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BONNIE FOLEY -High Scbool Player
Barbara (Bonnie) Foley is a Stratford, Connecticut native and attended Johnson Jr. High School and Stratford High School. Bonnie played on the first competitive teams for
girls at SHS. She was a member of the swimming, basketball, softball teams, and in her Senior year qualified for the javelin placing 4th in the States. SHS in their 2nd year of play won the MBAIC championship and
qualified for the State Tournament while Bonnie was selected for All-League - MBAIC and 2nd team All-State. While at Stratford High School, Bonnie was the first female selected for the Babe Ruth Award (best athlete in
the school) and the first female athlete to receive a full athletic scholarship to Southern Illinois University. She had a career average of 30 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 assists and this record still stands today.
Bonnie scored a game high 42 points against cross town rival Bunnell High School. At Southern Illinois University (SIU), Bonnie majored in Physical Education. In basketball, she ranked second as her
University's all-time rebounder (998 and 11 per game-Ist all-time), scored 1183 (9th all-time) career points and averaged 13 points per game (5th all-time). SIU won its first ever AIAW State title while Bonnie was a
member of the team. In 1985, Bonnie was the first woman athlete inducted into the SIU Saluki Hall of Fame. Her basketball prowess resulted in a first-round draft selection by the St. Louis Streak in the first year
of the Women's Pro Basketball League (WBL) in 1979. A later trade sent her to play for the San Francisco Pioneers. During the summer of 1979, Bonnie was selected to participate in Partners of America (sponsored by the
US State Dept.) in Venezuela. Bonnie has coached on the collegiate level for 15 years at Castleton State (Vt.), Plymouth State (NH), and State University of New York at Cortland. The Cortland women's basketball
team has appeared in two NCAA Division III tournaments and has captured two State University of New York Athletic Conference titles under Foley. She was twice honored as the SUNYAC women's basket- ball "Coach of
the Year" in 1988 and 1992, Bonnie's coaching record is 204-135, and she was honored for her "200 victories" by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association 1992. Bonnie received her Master's degree
from the University of Arkansas in 1981 while serving as the college's assistant women's basketball coach. Presently, Bonnie is teaching adapted physical education at (OCM-BOCES) in Cortland, New York. In her spare
time, Bonnie officiates at field hockey and lacrosse games in the central New York area. KIRSTEN ANDERSON RAPPLEYEA - Higb Scbool Player
Daniel Hand High School in Madison was the setting
for Kirsten Anderson's start in basketball. in 1984, she averaged an amazing 33 points and 16 rebounds per game. Kirsten set school records with 49 points and 25 rebounds in a single game and became the school's all
time leading scorer with 1,879 points and rebounder with 1,031. She also participated in Track and Softball and was a member of the National Honor Society. She was a member of two shoreline championship teams and made
Class L All-State First Team, All-County Team, All-Shoreline First Team and was voted to three All-American Teams in her senior year. Also, in her senior year, Kirsten was named to the Street and Smith Honorable Mention
All-American, USA Today Honorable Mention All-American, National High School Athletic coaches Association Honorable Mention All-American, the New Haven Tap-Off Club Scholar Athlete, Shoreline Athlete of the Year (2nd
place), and Daniel Hand High School MVP. During the summer of 1983, Kirsten was a member of the Western New England AAU/Jr. Olympic Basketball Team (16 & under) which competed in the National Tournament in
Hammond, Louisiana. She was named to the AAU/Jr. Olympic First Team All-American team averaging 18 points and 9 rebounds. During the summer of 1984, Kirsten was a member of he Connecticut New England West AAU/Jr,
Olympic Basketball Team (18 & under) which competed in the National Tournament in Clovis, New Mexico. Kirsten received a full athletic scholarship to the University of Virginia where she majored
in International Relations. She played power forward on a team that played in the NCAA tournament all our years; recording 200 wins with only 21 losses in Kirsten's four seasons. She was named to the Atlantic
Coast Conference Honor Roll team every year she played. Following graduation, Kirsten played professional basketball for the A.S. Villeurbanne sports Club in France as a forward/center averaging 16 points and 10
rebounds per game. In 1993, Kirsten earned a J.D. Degree Cum Laude (ranking ninth in a class of 252) from Western New England College school of Law in Springfield, Massachusetts. Kirsten has been admitted to the
New York and Connecticut Bar and in 1993-94, she was a law clerk for the Honorable Eugene Spear of the Connecticut Appellate Court. She is currently a senior district Attorney in Poughkeepsie, New York. Kirsten
and her husband live in Millbrook, NY and have three children, Allan age 8, Grace age 6 and Andrew age 2.
TRISH NEARY - Small College Inductee
In her senior year (1983) at
Wamogo Regional High School, Trish Neary averaged 16 points per game with a single game high of 38 points. She was named to the All-State First Team, was chosen the League's MVP, and her school won two Berkshire league
Championships in 1981 and 1983. Neary also made First Team in softball in the All Berkshire selections for four years and the All-State First Team in her final two years of high school. Her softball records are as
impressive as her basketball statistics: all-time home runs with 31,all-time RBI's with 107, a slugging percentage of .667 and a career batting average of .553. Trish went on to major in elementary education at Western
Connecticut University where she played basketball for four years. She averaged 15 points per game and set a WCSU record for most career points with 1428 points. In 1987, She was the first male or female athlete
selected to the All-American Kodak Team from WCSU and was also selected ECAC player of the year. Trish was the MVP for the Tip-off and Christmas Tournaments in 1986-87 and was team captain for the 1987 season. By the
time she graduated, Neary had been the college's all-time leading scorer, rebounder, and shot-blocker. Her leadership and all around ability was instrumental in WCSU receiving their first NCAA bid to the Division III
Tournament. She was selected New England Basketball Association rookie 2 times and player of the week 10 times. In 1989,Trish played in Europe for the Runkster Dames Belgian team. Neary's record at WCSU is 3rd in
career scoring 1428, 3rd all time rebounder 759, 4th
career blocks 100, 1st free throw percentage with .92, and scoring points per game 15.2. Trish received her Masters of Science degree from WCSU in 1996 and is currently a guidance counselor and the varsity girls' basketball coach at New Milford High School.
LYNN SPAGNESI - Large College Inductee
Lynn Spagnesi attended Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk, where, along with basketball, she played field hockey, volleyball, and track and field. She set
school records in track and field in the javelin, long jump, hurdles and shot-put events. Basketball was changed from the six-player game during Lynn's high school experience. She played four years on the varsity level
and was co-captain in her senior year, when she averaged 24 points per game. She was voted outstanding girl athlete in her senior year. A "B.S". degree was earned at Southern Connecticut State University where
"Spags" played under Louise O'Neal. Her team made the A.I.A.W. National Basketball Tournament and reached the "elite eight" in each of her four years. In the 1972 A.I.A.W. quarterfinals, she scored
22 points and pulled down 15 rebounds. At the national tournament in her senior year, Spags averaged 14 points and 9 rebounds over four games. At Southern, she was a spiker on the varsity volleyball team for four years,
played second base in softball for two years and set track and field records. In 1975 she was listed in Who's Who Among College Athletes of America. After college Lynn continued to test her athletic
prowess through sport. In AAU track she won the Eastern Regional Pentathlon title in 1972; she played on the Raybestos Brakettes softball team that won two national championships; and she played USVBA volleyball as a
hitter on the Connecticut Clippers. She also officiated at basketball, volleyball, and softball on the high school and college levels. In 1981 Lynn returned to Southern Connecticut State University to complete a
M.S. degree. For over twenty years she has been employed at "Aces", Area Cooperative Educational Services in Hamden. In 1996 she was honored to be listed in International Who's Who of Professionals. Presently,
Lynn lectures and teaches in the area of educational technology support and adaptive physical education. ERIKA BEERBAUM - High School Coach
In her four years at Wolcott High School, Erika Beerbaum took part
in field hockey-goalie, softball-1st base, and played forward in the then two-court basketball game. She was voted Outstanding Female Athlete in her senior year (1964), and went on to Southern Connecticut State
University where she continued playing basketball After helping to build a strong athletic program and "basketball tradition" at Lyman Hall High School in Wallingford and assisting I the formation of the
Girls' Division of the Housatonic League, Erika transferred across town to the newly built Sheehan High School in 1971. The Athletic program flourished in the early seventies and in 1975 her basketball team won the
Housatonic League Championship. The following fall her volleyball team placed second in the Class M State Championship and in 1976 the Sheehan basketball team won the Class L State Championship. As a coach, Erika
expected her players to be totally committed to the program and to be "Exceptional people" on and off the court. Today, she accepts no less from her students. Erika serves as a building representative in the
Wallingford Education Association and was honored for her work in 1994. She is on the nominating committee for the Sheehan Hall of Fame. In 2003, Erika was inducted into the CT Volleyball Hall of Fame. In 2005 she was
inducted into the Mark T. Sheehan hall of fame. Erika retired from teaching in 1998 and is a winter resident of Ft. Meyers, Florida. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, travel, jogging and is a
self-proclaimed "GOLF NUT"!. PAT MASCIA – Referee
A Connecticut native, Patricia Mascia attended Sacred Heart Academy in Hamden and earned her BS and MS in education at Southern Connecticut
State University. She had an illustrious career as a coach, official, and advocate for girl's sports. As a basketball official, Pat held a National level rating assigned by the Division of Girls' and Women's
Sports and officiated at both high school and college level games throughout the State. She was the chairperson of the Southwest Connecticut Board of Women Officials for four years. During those years, the chairperson
was responsible for training and assigning officials, in addition to officiating games. In time, Pat was voted to the board of C.I.A.C. where she helped to coordinate girls' sports programs. Pat was the first woman
appointed to the C.I.A.C. Officials' Committee, a committee which stardardized regulations for officiating at games and state tournaments. Throughout Pat's professional career as Director of Physical Education and
Athletics at St. Mary's High School of New Haven and Director of Girls' Sports at Amity High School, her focus was always equity for girls' athletics. In 1994 the New Haven Tap0Off Club recongnized Pat's
contributions to the sport of basketball. She currently hold the position of asset manager for Prudential Resources Management in Shelton. JOAN SULLIVAN - Honorary
Joan Sullivan recently
(1991) retired from the Simsbury School System where she had been a physical education teacher and coach for 37 years. During her tenure, she had coached basketball field hockey, softball, badminton, tennis and
volleyball with convincing winning records and three State Championships, From 1955 to 1957 her basketball teams compiled 20 wins and 9 losses. As is often the case no records were kept for the earlier years. Joan held
a state honorary rating as a basketball official and officiated on the high school and college levels spanning three decades -the 50's, 60's, and 70's. She received a National Honorary rating in basketball from the
National Association for Girls and Women's Sports. She also served as Chair of the Central Connecticut Board of Officials and, as such, was involved in training and rating others for basketball officiating.
"Sully" graduated from Colby/Sawyer College receiving an Associate of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Science from Sargent College (Boston University). She also did post-graduate work at Springfield
College and Central Connecticut State University. She attended Hall High School in West Hartford. Various sports committees have consumed much of Joan's time, especially the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic
Conference (C.I.A.C.) where she served on the field hockey and eligibility committees and was regional chair for the girls' activities committee.
Sully as received numerous awards throughout her career. Among
her honors, she has been awarded Farmington Valley Coach of the Year (1974); and from the Connecticut High School Coaches Association she was awarded field hockey coach of the year (1995); tennis coach of the year
(1985) and was inducted into the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1991. In 1995, Joan was voted into the New Agenda: Northeast- Women's Hall of Fame. 'Sully" is enjoying retirement
and pursues her interests in skiing, tennis, sailing, and gardening. |
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