“Today we come together to honor and celebrate the accomplishments of the Pingry athletic teams that collectively have produced a great year, a year worthy of praise and accolades,” Gerry Vanasse, Pingry athletic director said during the athletic assembly held in the Hauser Auditorium on Tuesday, May 30, 2006. The gathering united middle and upper school students to recognize the talented athletes and teams that comprise Pingry athletics.
Before reflecting upon the year’s highlights, the school gave a standing ovation to Mike Lalley, who spent 33 years working as the school’s athletic trainer and is now retiring. Following Mr. Lalley’s plaudits, Mr. Vanasse made note of Pingry’s commitment to athletics, which has resulted in 450 out of 512 students participating in at least one athletic season and 63% of upper school students competing on a spring team (a 9% increase over year ago).
Mr. Vanasse went on to summarize each team’s impressive statistics, which include 10 Colonial Hills titles, 4 Somerset County Championships, 4 Prep B State Division Titles, and 5 NJSIAA State Championships. The boys’ lacrosse and girls’ basketball teams had a record number of victories; cheerleading won their division at the U.S. Cheer Competition; and the girls’ swimming team was undefeated. Each of the varsity teams qualified for the NJSIAA tournaments, and five teams continued to compete through June, with two of those teams winning state titles. There were also numerous individual achievements, such as “players of the year” and county and state individual titles.
Like the students, the Pingry coaches received a host of accolades. There were many “coaches of the year,” and renowned soccer coach Miller Bugliari ’52 was enshrined in the National Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame. In regards to the number of individual achievements, Mr. Vanasse said, “It is still about the dedication and enthusiasm, the power and passion of every athlete and of every coach to keep the focus on the team first—themselves second—the importance of teamwork is vital. The notion of putting team goals ahead of individual goals is paramount to the continued success of our program.”
Mr. Vanasse then went on to read the names of award winners, who were applauded by the crowd. To underscore each athlete and team’s successes, Peter Delman, Pingry art teacher, showed a video featuring scenes and stills from the year. The crowd both laughed and cheered as they revisited proud moments.
Mr. Vanasse deeply thanked the community for its support. He said, “The prowess of our teams is impressive. The Pingry sports tradition is alive and well, and school spirits abounds.” “Team Pingry,” as Mr. Vanasse calls the collective team of community members, is “where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, where we all can enjoy each others’ successes as a community and provide support in difficult times.”
He continued, “We play our sports for fun and enjoyment, to be with our friends, to take on the challenges of competition, to represent our school with the pride and honor associated with Pingry athletics. Your convictions, commitment, compassion, and cooperation are what drive your successes. Continue with those attributes in everything you do and every goal you set. And seniors, let the lessons and values learned here guide you in the next chapter of your life.”
Honorees included:
Senior Awards Given by Donors
Elizabeth Allan Smith ’83 Girls Soccer Award
Sara Murphy
Elizabeth Allan Smith ’83 Memorial Pingry-Duke Scholarship Award
Rachel Van Wert
Cipriano Family Scholar-Athlete Award
Katrina Pregibon
Zachary Cordero
Paul R. Leary ’90 Award
John Gandolfo
Richard C. Weiler Boys’ Lacrosse Award
Brian Combias
Ashley G. Marsh and Family Swimming Award
Maureen Kelly
John R. Dufford Jr. Tennis Trophy
Kelley Finlayson
Three Season Varsity Letter Winners
Form VI Students:
Frances Callaghan—field hockey, squash, lacrosse
Peter Cipriano—soccer, squash, baseball
Maureen Kelly—water polo, swimming, track and field
Edwin Layng—water polo, swimming, track and field
Kevin Miicke—soccer, basketball, baseball
Marisa Stock—soccer, squash, track and field
Katrina Welch—tennis, swimming, lacrosse
Form V Students:
Toreyan Clarke—cross country, basketball, track and field
Caitlin Demkin—field hockey, squash, lacrosse
Joshua Freedman—soccer, squash, track and field
Dean Gomes—football, basketball, track and field
Jordan Homer—tennis, fencing, softball
Sandra Hough—tennis, swimming, lacrosse
Kim Kimber—soccer, basketball, lacrosse
Henry Lee—soccer, squash, baseball
Ben Mackoff—soccer, ski, track and field
Elizabeth Moore—field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse
Robin Moore—tennis, squash, lacrosse
Stephanie Naratil—cross country, ice hockey, track and field
Valerie Naratil—cross country, ice hockey, track and field
Ben Oakes—cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse
Craig Ramirez—soccer, squash, baseball
Hope Scott—cross country, swimming, track and field
John Scrudato—football, swimming, track and field
Russell Simpson—football, fencing, track and field
Form IV Students:
Martha Gross—cross country, squash, track and field
John Guiffre—water polo, swimming, golf
Michael Martinson—cross country, wrestling, track and field
Casey Rupon—soccer, basketball, track and field
Taylor Sankovich—field hockey, swimming, lacrosse
John Soo Hoo—cross country, fencing, track and field
Sarah Strackhouse—soccer, basketball, track and field
David Urbanowicz—football, fencing, track and fiel
Jessica Westerman—cheerleading, swimming, softball
Brian Sozansky—cross country, swimming, track and field
Form III Students:
Evelyn Cheung—cheerleading (fall and winter), track and field
Timothy Naratil—cross country, ice hockey, track and field
© 2006 The Pingry School
