13th annual PHS Hall of Fame Awards Dinner set for Nov. 17
PRINCETON >> The 13th Annual Princeton High School Athletic Hall of Fame class is not only talented, it’s eclectic.
The eight-person class features representatives from eight different sports in four different eras, and also recognizes journalism excellence with its contributor award.
The PHS Hall of Fame Awards Dinner & Banquet will take place at Mercer Oaks Country Club in West Windsor on Nov. 17 from 6 to 10 p.m. Tickets are $55 and all proceeds go towards scholarships for current Princeton High School student-athletes.
To purchase a ticket, place an ad in the program or contribute to the scholarship fund, contact Bob James at (609) 9210946 or email the Hall of Fame Committee at princetonhighhof@gmail.com.
This year’s inductees are Chris Cahill (Class of 1978), Sue Lofgren (1985), Kesti Ringland (1990), Chris Hoeland (2005), Libby Bliss (2007), Sam Kotowski (2009), the boys’ golf team of 2005-08 and special contributor Bob Nuse.
Cahill was All-State in lacrosse and All-County in football, and played during a golden era of boys’ lacrosse at Princeton. Along with fellow Hall-ofFamer John Morris and Bobby Campbell, Cahill helped the Little Tigers reach the state’s final four twice in three seasons.
Lofgren was a three-sport threat and performed well in and out of the water. She was a key member of Princeton’s state championship teams in field hockey in 1984 and girls’ lacrosse in 1985. Her biggest Libby Bliss, Class of 2007
impact came as a diver, a sport in which she won the Mercer County and NJSIAA Division B championships as well as finishing fourth overall in the state.
A six-time Mercer County sprint champion in winter & spring track & field; Ringland won the county title in the 55 meters twice during the indoor season, while claiming the 100 and 200 crowns two times apiece in the outdoor season. She was named All-County, AllArea and Athlete of the Season by area papers.
In becoming the first Little Tiger tennis player to win 100 career matches, Hoeland ran roughshod over county competition. He won four individual Mercer County Tournament singles titles and lost just once to a Mercer opponent during his career. He was a fourtime first-team All-CVC selection and a member of the 2002 Group III state championship team.
Bliss was one of the premier middle distance runners in PHS history, setting the school and CVC records in the 800 meters while capturing the Group III state title in ‘06. She was also a two-time sectional champion and three-time Mercer County Champion who captained the cross country, winter and spring track teams over the course of five different seasons.
One of Cranbury’s many contributions to the boys’ soccer program, Kotowski was named Mercer County’s Player of the Year in 2008 when he led the state in goals and set PHS season and career scoring records. In helping the Little Tigers to two MCT crowns and two Central Jersey Group III championships, Kotowski earned AllCounty, All-Area, All-State and All-East Region honors.
Over a four-year span starting in the spring of 2005, the golf program went an incredible 71-0 in CVC play, winning an MCT crown and two sectional championships while reaching three straight Tournament of Champions from 200608. Princeton won consecutive Group III titles in 2007-08.
In an impressive run of longevity and talent, Nuse has covered all but one of this year’s Hall of Famers as he started with the Princeton Packet weekly newspaper in 1985 and has been its Sports Editor for the past several decades. Nuse has wrote countless articles on PHS athletes and games during that time. What makes him stand out is his ability to document struggling teams and successful teams in the same positive manner, turning tiny nuggets of information into interesting, entertaining stories. Nuse is a former high school tennis writer for The Trentonian, and is also a member of the New Jersey Lacrosse Hall of Fame.