2017

Mike Saddow, Class of 1959

Mike Saddow participated in four sports, football, basketball, baseball and track, earning nine letters. He was a member of the 1958 and 1959 Eastern Connecticut Conference champion basketball teams. As a member of the football team, he was All-ECC in his senior year, leading ground gainer, and scored both touchdowns in Stonington High’s 12-0 victory over Westerly on Thanksgiving Day. He was also picked to play in the prestigious Nutmeg Bowl All-Star game.

He was the track team captain in his senior year, and was considered the workhorse of the team, participating in five events. He was All-ECC in the pole vault, high jump, and broad jump and All-State in the high jump and runner up in the pole vault by one inch. He also made All-New England recognition. He was a part of ECC championship track teams in 1956 and 1957, and the 1956 Class B State Champion team. He was the 1959 winner of the Tuite Cup, presented annually to the outstanding male athlete of the graduating class. He was class treasurer his freshman year, class vice president his sophomore year and on the student council his junior and senior years.

After high school he played football at the University of Connecticut as a running back, later transferring to the University of Rhode Island, where he received a bachelor’s degree. He was Administrator of the Westerly Medical Center, Manager of Price Waterhouse CPA firm, Federal and State income tax specialist, licensed by the IRS and owner of Michael P Saddow, EA Tax firm.

James Higginbotham, Class of 1962

James Higginbotham participated in football, basketball, and baseball at Stonington High School. He was the basketball team’s high scorer as a junior and senior and earned All-Eastern Connecticut Conference honors in both years. A member of the 1960 ECC champion and 1960 Connecticut Class B champion baseball team, he also earned All-ECC honors in baseball as a junior and senior. He was also a member of the 1961 ECC champion football team. He was the 1962 winner of the Tuite Cup, which is presented annually to the top male athlete in the senior class.

A Vietnam War veteran, he served with the United States Air Force from 1964-1968. He volunteered with the Pawcatuck Fire Company, and as a baseball and softball coach at the Pawcatuck Little League. He was a lineman for Northeast Utilities for 32 years.

Gwendolyn McGugan, Class of 1989

Gwendolyn McGugan participated in soccer, basketball, and softball at Stonington High School, earning 11 letters and playing in state championship games in all three sports. A member of the boys’ soccer team, she was the junior varsity co-captain as a freshman and was a member of ECC champion teams in 1987 and 1988, with the Bears making it to the state semi-finals in 1987 and the finals in 1988. A four-year starter in basketball, she earned All-ECC honors as a sophomore, junior, and senior, and helped lead the Bears to the state semi-finals in 1987 and the state finals in 1989. A co-captain in her senior year for softball, she was a member of two ECC champion teams in 1986 and 1987, with the Bears making it to the state finals in 1987. She earned All-ECC honors as a sophomore, junior, and senior, and All-State as senior.

She attended the University of Connecticut, where she played on the women’s soccer team for three years. In 1990 the Huskies were ranked first in New England and made it to the NCAA championship finals. She also played basketball for UConn in the 1991-92 season. She is the owner of the restaurants Somewhere in Time in Mystic and When Pigs Fly in Waterford.

Samuel Agnello, Class of 2003

Samuel Agnello participated in Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track at SHS, serving as captain of all three teams in his senior year. He earned All-ECC honors as a sophomore, junior, and senior, and All-State honors as a junior and senior in Cross Country, with the Bears winning the Class M championship in 2001 and the ECC championship in 2002. He was named to the Footlocker Cross Country All-Northeast team in 2001. In Outdoor Track, he earned All-ECC recognition in numerous individual and relay events, and earned All-State recognition in the 1600m and 3200m. He was the recipient of the Connecticut Association of Schools-CIAC Scholar-Athlete award as a senior. While at SHS, among his extracurricular activities, he was a member of the National Honor Society, Class Treasurer, the Pawmystonian staff, and participated in Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

He holds a B.S. in Economics from the University of Connecticut, and is a property manager and business owner.

Brittany K. Solar, Class of 2004

Brittany Solar participated in field hockey, basketball, and track at SHS, and served as captain of all three sports as a senior. She was part of four ECC championships in field hockey and earned All-ECC honorable mention and Academic All-State honors as a senior. As a member of the basketball team, she earned All-ECC honorable mention as a junior, and All-ECC, All-State, and Academic All-State honors as a senior. She scored 1,063 points and holds the school record for career 3-pointers with 100. A member of the National Honor Society, she was awarded the U.S. Marine Corps Distinguished Scholar-Athlete Award and the Presidential Award for Academic Excellence in 2004, and earned the distinction of being named a Stonington Scholar.

At Rhodes College in Memphis, she was captain of both the field hockey and basketball teams and was named the Rhodes College Student-Athlete of the Year in 2007. She was awarded the Rhodes College Kinney Service Award for HIV/AIDS Service in 2008.

She earned her medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, where she was part of the University of Texas Humanities Program, and is a pediatrician in New York City. She was part of the Mount Sinai Physician Global Health Track, designed for students interested in acquiring the competencies necessary to bring practical solutions to the health problems of underserved and neglected populations in resource poor settings worldwide, and was awarded the Mount Sinai Ramon Murphy Physician Humanitarian Award in 2015, and has served as the president of the Mount Sinai Pediatric Advocacy Program.

Laura Brustolon, Class of 2006

Laura Brustolon participated in Cross Country, Indoor Track, and Outdoor Track at SHS, serving as captain of all three sports during her senior year. As a member of the Cross Country team, she earned All-ECC recognition as a sophomore, junior, and senior and set a course record in 2005. She earned All-ECC status as a junior and senior in Outdoor Track and was named the ECC Sportsmanship award winner in 2005. She participated in the state meet for four years, qualifying for the State Open as a senior. She set a school record in the 3200m in 2006. She was also a member of the National Honor Society, the Tri-M Music Honor Society, and Student Government while at SHS.

She went on to participate in all three sports at the University of Maine and at Southern Connecticut State University. At Southern she captained all three sports while earning numerous academic and athletic awards, graduating Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Biology. Among her athletic accomplishments at Southern, she was the NE-10 Conference Cross Country Athlete of the Year in 2009, the New England 5000m indoor track champion in 2010, and she holds school and conference records in the 10K, 5K, 3K, 4x800, and Distance Medley Relay. She earned a master’s degree from Quinnipiac University, graduating with a GPA of 4.0, and is a Pathologists’ Assistant at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. She is a member of the Central Massachusetts Striders, was the 2013 New England Club Championship Marathon Champion, and has won numerous races around New England, including the John Kelley Road Race five times.

Jacquie Fernandes, Class of 2006

Jacquie Fernandes participated in soccer, basketball, and softball at SHS. As a senior she averaged over 18 points and 7 rebounds a game and helped lead the Bears to a 24-2 record and the 2006 ECC and Class M state championship in basketball. She scored 1,195 points in her career and earned All-ECC honors twice and All-State as a senior, and was also the MVP of the Westerly Community Credit Union Holiday Basketball Tournament in 2004 and 2005. She also earned All-ECC honors twice in soccer, and as a senior was named All-State in softball. She was presented with the 2006 Athletic Achievement Cup, presented annually to the top female athlete in the graduating class.

She was awarded a full scholarship to play basketball for the University of Connecticut, where she was part of teams that went 39-0 and won NCAA championships in both 2009 and 2010. She was named to the Big East academic honor roll in 2009-2010. She is currently a physical education teacher and coach at The Holton-Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland.

Joseph P. Ciriello, Jr., Contributor

Joseph Ciriello taught Physical Education and Health for nearly 30 years at SHS and coached a variety of sports. He was head coach for boys basketball for 28 years, girls tennis for 11 years, and boys tennis for four years. He also served as assistant coach for girls tennis for 13 years and boys tennis for six years, as well as spending a year coaching baseball, and he continues to work with SHS student-athletes as a volunteer. He was a part of 27 ECC titles during his time coaching at SHS, and coached four Connecticut High Schools Coaches Association all-star basketball games. He taught Health, Physical Education, Exercise Physiology, and Life Skills during his tenure, and was the Co-chair of Curriculum Revision Committee. He represented the school district on the Connecticut Association of Health and Physical Education Administrators. He was recognized for his work on the Legislative Action Committee for Outstanding Service in Health and Physical Education.

A native of Waterbury, he is a member of the Waterbury Boys Club Hall of Fame. He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees from Central Connecticut State University, where he was a member of the basketball team. He is a long-time member of the Town of Stonington Recreation Commission.

Team – 1980 Girls Basketball

The 1980 Girls Basketball team were Eastern Connecticut Conference and Connecticut Class M State Champions. Under the leadership of Head Coach Paulla Solar, Assistant Coach Bill Horne, and captains Vianna McGugan and Lisa Mellow, they were undefeated in ECC play and had an overall regular season record of 19-0. In the Class M state tournament, they defeated Jonathan Law of Milford, St. Joseph’s of Trumbull, and North Branford on the way to the state finals, where they defeated Masuk of Monroe in overtime to complete an undefeated season as state champions.

The members of the team were seniors Joyce Howard, Diane Laing, Vianna McGugan, Lisa Mellow, Donna O’Leary, and Suzan Young; juniors Laura Findeisen, Lori Kluttz, Heather McGugan, and Marlissa Smith; and sophomores Wendy McGugan and Heather Woodbury. Team Manager was senior Alice Oliverio.