TRUMBULL, CT — A class of 14 athletes, two coaches and an athletic director were inducted into Masuk High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame during the committee’s annual banquet at Tashua Knolls Golf Club on Oct. 9.
Masuk Athletic Hall of Fame President Amanda Forte introduced this year’s nominees, who gave acceptance speeches, and three all-time teams were recognized with Panther Pride Awards.
Panther Pride Award winners included the 1974 Masuk softball team, which won their school’s first ever state title, and the 2024 state champion football team and 2025 state champion softball team.
The Masuk Athletic Hall of Fame also awards Panther Excellence Scholarships, recognizing student athletes who demonstrate leadership, character and excellence in both athletics and academics.
Since its inception in 2023, with the help of generous donors, $4,000 worth of scholarships were given to deserving Masuk seniors: Erin Davis, Colin Hope, Ava Moretti and Christopher Welch.
During the banquet, Hall of Fame soccer player Kevin Bresnahan introduced the Panther Pride Award winners and girls basketball coaching legend David Strong gave welcoming marks and the invocation.
“I think it is clear that the Masuk athletic experience and friendships formed have been an important part of people’s lives,” Strong said. “I know if has been for me.”
The evening ended with closing remarks from Superintendent of Schools Joseph Kobza and Masuk Principal Steve Swensen.
The inductees
This year’s Hall of Fame inductees included former Masuk athletic director, John DeGennaro. The longtime basketball coach served as the A.D. for 17 years.
Over the period, Masuk teams won 18 state championships, 18 were runner ups and Panther teams won 40 Southwest Conference League Championships and 39 SWC Division titles. DeGennaro is also in the Hamden High School Hall of Fame.
Here is his acceptance speech:
Lauren Honrath Cantwell, ’05
Lauren Honrath Cantwell joined her sister, Danielle, as the second sister combination to be inducted in the Masuk Athletic Hall of Fame. She earned four varsity letters as a swimmer at Masuk.
She won the 500-freestyle at the league championships her senior year, and finished second in the 200-freestyle at the same meet. Honrath Cantwell finished fourth in the state championships in 2005.
The team captain still holds her school’s 500-freestyle record. She continued to excel against Division 1 competition, while at the University of Vermont.
Dale Dymkoski, ’90
Dale Dymkosky earned three varsity letters in football and four varsity letters in baseball during his career from 1986-1990.
During his senior year, Dymkoski was on the Connecticut Post 1st Team for offense, averaging 100 yards rushing per game.
But his main sport was baseball. He had 13 career home runs with a batting average over .400. He was selected 1st Team All State in 1989 and 1990, becoming the first Masuk player to be named All State twice.
He was a New York Daily News All Star, who played in the newspaper’s All Star game at Yankee Stadium in 1990. He continued to excel at the University of Connecticut.
Chris Grubb, ’88
Chris Grubb earned three varsity letters for swimming and diving and was an All State selection as a diver in 1988, becoming the first Masuk boys diver to earn the honor. He continued to excel at diving at Furman University.
Samantha Halpern, ’97
Samantha Halpern earned five varsity letters, including four for basketball and one in track. In her only year in track she set the shot put record, which stood for many years.
Her main sport was basketball, where she helped the Panthers to a 99-3 record, while scoring 1,390 points in her career at Masuk. Her teams had four undefeated seasons, a 50 game winning streak, a 93 game regular season winning streak, four league championships, a state championship in 1995 and a state runner up title in 1997.
Halpern was All State in Class L in 1996 and 1997. She continued to excel at Lehigh.
Danielle Honrath, ’03
Danielle Honrath earned four varsity letters in swimming and was a Southwest Conference All-Academic team member for all four years. She was a league champion in the 500-freestyle in 2002.
Honrath was team captain for two years, and All State 1st Team in 2002 and 2003.
She led the Panthers to fourth place in the state championships, Masuk’s highest finish ever at the time.
Honrath held four Masuk swimming records and continued to excel at Villanova.
Erika Mansson, ’07
Erika Mansson earned varsity awards all four years in three sports (soccer, track and indoor track), while totaling 12 varsity letters.
In indoor track she was Southwest Conference Champion in the 600 meter race all four years, and the indoor state champion in 2006.
Mansson was a team captain two years, a Connecticut Post Athlete of the Year in 2006, the holder of three records, and All State in New England in 2005 and 2006.
In outdoor track she was a team captain two years, the holder of two relay records, and All State and All New England in 2005 and 2006. She continued her track career at Yale.
Stephen Masso, ’00
Stephen Masso earned four varsity letters in soccer and was a starter all four years, leading the Panthers to division titles in 1998 and 1999. He was All League and All State 1st Team both years.
He led the Southwest Conference in scoring in 1999 and was recognized as a member of the Hartford Courant and Connecticut Post All Star teams.
In 1999, Masso was also the Connecticut Post Most Valuable Player and was selected for the Connecticut Soccer Coaches Association Senior Bowl. He continued playing at Quinnipiac University.
Nicole Myrick, ’92
Nicole Myrick earned four varsity letters in basketball from 1988 to 1992. She was a three year starter, a 1,000 point scorer, a team captain her senior year, and made 1st Team All State in 1991 and 1992 on the Bridgeport Post, New Haven Register and Hartford Courant teams.
She was a Street and Smith Honorable Mention All American in 1992, won four league championships, was the Bridgeport Post Player of the Year in 1991 and led the team to Class L State Championships in 1990 and 1991.
Myrick continued to excel at the University of Hartford, then the University of New Haven.
Walter Nevolis, ’76
Walter Nevolis earned eight varsity letters in cross country and track and field.
He led the Panthers to the Western Connecticut Conference (WCC) Championships in 1975 and 1976 in cross country and was All State.
Walter won the WCC outdoor track one mile and two mile races twice each, and earned All State recognition in 1976 for his victory in the two mile race in Class L.
He continued to excel at Northeastern University.
Ray Norell, ’04
Ray Norell played football for three years, basketball for four and baseball for two, while earning five varsity letters at Masuk.
He was a three letter winner in basketball, captain his senior year, 2003 Holiday Tournament MVP and made the All SWC First Team in 2004.
His main sport was football. Norell started for two seasons, while helping the Panthers win a league title in 2003, when he made the All SWC First Team. He was also selected to New Haven Register and Hartford Courant All Star teams.
Norell played in the Connecticut vs. Rhode Island All Star game, and as a starter and captain in the Fairfield County vs. New Haven County All Star game.
He continued to excel at Milford Academy for one year (making its Hall of Fame in 2010), played for the University of Buffalo, was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as a free agent and played Arena Football for five years.
Alyssa Pagano, ’08
Alyssa Pagano earned four varsity letters in softball from 2004 to 2008, when the Panthers won four league championships, and two state championships in 2007 and 2008.
Pagano was selected First Team All State in 2006, 2007 and 2008, before continuing to excel at Southern Connecticut State University.
Katie Reynolds Sepelak, ’02
Katie Reynolds Sepelak earned four varsity letters for basketball, scored 1,072 points, is the all-time Masuk girls basketball leader in 3-point shots made, and helped the Panthers to a 79-24 record over her career, which included two league championships and a state tournament runner up finish in 2002.
She was selected to the Southwest Conference 1st Team three times, made the Connecticut Post Super 15 team twice, and was All State 1st team in 2001 and 2002.
Reynolds Sepelak continued to excel at Concordia College and became the seventh Masuk girls basketball player to score 1,000 points in both high school and college.
She went on to coach freshmen girls basketball at Masuk for several years.
Juli Giampaolo Soracin, ’86
Juli Giampaolo Soracin earned nine varsity letters, one for volleyball, four for indoor track, and four for outdoor track. She was the Most Outstanding Performer of the track team all four years, accumulating the highest point total in meets for her team.
She was the State High Jump Champion in 1986, becoming Masuk’s first All State athlete in girls track and was recognized as an All American that year.
Giampaolo Soracin’s school record for the highest point total earned in meets still stands.
Bobbie Campanaro
Bobbie Campanaro coached basketball, and girls and boys tennis during her career at Masuk.
She was an assistant basketball coach from 1978 to 1985, a run that included the Panthers finishing as CIAC State Championship runners up in 1980 and 1984, and winning four Western Connecticut Conference Championships.
She coached the girls tennis team, before taking over the boys tennis program in 1982. Campanaro instantly transformed the team into a league powerhouse with six division titles, two undefeated seasons and a Western Conference Championship in 1984.
She developed two All State athletes in 1984: her son, Patrick, and Eric Ceccotti.
Campanaro was an outstanding athlete herself, earning tennis accolades in Connecticut and Atlanta, where she was Pro of the Year three times and won 35 ALTA City Championships.
Ralph Franco
Ralph Franco coached baseball at Masuk for 20 years, compiling a record of 305 wins and 170 losses. His teams won four division championships, and five league titles, and was a State Championship runner up twice.
During his tenure he had 18 All State athletes, three Academic All State athletes, and he was the 2006 Fairfield County Baseball Coach of the Year.
Forty-five of his players went on to play college baseball, including 12 at the Division 1 level.
He coached two Gatorade Players of the Year, three All Americans, and five student athletes who went on to play professionally, four of whom were drafted.
Franco also coached football for 10 years, five years as head coach of the freshmen team and five as assistant varsity coach, when Masuk won its first-ever boys State Championship in 1998.
Trudi Kelly
Trudi Kelly taught physical education from 1965 to 1997. She and John Giampaolo are known as coaches who laid the foundation to lead Masuk along the path from a small country high school to the widely respected place it is in Connecticut sports today.
Kelly was the girls head basketball coach from 1966 to 1969, but made her mark coaching softball for 21 years — 1967 to 1988. Her Panther teams won many Western Conference Division and league championships.
When she was inducted into the Connecticut Softball Hall of Fame, Kelly said, “if all the lessons you learn stay on the field when you leave, then you have wasted your time.”
She coached Masuk’s 1974 softball team, which won the high school’s first-ever State Championship. It was also the first year that the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference held a softball state championship.
During her induction into the Masuk Athletic Hall of Fame, Eleanor Brainard, a Masuk Hall of Famer who played on the 1974 team and went on to become a Masuk coach herself, read Kelly’s acceptance speech.
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