Bristol Hall of Fame announces new class of athletic excellence

By Manuel C. "Manny" Correira
Posted 11/8/19

The 39th Bristol Athletic Hall of Fame induction class has been announced, and according to members of the Hall of Fame Committee, this year’s group is among the most prestigious in years.

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Register to post events


If you'd like to post an event to our calendar, you can create a free account by clicking here.

Note that free accounts do not have access to our subscriber-only content.

Day pass subscribers

Are you a day pass subscriber who needs to log in? Click here to continue.


Bristol Hall of Fame announces new class of athletic excellence

Posted

The 39th Bristol Athletic Hall of Fame induction class has been announced, and according to members of the Hall of Fame Committee, this year’s group is among the most prestigious in years.

This year’s class includes 13 Mt. Hope High School athletes, and three Special Recognition inductees. They are Michael Marolla, Kerri Ferreira Giarrusso, Paul M. Castigliego Jr., Phil Wagoner, Kendra (Lanzire) Klein, Kristen (Oliver) King, Brian M. Machado, and Nichole O’Connell.

Also, Jason M. Gaynor, Kenneth Nerone, Marc Federico, Leonard Estrella, Andrew Abilheira, Michael Topazio, John Ratier, and Dennis Dobbyn.

The induction banquet will be held on Saturday, Nov. 30, at the Venus de Milo in Swansea, Mass., starting at 5 p.m. Cutoff date for tickets is Monday, Nov. 25. Tickets can be purchased from Bristol Athletic Hall of Fame Committee members Paul Vollaro or Paul Cirillo.

The Class of 2019 – Athletes

Michael Marolla -  Second team All-State in football, 1996;  1st Team All-Division in football, 1996; National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame “Golden Dozen”; Providence Journal Honor Roll, Pasquale Raiola Award, Eric W. Dober Football Scholarship, 1997. Also, Warren Athletic Hall of Fame inductee.

Kerri (Ferreira) Giarrusso – One of the most decorated athletes in Mt. Hope High School history. Multi-sport All-State selection in soccer and basketball, and All-Division in softball and track. She was a 100-point scorer in soccer and 1,000-point career scorer in basketball, and a recipient of the Athletic Council Trophy at graduation. She’s also a highly successful coach in girls’ soccer, girls’ lacrosse, and girls’ basketball. Kerri was also inducted into the RI Girls’ Soccer Coaches Assn. Hall of Fame as a player.

Paul M. Castigliego Jr. – Paul excelled in football, baseball and wrestling from a young age through high school. Three-time youth wrestling state champion and two-time New England champion. Two-time Middle School state wrestling champion, and freshmen wrestling state champion. Head coach of back-to-back middle shool baseball state championship teams, compiling an overall record of 53-17. He played all four years of high school football.

Andrew Abilheira – Football and track star at Mt. Hope High and standout on URI NCAA Division 1 track and field team. A member of several Bristol Little League and Senior League All-Star teams, and member of NCAA Division 1 All Eastern Championship team IC4A in the Weight Throw at URI, and All New England NCAA Division 1 in the weight throw. Also was a champion in several Invitational Meets representing Roger Williams University in both the weight and hammer throw. He helped coach Mt. Hope track and field and served numerous years as a volunteer, as well as Roger Williams University track as a volunteer.

Leonard Estrella    Lenny had multiple USA Wrestling state and New England placings from 1989 to 1994, and was Mt. Hope High state freshmen wrestling champion in 1994. He placed in the top five in the state tournament in 1996 and 1997, and also traveled to Germany to compete for USA Freestyle wrestling team. He’s recognized as a great team leader.

Kenneth Nerone – Ken was an outstanding baseball, basketball and football player, starting with the Bristol Little League, the Bristol Pop Warner Football League, and CYO basketball program, and continuing through his high school years. An All-Star in Little League, he later played varsity baseball, basketball, and football at the high school and received All-League and All-Star honors. He also starred in the American Legion baseball program. In 1996 as a senior, he was named to the Providence Journal 2nd team All-State as a kick returner, and in 1997, as a senior, received the prestigious Mt. Hope High School Athletic Council Award.

Marc Federico – A multi-sport standout, Marc excelled in soccer, hockey, football, baseball and golf during his youth, and later became a full-fledged star and All-Stater in golf and football in high school.  As a collegian, he qualified and played in the Region XXI Division 3 NJCAA National Championship. He qualified and played in many RIGA major championships and won many RIGA OSWGA tournaments. He’s still currently playing to a 4 handicap. He also played multiple years in the Sunset League at Cardines Field in Newport and won several softball championships in R.I. and Massachusetts. He’s also an American Men’s League two-time bowling champion.

Jason M. Gaynor – One of the finest wrestlers to come out of Mt. Hope High School. A star performer in the Bristol Wrestling Club as a youngster, he went on to become captain of the high school wrestling team for three years. Along the way, he earned All-Division and All-State wrestling honors.

Nichole O’Connell – One of the great female athletes in Mt. Hope High School history. Nichole excelled in soccer, basketball, and volleyball. She played soccer competitively from age 7 to 10 and served as a captain her senior year. In basketball, she played CYO hoops and was captain of the Huskies’ team her senior year. Nichole also was a standout in volleyball during those years. She graduated Cum Laude from URI in 2003. She was presented the American Association of University Women Scholar Athlete Award in 1997 and other significant awards in college. She also earned a Ph. D from Columbia University in 2010.

Brian M. Machado – Captain and first team All-State in football in 1996 and later recognized as the Gridiron Club Division 2 Lineman of the Year. Also earned second team All-Division honors in track and field at Mt. Hope High. He also played football at URI, as well as many years of local flag football with the Warren Warriors.

Kristen (Oliver) King – One of the most gifted gymnastics performers ever to compete at Mt. Hope High School. She placed in the top 10 among the state’s best gymnasts four years in a row and qualified for the New England Championships every year. She was an All-Stater for four consecutive years and top All-Around performer in all four events at R.I. College. She also coached at East Bay Gymnastics from 2013 to 2015.

Kendra (Lanzire) Klein - Kendra’s resume is filled with championship honors. She excelled in soccer, basketball and softball and helped the Huskies win a number of state championships along the way. She received the Raiola Award in 1997, her senior year, and was inducted into the R.I. Girls Soccer Hall of Fame in 2018. She was also the Providence Journal’s Mt. Hope nominee for Honor Roll Girl of the Year and received the Ralph Catugno Basketball Award for outstanding academic and athletic excellence. She was named All-Division and All-State in soccer and All-Division in basketball and softball.

Phil Wagoner – A hard-working and disciplined athlete, Phil excelled as a linebacker and fullback on the Mt. Hope High School football team. He was named 1997 Academic All-State. Phil also was a standout wrestler, losing only one match and finishing fourth in the R.I. State Tournament his senior year. He later walked onto the URI football team and redshirted his freshman year. Later, he decided to join the U.S. Army and enlisted in an Airborne Ranger Regiment, an elite Army direct action unit. He’s served 22 years in the military and multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. He’s a true American hero.

Special Recognition

Michael Topazio – Although he played four years of varsity basketball at Bristol High School (1967-1971), Mike gained athletic notoriety as a renowned coach in Bristol and Barrington. He coached the Mt. Hope High girls’ basketball team from 2001 to 2006, helping the team earn playoff berths a number of times. He also coached the Mt. Hope girls’ softball team during the same timeframe, earning a playoff spot each season. At Barrington High, he coached the Eagles’ boys’ team to the Division 2 title and earned Coach of the Year honors in the process. Most recently, Mike is coaching the Barrington Middle School girls’ basketball team, which he’s led to a number of division championships and state tournament finals.

John Ratier – Arguably, the greatest runner this town has produced, competing in numerous marathons, triathlons, and other road racing events, including the prestigious Boston Marathon 36 times. He’s a proud member of the Boston Marathon Quarter Century Club. He has been named USA Triathlon All American three times. He’s also been a multiple time qualifier for USA Triathlon National Championships in all distances, Long Course, Olympic, and Sprint distances. He’s a four-time qualifier for Triathlon Long Course World Championships. He’s also an Ironman World Championship finisher.

Dennis Dobbyn – Dennis made his athletic mark early on during the old Bristol Recreation Summer Basketball League, where his team won several championships during the 1960s. But, it was lacrosse which made Dennis a star. He played at Siena College and a number of other lacrosse clubs. As the starting goalie for the 2002 USA Team Stars, he helped lead the team to the Grand Masters Division Championship of the World Lacrosse Games in Perth, Australia and competed in the 2006 World Lacrosse Games in Ontario, Canada. He also coached lacrosse at La Salle Academy, Roger Williams University, and at Moses Brown, with a combined record of 259 wins and 122 losses. He’s been named Coach of the Year a number of times and is a member of the New England Lacrosse Hall of Fame, the Moses Brown Athletic Hall of Fame, and the R.I. Lacrosse Hall of Fame.

2024 by East Bay Media Group

Barrington · Bristol · East Providence · Little Compton · Portsmouth · Tiverton · Warren · Westport
Meet our staff
Mike Rego

Mike Rego has worked at East Bay Newspapers since 2001, helping the company launch The Westport Shorelines. He soon after became a Sports Editor, spending the next 10-plus years in that role before taking over as editor of The East Providence Post in February of 2012. To contact Mike about The Post or to submit information, suggest story ideas or photo opportunities, etc. in East Providence, email mrego@eastbaymediagroup.com.