The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Middletown Hall of Fame Class of 2023 announced
The Middletown Sports Hall of Fame will fete former athletes, coaches, a special volunteer and a longtime sports editor among its new 13-member class on April 23 at the Elks Crystal Ballroom.
Those elected to the Class of 2023, the 29th group to be honored by the hall since its launch in 1994, in alphabetical order:
Tony Bostick: A twosport star at Woodrow Wilson High School in the 1970s, Bostick rushed for a then-record 1,324 yards in a season for the Wildcats in 1976 and went on to play for American International College.
Ashley Etheridge: Etheridge was an All-State basketball player in each of her four years at Mercy, leading the Tigers in scoring and rebounding. She scored 1,400 points and went on to strong career at Providence College, where she was a regular in the rotation for three seasons.
Tony Franco: Franco was an all-conference pitcher at Xavier in the mid-1980s and went on to play for four years at the University of Hartford. His 30-year coaching career has come full circle as he enters his 10th season on Xavier’s coaching staff.
David Gallitto: Gallitto was a four-year football letterman at Woodrow Wilson and defensive captain. As a student leader, he initiated a petition for Wilson to start a golf program, which attained varsity status his senior year in 1975. Gallitto also led the charge in organizing and launching the Prof Gallitto Youth Basketball League for boys and girls in the city. He is the current president of the Middletown Sports Hall of Fame.
Jeff Gould: Gould was a baseball and football standout at Woodrow Wilson in the 1970s. He pitched and played the outfield for the Wildcats, hit .400 twice and was an all-conference selection all four years. Gould went on to have two outstanding seasons at Middlesex Community College and was one of three state players to participate in the All New England regional tournament.
John Greco: A familiar face on the Middletown athletics scene, Greco is known for his volunteerism and generosity. The
1951 Woodrow Wilson graduate was a longtime volunteer assistant in the city’s Little League, Ahern Whalen and high school baseball programs. Each year, the MHS Booster Club awards a sports scholarship in his name. For decades, Greco volunteered working at MHS’ outdoor concession stand, which was later named “Greco’s Grill at the Dragons Den” in his honor. Greco received a Good Sport Award from the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance in 2016.
John Hastings: A standout runner at Greenwich High School, Hastings continued in both cross country and indoor/outdoor track at Wesleyan University from 1967-71. He specialized in the mile and 800 meters. Hastings has been involved as a coach over the years at Wesleyan and Mercy High School and is still active as a coach in Durham.
Whitney Holder: Holder was a track and field star at Middletown High and became a Big East long jump champion at UConn. At MHS, she was an All-State performer in the 100 meters, 200 meters, long jump and on the 4x100 relay team. Holder won state titles in the 200 and long jump and stills holds MHS records in the 200 and long jump.
Megan Nelson Keane: Nelson Keane was an All-State performer in soccer and softball at Middletown High. At Amherst College, she was a four-year starter on the softball team, primarily
as a catcher. Nelson Keane was a four-year All-NESCAC pick and had a stellar senior season, batting .389 with 14 doubles, two home runs, 19 runs scored and 17 RBIs.
Lorenzo T. Marshall Jr.: Marshall was an all-around athlete at Middletown High from 19972001, but his greatest success came on the football field. He was an all-conference running back in his junior and senior seasons and had a four-year career at Division II Bentley College, where he averaged 5.3 yards per carry, second all-time on the career list. After graduation, he had a long semi-pro career in Boston.
Jeff Otterbein: Otterbein, who grew up in Portland and graduated from Xavier in 1972, spent 27 years as sports editor of the Hartford Courant. As the department grew under his leadership in the 1980s and ‘90s, the Courant was considered one of the top sports sections in the nation, winning the Triple Crown (Associated Press Top Daily Section, Sunday Section and Special Section) for four consecutive years. Otterbein also was a strong advocate for coverage of women’s basketball and girls high school sports.
Shawn Smith: Smith was a three-year starter for the Vinal Tech/Coginchaug co-op and was the program’s first 1,000yard rusher (1,172 in 2001, with nine touchdowns). He rushed for 245 yards in a game against Rocky Hill and capped his season with an All-Nutmeg League selection. Smith walked on at Holy Cross, where he played for two seasons.
John Waz (posthumously): Waz captained the undefeated 1948 Woodrow Wilson High football team that won the Class B state championship. After becoming the first Wilson athlete named to the New Haven Register Al-State Team, Waz joined the United States Army and served in the Korean War as a Sergeant First Class. He died in 1988.
The teams to be inducted in April were previously announced: the state champion Middletown High track and field teams of 1998, 1999 and 2000, and the Jack’s Lunch Speed Girls basketball squads between 1933 and 1937.
The ceremony on April 23 begins with a noon social hour, inductions at 1 p.m. and a meal to follow. Ticket information will be available soon.
‘Surreal’ draft moment for D’Aquila
When we last spoke, Izzy D’Aquila was a bright-eyed 17-yearold eager to begin her collegiate soccer career at Santa Clara University. While on this family visit to Middletown in the spring of 2018, she also was quick to mention her dream playing in the pros.
That day arrived on Jan. 12 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. After an All-American career with Division I Santa Clara, D’Aquila was selected by the Portland (Oregon) Thorns with the 12th overall pick in the National Women’s Soccer League draft.
The occasion was especially joyous for her grandparents, longtime Middletown residents
Tom and Margaret D’Aquila. The entire clan — aunts, uncles and cousins, too — have followed Izzy’s career online religiously. D’Aquila attended the draft with her parents and sister Mia.
“To be with my family when I heard my name called was a surreal moment,” she said. “It was just very exciting to be there and experience the moment when it all came true. It was everything I was hoping for. I’ve known for a long time that I wanted to play pro soccer.”
Her father, Tom, won a state championship with the Middletown High baseball program and later played in the Baltimore Orioles’ minor league system. Tom had a lot of local support back then and his daughter felt the same as she scored goal after goal during her decorated career at Santa Clara.
“Even just as a youth player, I felt my grandparents and the town of Middletown supporting me. My dad passed that on to me,” Izzy said. “They make sure that I know how proud they are of me.”
An elite forward, D’Aquila finished her senior season tied for second in Division I with 19 goals was named Second Team All-America. She was the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year in 2019 and a three-time First Team All-WCC pick. And she’ll never forget scoring the clinching goal in a shootout against Florida State to win the NCAA championship in May 2021.
“My dad and my mom instilled in me a very competitive nature,” D’Aquila said. “When I
first thought about wanting to play pro, my dad just kind of wanted me to know how much work really goes into it, to get to this point to be one of the best players. He always told me to enjoy the moment because of how fast the time goes by. ‘Be humble, put your head down, go to work.’ Now, as a rookie, to remember that you have to earn your place, earn your minutes on the field and stay humble through the process.”
The NWSL season kicks off on March 25.
This and that
• Middletown’s Jada Bryant will go on to study nursing and play basketball at Division II American International College. Bryant mans the middle for the 9-7 Blue Dragons and averages 7.2 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
• Retired Wesleyan men’s ice hockey coach David “Duke” Snyder will receive the NESCAC’s John “Snooks” Kelley Founders Award in April. The award is named for the famed Boston College coach and honors those in the coaching profession who have contributed to the sport’s overall growth and development. Snyder coached at Wesleyan beginning with the program’s first varsity season in 1971-72 and won 270 games in 32 years.
• Coginchaug is expected to name a new head football coach later this week. The Blue Devils, who partner with Hale-Ray and East Hampton in the Pequot Conference, are replacing Mike Eagle, who stepped down after a 1-9 season.