Northwest Catholic Announces Ninth Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame Class

Northwest Catholic has announced the names of the six newest members of its Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame. These outstanding alumni athletes will be inducted during a dinner and ceremony at Wampanoag Country Club on Sat., April 27, 2013. The new inductees are:

John Lyons ’70 – An outstanding football and baseball player, and a football team captain and MVP, John took his football talents to the University of Pennsylvania. He would go on to coach football at several colleges and universities, including Dartmouth College, where from 1993 to 2004, the team earned 60 victories. He is currently the defensive coordinator for the University of New Hampshire football team.

Robert Marques ’77 – Baseball MVP in 1977, Robert excelled in both football and baseball. He served as captain of the football and baseball teams and was named All-Conference for both sports, as well as All-State for baseball in 1977. Robert went on to play baseball at St. Leo University in Florida.

Bruce Matthews ’88 – A part of NWC’s football and track programs, Bruce was an indoor track captain and named All-State for football, indoor track, and outdoor track. His skills as a defensive back earned him All-Conference honors and a spot on the New Haven Register First Team for Football. He went on to play football at the University of Pennsylvania.

Andrea Clarke ’96 – A talented athlete, Andrea helped lead the NWC indoor and outdoor track teams to several state titles, including the State Open Indoor Championship in 1995 and the State Open Outdoor Championship in 1996 – the only State Open Championship track teams in NWC history. Andrea was twice named All-State, and holds school records for the high jump and long jump in indoor track. She also holds the Class S Record for the high jump in both indoor and outdoor track, and was a member of the 4x100 relay team that holds the Class S outdoor track record. Andrea served as an assistant track coach at Wesleyan University for several years.

Shayla Wallace ’97 – Shayla was also a member of the State Open Championship track teams, lending her talents as a runner. She holds eight school records – four in indoor track and four in outdoor track. Shayla also holds multiple Class S and State records in track, including the Class S record in the 55 meter dash and the 100 meter dash, and the current CT State, State Open and Class S records in the 200 meter. She was also named the Gatorade Player of the Year in 1996 and 1997 for Connecticut in track and field.

Mary Holloway Preble, Honorary Member (awarded posthumously) – A beloved gym teacher, coach and choreographer, Mary was one of the original teachers at Northwest Catholic. From 1961 to 1977, she coached girls’ track and cheerleading, leading her teams to several state titles. She was also the school’s gym teacher and choreographed school plays. Mary died on July 17, 2011.

Tickets for the Hall of Fame ceremony and dinner are $75 and may be purchased by going to www.northwestcatholic.org/hof.

Since 1961, Northwest Catholic’s mission has been to educate the whole person: mind, body, spirit, and soul. Enrollment for the Class of ’17 is now under way. For more information, contact Maryann Lacouture (860-236-4221, x140 or mlacouture@nwcath.org).