2022 Lawrence Academy Athletic Hall of Fame - Induction Program

ATHLETICS AT LA

Athletics at Lawrence Academy have come a long way since James Lawrence donated the first gymnasium equipment in 1878. Used by both boys and girls, the gym — which also served as a study hall, theatre, and faculty meeting space — featured horizontal bars, dumbbells, Indian clubs, and the like. There were no fields until 1900, when Shumway Field opened, so outdoor “sports” were limited to walking and running. There was, however, a tennis court, which the Student Aid of June 1889 called “one of the pleasant features connected with our school.”

Football had been played informally since around 1880, though the principal, Mr. Ball, quickly banned it because of the destruction it wrought on the lawns (he proposed croquet in its place!). With a new field created in 1901, however, the sport caught on quickly. Out of a total school enrollment of 28 boys, 13 were on the team during that first season. Baseball thrived in those days as well, and basketball became a team sport within a few years. The modern era of LA athletics really began with the arrival of young Norman Grant in 1929. He added lacrosse as a varsity sport, and in 1940, the school started construction of the Spaulding-Stearns Athletic Fields. By the end of that decade, the Fred C. Gray Building opened, providing the Academy’s first dedicated athletic facility. It included squash courts and a wrestling room; LA added the latter sport in 1950. The athletic program expanded again with the return to coeducation in 1971 ’72, and the construction of the Stone Athletic Center in 1993 provided up-to-date facilities for both boys and girls. The Academy’s first year in the Independent School League, 1976, saw undefeated football and cross-country teams; the football team shared the ISL championship. That winter, moreover, the boys’ varsity hockey team won the ISL Keller Division title.

Lawrence’s athletes in 1976 ushered in a new level of competition and recognition. Since that time, Lawrence Academy has celebrated numerous boys’ and girls’ championship teams in the ISL and the New England Division. In addition, many individual athletes have aspired to achieve greatness beyond their days at LA, in collegiate sports and with national teams, both as amateurs and professionals.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

Kevin Potter, P’13, ’15, athletic director, co-chair

Geoff Harlan, P’16, ’18, alumni leadership advancement officer, co-chair

Rob Moore, P’04, ’06, ’09, associate head of school

Caroline Heatley, assistant athletic director

Rich Johnson ’74, master of ceremonies

Sean Sheehan ’87, P’22, ’24, director of college counseling

Donna Mastrangelo, P’15, ’18, faculty

Paul Husted ’64, alumni council member

Carolyn Balas-Zaleski ’84, P’17, president of the alumni council

Jo-Ann Lovejoy, P’06, ’08, ’10, chief advancement officer

Many thanks to the following members of the LA community who worked hard to establish, produce, and facilitate Lawrence Academy’s Athletic Hall of Fame:

Dan Scheibe, P’23, ’24, head of school

Dick Jeffers, P’84, ’86, Jeffers Heritage Center

Caitlin O’Brien, P’26, director of advancement communications and operations

Pru Glover, program manager for alumni advancement and trustees

John Bishop, director of communications

Jonny Gotlib, assistant director of communications

Dale Cunningham, P’13, assistant director of communications

Zach Dawson, visual arts, technical theatre director

Bob Kramer, assistant head of school for finance and operations

Mike Poulin, P’18, ’21, equipment manager, strength & conditioning

Kym Winter, assistant equipment manager

ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY

O RDER OF P ROGRAM

LA Athletics: A Journey Through Time Opening Remarks

Dan Scheibe, P’23, ’24, head of school

Welcome

Master of Ceremonies

Richard Johnson ’74 curator for The Sports Museum, Boston, Mass.

Facilitators and Presenters

Tom Fahey ’74

Charlie Corey, P’17, ’20, former faculty Ron Beran ’85 Rob Rand, former faculty

Donna Mastrangelo, P’15, ’18, faculty

Sarah McCaigue, former faculty Beth Frissora ’95

Honoring Ben Lord ’75

Kyle McDonough ’85 Kim Knox ’95

The 1994 Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team

Donna Bibbo Mastrangelo P’15, 18

Closing Remarks

Richard Johnson ’74

2022 INDUCTEE

BEN LORD CLASS OF 1975

F OOTBALL / H OCKEY / L ACROSSE

Lawrence Academy’s storied boys’ hockey program stands on the shoulders of those who have come before and back in 1971, Ben Lord was the catalyst to building the program into one of the premier prep hockey programs in New England. While Ben also excelled at football and lacrosse during his career at LA, the impact he had each of his four years as a varsity hockey player is what distinguishes Ben’s contributions and achievements as a three-sport athlete. Freshmen, as a rule, were excluded from playing varsity sports at LA, but upon watching Ben go through drills and training as a freshman, no one was surprised or complained when he made the varsity team. Ben finished the season as the fourth leading scorer on the team. In his sophomore season, the hockey team finished with a 13-5 record and Ben led the team in goals and points. In his junior season, Ben was pivotal in helping to raise the level of awareness and notoriety for the hockey program by leading the team to a 5-4 overtime win over the undefeated public-school state championship team Acton-Boxborough. In his senior year, Ben was Captain and led the team for a third consecutive year in goals and points. The team finished with an 18-3 record posting significant wins over Belmont Hill, Milton, Thayer, and St. Sebastien’s and their lone ISL loss was to Nobles. In the following year, LA’s first official year in the league, the team won the ISL championship.

In his senior year, Ben led the football, hockey, and lacrosse teams in scoring. Ben rushed for over 900 yards as the starting running back in his senior season, which is an impressive feat considering the team played just seven games. Mr. Gagne, the LA lacrosse coach at the time, said that Ben was the best face-off player he had ever coached or seen. Ben earned a full scholarship to attend the University of Vermont for hockey, where he played in 104 games making key contributions and was the Unsung Hero recipient his senior year.

Former LA teammate, Tom Fahey ’74, shared: “In my view, Ben Lord was the first hockey player of the modern ISL era to play at Lawrence and he was pivotal in launching the program to the prestigious level it has attained.”

With respect and admiration, we pay tribute to Ben Lord and welcome him into the Lawrence Academy Athletic Hall of Fame.

S OCCER / H OCKEY G OLF / B ASEBALL

2022 INDUCTEE KYLE MCDONOUGH CLASS OF 1985

Over the course of his two years on the elm tree–shaded hillside, Kyle showcased his impressive talent and skills as a hockey player, but he also consistently demonstrated exceptional all-around athleticism and team leadership skills during his time on the soccer, golf, and baseball teams. As the hockey team’s leading scorer both years, Kyle’s play earned him ISL All-League recognition in his junior and senior year, as well as 1st Team All-New England honors in his senior year.

“No one ever worked harder on and off the ice to be the best player, teammate, and person he could be than Kyle!” says former Spartans hockey coach Charlie Corey. “In my 30-plus years of coaching, I never coached a player with such an ability to inspire everyone he played with to work harder.”

Kyle’s exceptional abilities earned him an athletic scholarship to the University of Vermont, where he was a three-time ECAC All-Star and a 1st Team All-American in his senior year. He led the Catamounts in both goals and points in three of his four seasons and was twice elected as the team’s MVP by his teammates. Kyle graduated fourth in career scoring at UVM, with 163 points in 131 games, and his 87 goals placed him third in the school’s all-time rankings. He was inducted into the UVM Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999, and in 2003, Kyle was inducted into the New Hampshire Hockey Hall of Fame, which honors the hockey legends who hail from the state. Following his stellar career at UVM, Kyle played 13 years of professional hockey throughout Europe, on teams from Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Scotland. While playing in Norway, he led the league in scoring and was voted MVP four times.

After his professional career ended, Kyle returned to his hometown, Manchester, N.H. He is a history teacher at the city’s Memorial High School, like his father and grandfather before him. Two of Kyle’s Lawrence Academy teammates shared remarks on Kyle’s behalf: “Kyle was a tremendous athlete and fierce competitor,” says Neil Menard ’85. “Whether on the ice, soccer field, or golf course, Kyle gave 110 percent. As important as sports were to Kyle, he was an incredibly loyal friend. His commitment to his friends speaks to his character and has forged lifelong relationships.”

Adds Ron Beran ’85, “Kyle has the special gift of making his teammates and people around him better. As a hockey player, Kyle was fiercely competitive, skilled, tenacious, scrappy, and relentless. Kyle was the player that took the program to the next level and solidified LA as a hockey powerhouse in New England prep hockey.”

With respect and admiration, we salute Kyle McDonough and welcome him into the Lawrence Academy Athletic Hall of Fame.

2022 INDUCTEE

KIM KNOX CLASS OF 1995

S OCCER / I CE H OCKEY / S OFTBALL

Kim Knox and championships go hand in hand. Upon entering Lawrence Academy as a junior, Kim made an immediate impact on all three of the varsity teams on which she played: soccer, ice hockey, and softball.

During Kim’s first year at LA, the varsity girls’ soccer and varsity girls’ ice hockey teams played in the NEPSAC Championships, both finishing second, and the girls’ varsity softball team won the AISGA Championship. In her senior year, she improved on her already stellar junior-year performances, becoming a key contributor to not only the first team in the history of the Spartans girls’ soccer program to win both the AISGA and NEPSAC Championships, but also to a girls’ varsity ice hockey team that won both the ISL and NEPSAC Championships and a girls’ varsity softball team that repeated as AISGA champions. Although she played only two seasons of each sport, Kim finished among the top five in program history in points or runs for each team; during her senior ice hockey season, she led the team in points (102). Kim was also a two-time first-team All-ISL performer in both ice hockey and softball.

At the University of New Hampshire, Kim contributed on the ECAC Championship–winning women’s ice hockey team as a freshman and followed with a second-place finish as a sophomore. She served as a team captain during both her junior and senior years; when Kim was a junior, the team won the inaugural AWCHA National Championship, and during her senior year, they again placed second. Throughout Kim’s four years at UNH, the team had a combined 101-26-13 record, the highest four-year winning percentage of any collegiate U.S. women’s hockey team during that time (1995-1999). She and her 1998 teammates were inducted into the UNH Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.

Kim has remained an active, engaged soccer and hockey coach since college, passing along the passion and skill development that made her one of the most accomplished female athletes in Lawrence Academy history. In 2015, she coached the Massachusetts Spitfires hockey team to a national championship. Now living in Littleton, Kim also serves as team lead at her family’s Knox Real Estate Group.

With respect and admiration, we salute Kim Knox and welcome her into the Lawrence Academy Athletic Hall of Fame.

2022 INDUCTEES

THE 1994 GIRLS’ VARSITY SOCCER TEAM

Not only was the 1994 Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team the first team in the history of the Lawrence Academy girls’ soccer program to win both the AISGA and NEPSAC Championships, they were the first team (female or male) in school history to bring home a New England Championship.

Being the first, this dedicated and determined team set the standard for all LA future squads to be measured against. This team distinguished themselves not only by their championships and overall win-loss record (16-3-2), but also by demonstrating the true meaning of the “we” concept and through their remarkable camaraderie and character.

The team was composed of 11 seniors, six juniors, three sophomores, and one freshman, several of whom were returning players. Throughout their season, they together tallied 68 goals while only allowing 22 goals to be scored against them; of those goals scored, 38 occurred via an assist — evidence of high-quality passing and a commitment to unselfish team play. Co-captains Val Chaney and Beth Frissora provided steadfast leadership, while repeating ISL All-League players Laurie Baker (72 points in her two-year career) and Tasha Taiste (first prep school female athlete to be selected to the Massachusetts All State team), as well as Kim Knox (46 points) and Kristi Laggis (30 points), added exceptional skill and talent to the ranks. As with most great teams, however, they would not have achieved what they did without an incredible backstop, which sophomore Tori Wellington certainly provided: she faced 177 shots and allowed only 22 to find the net, finishing with a season average of one goal allowed per game. Notably, soccer was not the primary sport for many of this team’s members. Laurie Baker (ice hockey), Tori Wellington (lacrosse), Kim Knox (ice hockey), Kristi Laggis (basketball), and Kerstin Matthews (ice hockey) all seriously pursued other athletic interests at LA and beyond. The 1994 Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team would not have achieved the same level of play and performance without the guidance, inspiration, and preparation of coaches Donna Bibbo and Peter Hazzard. Coach Bibbo specifically taught the team to be fearless, challenge one another, embrace each other, and rely on each other while modeling tenacity, loyalty, competitiveness, dedication, respect, and how to raise and hold a standard of excellence across all aspects of their lives. While Donna and Peter have profoundly affected the lives of numerous students throughout their careers, they will forever cherish the fond memories they forged with this incredible team. With respect and admiration, we pay tribute to each member of the 1994 girls’ varsity soccer team, honor the legacy of their incredible success, and welcome them into the Lawrence Academy Athletic Hall of Fame.

2022 INDUCTEE

DONNA BIBBO MASTRANGELO P’15, ’18 COACH S OCCER / B ASKETBALL

Master coach — La Maestra de los Maestros. Donna Bibbo Mastrangelo’s life, athletics and academics have intertwined and been woven into the vibrant, colorful fabric of her being. She’s mastered the art of both coaching and teaching during a 37-year career, during which she has been steadfastly dedicated and devoted to being the most inspirational educator she can be.

As a tri-sport captain in soccer, basketball, and track at Wellesley Senior High School, Donna was instrumental in leading her soccer and basketball teams to several Massachusetts State Tournaments. She earned multiple Bay State All-Star selections while also setting records in the 50- and 220-yard dashes, and she was named Wellesley Female Athlete of the Year as a senior. Among Donna’s myriad childhood sporting accolades is her spot as one of 12 basketball players — selected from 175 candidates — on the first New England AAU Junior Olympic Team.

A highly recruited student-athlete, Donna attended Bowdoin College, where she was a four-year starter in both soccer and basketball while pursuing a double major in sociology and Spanish. Her talent and leadership were recognized over and over: She was team captain, an All-New England selection, and a captain in the New England All-Star Game; won Northeast Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NIAC) Championships in soccer; and placed as a NIAC Championships finalist in basketball. Donna was a Dean’s List student, spent the spring term of her junior year studying abroad at the University of Madrid, and received the Society of Bowdoin Women Athletic Award, in recognition of her sportsmanship, effort, and teamwork, at graduation.

After her college graduation in 1985, Donna took her first job — and, as it turned out, her only job — as a Lawrence Academy Spanish teacher and three-sport assistant coach (soccer, basketball, and softball). Within one year, she took over as girls’ basketball head coach; two years later, she moved on from assisting with the softball program and also became the girls’ soccer head coach. LA’s girls’ athletics programs only began in 1972; therefore, Donna unquestionably is responsible for the teams’ prowess and success. Tasked with building two high-profile programs, she accomplished that lofty endeavor in impressive fashion.

Donna knew attracting gifted student-athletes was critical, so she honed her coaching skills by coaching at both the youth and varsity levels and at summer camps in both sports for more than twenty years. It’s a testament to her mastery as a coach and recruiter that seven of her former

players are already in the LA Athletic Hall of Fame: a two-time Olympian, several NCAA National Champions and NEPSAC All-Stars, multiple 1,000-point scorers, and countless collegiate student-athletes. Donna also coached the 1994 girls’ varsity soccer team — the first team in the history of LA athletics to win a New England Championship, also 2022 LA Athletic Hall of Fame inductees.

Donna’s basketball teams have been Holiday Tournament champions and undefeated ISL champions, and her soccer and basketball teams have been both AISGA and NEPSAC champions. Her experience, expertise, and passion for advocating for girls’ athletics has led her to a spot on the NEPSAC Basketball All-Star and NEPSAC Class B Tournament committees, and to her role as ISL girls’ basketball secretary. Always giving of her time and wisdom, Donna has mentored and served as an inspiration and role model for generations of fellow coaches, teachers, and student-athletes.

“Donna was by far the most impactful coach in all of my athletic playing days, and I will always attribute my athletic success to her,” says Laurie Baker MacLAughlin ’95. “She puts her heart and soul into everything she does, and I have the greatest possible respect for her as a role model and coach.”

Beth Frissora ’95 offered: “The fact that Donna continues to play an integral role in our adult lives exemplifies the time, dedication, commitment, and love that Donna shared with us and has for us.”

Donna has already received LA’s Departmental Award for Teaching Excellence (in 1996), the Harvard Book Award (in 1999), and the Alumni Faculty Appreciation Award (in 2008, the first-ever female recipient), so now the time has come to recognize her mastery as a coach. With our utmost respect and admiration, we welcome Donna Bibbo Mastrangelo into the Lawrence Academy Athletic Hall of Fame.

To

From Clifton Chapel, by Sir Henry Newbolt (1862-1938)

set the cause above renown, To love the game beyond the prize

Lawrence Academy