2015 Inductee Biographies

On Saturday November 21, 2015 the East Longmeadow High School Athletic Hall of Fame inducted 10 nominees and a team. The celebration was held at the Chez Josef Banquet Hall on Shoemaker Road in Agawam Mass and was attended by more than 200 people.

Jen Bixby (2005) was a 4 year varsity Softball player, 4 year All-League, 4 year team MVP, and a 3 year All Western Mass selection. She pitched 3 career no-hitters and had numerous 1 hit games. Jen earned Channel 22 athlete of the week, and held school records for most strikeouts in a season (211), most strikeouts in a career (756), most wins in a season (17) and most wins in a career (54).She was a .410 career batter, and captained her team in her senior year. She went on to graduate from Westfield State University with a Bachelors degree in Social Work. Jen is currently the community support coordinator at Community Enterprises Inc. where she works with deaf and hard of hearing individuals.

Kara Budd (2005) is the all-time leading scorer in ELHS Track and Field history. Totaling well over 1000 career points. She earned All-Western Mass, All-State and All-New England honors in both indoor and outdoor track and field. Kara was nationally ranked in at least 6 events, and graduated with school records and Western Mass titles in all sprinting events, as well as the 300M hurdles, high jump, long jump and triple jump. She earned multiple State titles including the 55M dash, triple jump, 4 x 200 relay, and 200M dash. Kara concluded her high school career with a New England Champion title in the triple jump. Kara was also a member of the 2002 State Championship Soccer team. She received a full scholarship to UCONN where she continued setting records and competing for national titles. Many of her records remain on the books today.

Elizabeth Cleavall (1992) was a two sport athlete, participating in swimming and softball. She was selected All Western Mass all four years in swimming. Liz served as team captain her sophomore, junior and senior years. She held four school records, including a 13 year old record in the 500 yard freestyle in her junior year, previously held by hall of famer Karen Wiezbicki. That year she also broke the record for the 100 yd butterfly. She was part of the record-breaking relay teams in both the 200 and 400 yd freestyle. Liz also played varsity softball in her sophomore, junior and senior years. Elizabeth graduated from Providence College with a bachelors degree in Psychology. Upon graduation she moved to Seattle and then to San Diego. Liz taught 6^th and 7^th grade in Albuquerque NM and obtained her Masters Degree in Education with a school adjustment counselor/social worker certification. For the past 9 years she has worked in the Springfield school system Alternative Public Day Elementary program helping at risk youth with trauma based behavioral issues and helping students stay safe so they can enhance their learning capabilities in the classroom.

Mark Dutille (1983) was a three-sport athlete and captained each sport during his senior year. Overall he earned ten varsity letters in soccer, swimming and diving and track and field. A three-time all Western Mass selection in swimming, Mark was one of three East Longmeadow divers that swept the Western Mass tournament back to back in his junior and senior years. He was awarded the most valuable Western Mass swimmer award in his senior year. Mark was selected to the All Western Mass 2^nd team for track and field, participating in nearly all of the running and jumping events. In soccer, he started in mid-field on the 1981 Div. I Western Mass championship soccer team. In his senior year he was selected to the soccer All Star 2^nd team, and was elected as team MVP. Mark attended the University of Vermont where he played soccer and ran track. He continued his involvement in athletics as a sports medicine physician locally at New England Orthopedics. He is often on the ELHS sidelines with his wife Beth, watching daughter Victoria play soccer, and son Ryan in track and football.

Paul Dutille (1985) was a three-sport athlete participating in soccer, swimming and track and field. He lettered in soccer three years and was captain of the team his senior year. Paul lettered all four years in both swimming and track and field and captained both teams in his junior and senior years. He competed in diving, 100 yard back and 100 yard butterfly, breaking the butterfly record with a time of 52.1 sec. In track, Paul competed in the pole vault, hurdles and relays. He placed fourth in Western Mass in the pole vault and was Western Mass champion in the 300 low hurdles, breaking the record with a time of 41.3 sec. He graduated from Navy Flight School and went on to become a search and rescue helicopter pilot. He lives in Lexington KY where he transferred his leadership skills that were fostered on the fields of ELHS to entrepreneurship. He and his wife April operate a network of six clothing stores. They have three children, August, Lula and Sabina.

Erika Graham (2004) was a two-time All Western Mass selection in both track and field and field hockey. She was a Western Mass Champion in 4x200m relay and 2 time pole vault champion. Erika was also a two-time State champion in the 4x200m relay and State record holder and champion in the 4x50. She came in 3^rd at the States in pole vault. Erika was a 2 time New England qualifier and finished 4^th at New England in the pole vault. She was class treasurer and Valedictorian and held school records in pole vault, long jump, 4x50, 4x100 and 4x200 relays. She captained both the field hockey and track teams during her senior year. Erika led her outdoor track team to its best finish ever (6^th at the States) and also led her field hockey team to the Western Mass finals in both 2003 and 2004. She continued her pole vaulting against Division I rivals while at Dartmouth College where she logged a personal best of 12 feet and placed in the 2007 Ivy League Heptagonal Championships.

Lukas Jaroszcwicz (2002) was a three-sport athlete, participating in soccer, track and field and swimming. He was a three-time selection to the first team All-State soccer during his sophomore, junior and senior years. He was an integral part of the 1999 – 2000 undefeated soccer team which won the Western Mass tournament and went on to the State semi-finals that year. The soccer team regained the Western Mass championship the following year and qualified for the State finals. Luke was also a four-year track and field participant, excelling in both the 800 meter and 1 mile events. He was also a member of the swim team his senior year. He continued his soccer career at the College of the Holy Cross.

Vincent Levesque (2005) was a 4-year varsity hockey player, serving as captain his senior year and earning team MVP. He was the first EL player in the Berry division to score 100 career points, including over 50 points during his senior year, which included scoring 7 points in a pivotal game against West Springfield. Vincent was a first team All Western Mass, and was selected as a McDonald’s scholar/athlete and was also Channel 22’s athlete of the week. In lacrosse, Vincent was All Western Mass and a 3-time All Valley League selection. He scored over 100 goals, including 7 in a single game against West Springfield while setting a school record for most goals in a single season. Vincent was also selected to the Republican’s All Scholastic team. He continued his lacrosse career at St Michael’s College on an academic scholarship (St. Michael’s College Scholarship and Service Book Award). He graduated cum laude from St Michael’s College and magna cum laude from Boston University School of Medicine. Vincent is a medical physicist in radiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where he now resides.

Kevin MacLeod (2005) was a 3-time All Western Mass selection in track. He was Western mass champion in the 300m hurdles, 110m hurdles and 4x400 meter relay. In 2005 he led the Spartans to an undefeated regular season. He finished his senior year as the state and New England champion in the 300m hurdles and finished 13^th and 14^th respectively in the 110m hurdles and the 300m hurdles at the Nike Outdoor Nationals. While at East Longmeadow he broke school records in the 110m hurdles, 300m hurdles, 400m hurdles, 100m, 4x100 relay, 4x400 relay, shuttle hurdle relay and set a Western Mass record in the 4x400 relay. In his senior year Kevin was also a captain of the football team. He played 2 years as the Spartans quarterback, free safety and kick returner. He was elected All-Western Mass both years and selected to the Western Mass Football All-Academic team his senior year. During that time the Spartans were 18-5 and beat Longmeadow for the first time in 8yrs. Kevin went on to Bucknell University to continue his track career. At Bucknell he broke school records in the 60m hurdles, 400m hurdles, 4x400 relay, sprint medley relay, and was a 2-time Patriot League Champion in the 400m hurdles. He was awarded the Alvin F. Jackson Memorial Scholar-Athlete Award presented for outstanding academic and athletic achievement and future promise as a Bucknell alumni.

Jonathan Thorpe (2004) was a four-year football player. During his sophomore year he was the leading rusher in Western Mass. As a junior Jonathan set the single season scoring record in Western Mass. He was the recipient of the Norman S. Dagenais award as All Western Mass MVP. As a senior he was team captain of the League Championship team. Jonathan was the All Western Mass Regional MVP, where he amassed 2130 yards, 29 td’s and 180 points. Jonathan had six 200 yard games. He and his teammates were the Super Bowl runners-up. He was the winner of the Bertelli award in his senior year. He obtained his undergraduate degree in criminal justice and his masters in forensic psychology at AIC. He currently lives and works with at risk children in Kailua Oahu Hawaii.

Class of 1972-1973 Football Team

Undefeated Western Mass Champions

1^st row: Chris White, Paul Votze, Fred Bailey, Gary Kane, Larry Bean, George Sakakeeny, Bob Dobias, John Muscalo, Ron Doe, Paul Nuzzolilli, Steve Marra, Joe McDyer, David Lorenzi. 2^nd Row: Dave Tranghese, Bob Branchini, Mike Mineo, Pete Chipouras, Ken Plumb, Art Murphy, Dave McDyer, Brian Gray, Tom Creighton, Warren Simonds, Don O’Neill, Peter Jacobson. 3^rd Row: Coach Modzelewski, Coach Dobias, Roy Bishop, Tom Bradstreet, Jim Dunn, Bruce Minnette, Joe Marino, Vinney Villamaino, Rand Willard, Mike Lussier, Alan Wenk, Al Hammond, Dave LeBarge, Ed Kulik, Greg Spaulding.

Absent Coaches: Dale, York, Dutille, Athletes: James Dunn, Mark Lyman, Joe Mercieri