Oliver Ames Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees: Athletes Part I

This week, Patch is taking a look at the most recent inductees into the Athletic Hall of Fame. On Saturday, the Hall of Fame In all, 11 athletes, one citizen, two coaches and two teams were inducted.

Here is a look at the first half of athletes who were inducted Saturday night.

SIGRID BROMAN - 1923

The Oliver Ames High School girls’ basketball legacy of exceptional achievement stretches back to the early years of the 20th Century.    One of the programs early stars – and in its long history still one of its best players – is Sigrid Broman.   

Sigrid was the oldest of six chil- dren; her sister, Sylvia, was an all-around star athlete, and was a nationally ranked track & field performer. Sigrid Broman started four years for the OA girls’ basketball team. She was a top scorer, and played in the front court, even though she was average in height. She was, however, far above average in athleticism and tenacity and an eye for the basket.  For the 1922 season, with Sigrid as a team captain, the OA girls’ went 10-0 and were considered by many to be the best girls’ prep team in Southeastern Massachusetts.  During a time when a girls’ high school basketball game final score of 20-18 would not have been unusual, Sigrid was routinely putting up 20 points or more a game by herself.  Against Rockland her senior year, she poured in 32 points on 16 field goals, as OA won 49-14.

After graduation from OA, Sigrid continued to be a star in athletics and in life.    In 1924, she saved a child from drowning in King’s Pond in Easton.  Sigrid kept playing basketball, and was the leading scorer for the Brockton YWCA team which competed on Wednesday nights in front of packed houses, and which was one of the best squads in New England. She also was an official referee for the NEAAAU and coached such great male athletes as Eldon Hallamon and Charles Frolia. Sigrid maintained a relationship with and was of serv- ice to the YWCA for more than 50 years; culminated by her becoming the President. She was integral to it’s growth and highly valued by the organization.

ALEX CHOI- 1989

Alex Choi earned high distinction at Oliver Ames High School in the classroom and on the golf course and tennis court.

In tennis, Alex was the Tigers’ number one singles player all four years, and was also named All Hockomock for those years; his senior year he was a league all star captain.  An excellent student, Alex was a Tiger team captain as a sophomore, junior, and senior, and was ranked in the top 20 in his age group in the New England Lawn Tennis Association. He only played golf as a junior and senior, but caught on fast. He was the number one Tiger golfer for those seasons, made All Hockomock as a senior, and was also a captain of the league all star squad.

Alex was named to the Boston Globe Scholar-Athlete Team. At Amherst College, Alex stuck with golf, and he excelled, becoming one of the best small college golfers in the region.   He was a two time Amherst team captain, and was named NCAA Div. 3 All American as a senior.

ANDREA CONRAD- 2001

Andrea Conrad was “Miss All Around” at Oliver Ames High School, starring in the classroom, and in three sports.

In soccer, Andrea started four years at forward, including on teams that won the 1999 and 2000 state crowns. She was named All Hockomock and Enterprise All Scholastic.  Andrea set an OA career scoring mark with 60 goals.  Basketball may have been Andrea’s best sport. A forward, she became the fourth female in school history to score 1000 points, and was named to three All Hockomock and Enterprise All Scholastic squads.    As a junior, OA won the Eastern Massachusetts Div. 2 South Sectional title and advanced to the EMass final at the Fleet Center. Her senior year in basketball, Andrea was a team captain and was named Boston Herald All Scholastic. In the spring, Andrea ran the 300 meter hurdles, threw the discus, triple jumped, and ran a leg on the 1600 meter relay for the Tiger track & field team. She was named All Hockomock in the sport as a junior.

A class secretary and member of the National Honor Society, Andrea went on to Brown University. At Brown, she lettered four years in basketball, and was a team captain for two seasons.    Andrea was the recipient of the Bessie Rudd Award, pre- sented to the female varsity athlete who has done the most to promote women’s sports during the year.  Andrea also received the Harriet Sheridan Leadership Award.

MICHAEL DENSON - 1993

Michael Denson is one of the most accomplished and gifted baseball players in OA history.  He could do it all – hit, pitch, and cover the field. OA baseball coach, Leo Duggan, said, “Michael Denson had the best career of any OA baseball player during my 38 years as coach of the team.”

Michael started four years for the Tigers, with the team qualifying for the state tournament every year. A team captain as a junior and senior, he was a three year All Hockomock selection, two time Enterprise All Scholastic, and as a senior was a Boston Globe and Boston Herald All Scholastic.  Michael was the leader of the 1993 OA team that went 18-2 and won OA’s first Hockomock League crown in 28 years.    As a pitcher, he won 28 games, an OA career record.
He struck out more than 200 batters in his career. Michael batted .368 as a sopho- more, .379 as a junior, and .484 as a senior.

Michael Denson represented Eastern Massachusetts in a high school all-star game when the area played against a Connecticut prep all-star team.

ALISON FOX (PIANTEDOSI) - 2001

Alison Fox stood out for the Tigers across three sea- sons, in field hockey, basketball, and softball.

In field hockey, Alison started three years in goal and was mightily stingy, registering 29 shutouts dur- ing that period, and making All Hockomock and Enterprise All Scholastic as a junior and senior. Alison played three years of varsity hoops, starting two years in the front court, including the 1999-2000 season when Oliver Ames High School won the Eastern Mass Div. 2 South Sectionals. Her senior year, she was a Tiger team captain and made All Hockomock and Enterprise All Scholastic. In softball, Alison was a four-year starter, and was a team cap- tain and All Hockomock as a senior.

Alison went on to Suffolk University where she had a stellar hoops career. She started four years for Suffolk, and became one of the program’s all-time leading scorers. Alison scored 1,121 points in her career, which tied her for sixth on the Suffolk career scoring list.    As a junior Alison was named second team All Eastern College Athletic Conference; her senior year she was a team captain and made first team All ECAC.