Bristol Athletic Hall of Fame Honors 18 Athletes

Every year the Bristol Athletic Hall of Fame selects a number of Bristol High School graduates to be recognized for their athletic and academic achievements. Below are the 18 athletes who were inducted to the Hall of Fame for 2011.

Sara Berry Sweetman

            Sweetman was inducted for her talent and commitment to the sport of swimming. In high school, Sweetman was on the swim team for four years and was an all state athlete and captain. At the University of New Hampsire, Sweetman swam for the school’s Division I team and was a captain in her senior year. She served as an assistant swim coach at UNH and head swim coach at Seacoast Masters, Lakes Region Aquatic Club, Kendbrin Swim & Tennis Club and Mt. Hope High School.

Anna Housley Juster

            Juster has been a competitive swimmer since she was eight years old. In high school Juster was active on the softball team as well as a junior varsity and varsity swim team. She received the All State Award and later went on to USS swimming and the Tufts University swim team.

Anthony Merryman

            Merryman played on teams for little league and youth hockey before entering high school. At Bristol High School he played on the freshman hockey team and participated on the archery team for four years. Merryman says he created the archery team at Bristol High School and was named captain and all state.

Kerri A. Lanzire

            Prior to high school, Lanzire played on the King Philip Little League team all of the years she was eligible. She was also a Bristol Mustangs cheerleader and participated in Bristol summer recreational gymnastics and tennis. Lanzire was a four-year starter on the Bristol High School girls softball team and a cheerleader for the high school’s football and basketball teams. Today Lanzire is a certified public accountant.

Rhiannon Martin

            For all four of Martin’s years in high school she was a member of the soccer and gymnastics teams. In her junior and senior years she was named captain of the gymnastics team. She also played soccer for BYSA and did gymnastics with East Bay Gymnastics. For two years she served as a gymnastics instructor for Bristol Parks and Recreation and helped with stats for high school football and basketball teams.

Donald C. Nerone

            Nerone was a member of Bristol’s first and second State Champion team at the 14 and 15 year old Senior League Baseball level. He swam from age eight to 17 and dominated the SENECY championships for the 50 yard freestyle. Nerone also played football and earned an array of awards for his athletic talent. He coached Senior League Baseball in Bristol from 1994 to 1997, was an assistant coach at Enfield High School in CT and with the Bristol Mustangs.

Jennifer Bauer

            Bauer participated on the high school varsity tennis team for four years and served as captain for two years. In high school Bauer was also a member of the varsity cross country team, serving as captain for two years, and played varsity basketball for four years. Bauer also continues to participate in recreational sports.

Jason A. Lawrence

            As a child Lawrence played for the Bristol Pop Warner team for three years and the Bristol Little League and senior league. In high school he played freshman football and baseball in eighth and ninth grades and he was on the varsity football team from tenth to twelfth grade. Lawrence was the only sophomore to start all football games as a linebacker/offensive lineman. In his senior year he was also a member of the golf team.

John M. Lema

            Lema played on the Pop Warner football team as well as the Bristol High School freshman football team. He was an active member of the Bristol wrestling club, the Bristol High School wrestling team and the Garden City Community College wrestling team. He served as the assistant wrestling coach for Somerset High School and Mt. Hope High School. In his career he joined the Bristol Police Department and presently works with the Massachusetts State Police.

Elizabeth Knapman

            Knapman swam for the Bristol YMCA for six years and played on the Bristol Little League softball team for three years. She swam for Bristol High School’s swim team in ninth and tenth grade and for all four years of her high school career she was a cheerleader. She was a Sunday school teacher at St. Mary’s Church in Portsmouth for six years and today Knapman is a registered nurse in RI and MA,

Cherrie Almeida-Neven

            In her childhood years Neven played in the King Philip Little League and Our Lady of Mount Carmel basketball. At Bristol High School, Neven played all four years of varsity girls basketball and varsity girls softball and she played two years of varsity girls soccer. At Rhode Island College she played two years of softball, and one year of basketball. She also served as a coach and was in charge of athletic activities in the Kids and Cops Summer Camp.

Ryan DeFaria

            DeFaria played baseball throughout his youth and teen years. In high school, he was an active player on the football team as well as Bristol High School’s archery team for two years. Today, DeFaria is a business owner who supports local youth and high school sports teams through fundraising.

Nathan Rau

            In high school Rau was a football superstar. He played on the varsity team and was captain in 1992. He was on the first team all division. As a freshman at Iona College his talents were featured in national newspapers including USA Today.  He has coached the Rotary Senior League Baseball team, and Pop Warner football teams. Notably Rau also hit the first home run in senior league history during the All-Star Regional game.

Matt White

            White played youth hockey for five years and was a member of the Bristol Youth Soccer team and youth baseball teams through the senior league. He was named first team all division wrestling and academic all state wrestling. He played varsity soccer for two years as well as a community volleyball league, a co-ed softball league and was on the Auburn Maine Men’s league. White also took five years of Aikido, a Japanese martial art, throughout college. He was a coach for the Ledyard Middle School, an instructor for wrestling and was assistant coach for the Bristol youth lacrosse and wrestling teams.

Stephen Wiacek

            At age 11, Wiacek was named national runner up in the Elks Free Throw Shooting Contest and at age 12 he was named regional champion. From ninth to eleventh grade he played on the Bristol High School varsity golf team and was named All Division in his senior year on the basketball team. He played basketball for his four years in college at Bryant University and broke the school record for most blocked shots. In 1999 he played in the FILA Summer Pro-League. Wiacek coached basketball at Youth For Tomorrow, a home for at-risk teens.

Dave Filanowicz

            At Bristol High School, Filanowicz was a member of the football team and wrestling team for all four years. In his freshman year he played on the baseball team. When he graduated he received the Pasquale C. Raiola scholar-athlete award. In 1990, Filanowicz was a coach for the Bristol youth baseball team and from 1991 to 1993 he coached the Bristol youth wrestling team and also served as a referee. Today Filanowicz enjoys scuba diving and is a certified rescue diver.

Special Recognition Inductees

John F. Lunney III

            Lunney is a special recognition inductee for his service as a basketball official. According to Lunney, basketball has been his passion since his youth and refereeing became a “natural extension of the game” for him. Lunney is part of the Newport County Officials Association and was named the youngest official to work on varsity assignment when he was only 22 years old. In addition to officiating a number of basketball games within Rhode Island school and college championships, Lunney also was part of the officiating staff for the NBA top 100 camp at the University of Virginia. In his own athletic career he was an all star for the King Philip Little League, the Bristol Babe Ruth, and Senior Babe Ruth. Lunney graduated from Bristol High School in 1983 after receiving varsity letters for football, basketball, baseball and track. He has coached at Roger Williams College and Providence College and played basketball and baseball while attending St. Joseph’s College.

Joseph Securo

            Securo is a special recognition inductee for his athletic career, both outside of school and professional. He swam on the Bristol YMCA swim team as well as with Southern Connecticut University and Masters swimming. At SCU he also played water polo. He was a volunteer swim coach for the Special Olympics in Sarasota, FL, as well as a coach at a number of other high schools including Bristol High School. Securo established a national swim record in the 100-yard backstroke and his name now appears in the International Swimming Hall of Fame on the Wall of Champions.