The Rhode Island Track Coaches Association will hold its annual hall of fame awards banquet on Friday, April 6 at Lancelotta's in North Providence. 

This year's hall of fame inductees include former Barrington High School Bob Ainsworth and current BHS coach Mike Katz. 

Mr. Ainsworth was a longtime teacher and coach at Barrington High School and was inducted into the Barrington High School Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009. During his time with Barrington High School (from the late 1930s through the late 1960s), Mr. Ainsworth coached 22 cross-country and indoor and outdoor track teams to championship titles. He also coached basketball and golf and was the assistant football coach of the 1943 unbeaten and untied Eagles team. 

Mr. Ainsworth was the state's first full-time athletic trainer and worked as a trainer for the Boston Red Sox during spring training from 1969 to 1972. 

Mike Katz has shared his lifelong love for cross country and track with Barrington student-athletes for more than 20 years. Mr. Katz re-started the Barrington Middle School cross country program in 1997 and coached that group for four years. He also coached the middle school outdoor track team for a number of years. 

In 2001, he was named head coach of the Barrington High School boys cross country team. In the 17 years he's coached the team, the Eagles have qualified for the New England championship 13 times, including the last 10 straight years. His teams' record includes one second place finish and three third place finishes.

Mr. Katz has coached one individual state champion runner, and his Barrington squads have won nine Class B championships and three Metro Division championships.

Mr. Katz has served as the assistant coach for the boys indoor and outdoor track teams at Barrington High School for the past 10 years, and he has also held a post on the RITCA executive board. He was named RITCA Cross Country Coach of the Year in 2016. 

The class will also include Keven O'Neil (North Kingstown High School), Melissa Lipa (Mt. Pleasant High School), John Sliney (Smithfield High School), Bob Newman (Smithfield High School), Mike Greene (Classical High School), Mary Ann Jasinewski (Westerly High School) and Eric Falk (M-F Athletics).

The event starts at 6 p.m.