a significant contributor to the West Haven athletic community. A former three-sport athlete at West Haven High School and a member of the school’s athletic hall of fame, Camp’s interest in softball grew with his daughters’ participation in the sport, prompting him to form an ASA league in town in the 1970s, in which he coached two of the teams simultaneously. Camp and his wife Joyce still contribute to the athletic picture at West Haven High School through a scholarship in the name of their late daughter, Kelley, a former star athlete. He is the brother of retired legendary Coginchaug basketball coach Wally Camp.

Wasilewski played for Lyman Hall from 1969-71, competing for the first varsity softball team in program history. She was the Trojans’ center fielder and one of their top hitters, captaining the team as a senior. She also played volleyball and basketball and although her career predated the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s current state championship system, former coach Judy Samaha – also a member of the softball hall of fame – said by today’s standards Wasilewski would rank among the best in the state in all three sports.

Pavano is a 1981 graduate of Amity, playing in the team’s first state championship game in 1979, as the Spartans were Class LL state runners-up to Southington. Pavano was an all-state and All-Housatonic League pick who went on to pitch at Providence College, posting the third-lowest earned run average in program history. She also competed for the Coronets, a major fast-pitch team based in West Haven, winning a Most Valuable Player award and a batting title. Pavano is an attorney, having passed the Connecticut Bar in 1988.

Philpott, a 1992 graduate of East Lyme High School, where she was an all-state shortstop for Deeb, went on to play for Yale, graduating in 1996 as the Bulldogs’ all-time leader in hits (136), stolen bases (51), at-bats (512) and games played (167). She was the recipient of the 1996 Nellie Pratt Elliot Award, a prestigious honor which goes to the senior woman whose excellence in the field of athletics and in her life at Yale best represents the ideals of sportsmanship and Yale tradition. Philpott was Yale’s Most Valuable Player as a senior.

Social hour for the induction ceremony begins at 4 p.m., with dinner to follow at 5 p.m. Tickets are $40 and may be obtained by calling Anthony Candido at (203) 878-3363 before Feb. 19.

Scholar Athletes of the Month

Ten student athletes from five high schools have been named the SportsCenter of Connecticut/Southern Connecticut Conference Scholar Athletes of the Month for January.

Tiffany Wynn and Ray Askew of Career, both basketball captains. Wynn is also a softball captain, ranks among the top 20 percent  in her class and is a student government vice president. Askew also ranks in the top 20 percent.

Matt Casey and Rebecca Houde of Branford. Casey is a standout in cross country, indoor and outdoor track, ranks fourth in his class, is a National Merit Scholar, President of Model Congress and was selected as most outstanding performer at the Class L indoor track championships. Houde runs track and cross country and is on the gymnastics team. She is a member of the National Honor Society and ranks among the top 20-percent of her class.

Jennifer Crowther and Bryan Sidwell of Sheehan-Wallingford. Crowther, a cheerleader, ranks 19the in her class. Sidwell, a three-sport athlete in cross country, hockey and golf, ranks fifth in his class, and is class secretary.

Tracy Unbreit and Nagthan Firn of Foran-Milford. Umbreit ranks in the top 20 percent of her class and is a second team all-stater in gymnastics. Firn captained the boys’ basketball team and ranks 19th in his class.

Michael Dellacorte and Lauren Flament of Shelton. Dellacorte is an ice hockey player and ranks in the top third of his class; Flament runs cross country and indoor and outdoor track, ranks fourth in her class and is Vice President of Student Council.

Each month, The SportsCenter of Connecticut honors student-athletes as SCC schools, rotating among them so that each school gets two honorees three times a year.

McDonald’s Nominees

A total of 21 high school basketball players from Connecticut – 13 boys and eight girls – were nominated for the 2008 McDonald’s All-America teams. However, none made the cut for the final 48 spots. The games will be played in Milwaukee March 26.

The boys’ selections include Allen Chaney, New London; R.J. Evans, Norwich Free Academy; Stanford Dulaire, Watkinson School-Hartford; Chris Prescott, Northeast Catholic-West Hartford; David Gibbs, The Masters School-Simsbury; Nick Greenbacker, East Catholic-Manchester; Greg Mangano, Notre Dame-west Haven; Jesse Pittman, Wilbur Cross-New Haven; Mike Massey, Hamden Hall Country Day; B.J. Montiero, Crosby-Waterbury; Ryan Olander, E.O. Smith-Storrs and Quasim Pugh and Devin Ebanks, both of St. Thomas More-Colchester.

Girls nominated were Richelle Anderson, Bulkeley-Hartford; Katie Ciarleglio, Holy Cross-Waterbury; Cali Coffee, Lyme-Old Lyme; Brittany Demers, East Windsor; Desiree Pina, Plainville; Ilicia Mathis and Gabby Oglesby, both of Career-New Haven and Michelle White, Hillhouse-New Haven.

Holy Cross Sees Streak End at 41

Snow over the weekend played havoc with tournament schedules. In one game of note which was played, Holy Cross-Waterbury had its girls’ basketball win streak ended at 41 with a loss to ninth-seeded Westhill-Stamford in the quarterfinals. In all four divisions, the top seed was eliminated before the round of eight.

Boys’ basketball and ice hockey tournaments begin the week.