Photo by Mike Rego.
BRISTOL The Bristol Athletic Hall of Fame conducts its 33rd annual induction ceremony/banquet Saturday, Nov. 26, at the Venus DeMilo Restaurant in Swansea. A total of 16 former Bristol High School sports standouts from the Class of 1992 and two special honorees will be recognized at the event, which begins with a cash bar at 4:30 p.m. Dinner follows at 5:30, the evening then capped by the induction festivities.
Of note this year, the Hall of Fame opened its new permanent home in the old town Court House/State House on High Street, which features a viewing area of artifacts and memorabilia from the Colts’ storied past. More than eight decades of athletic trophies, banners, varsity jackets and other mementos are on display.
The Bristol Athletic Hall continues to devote its attention to Bristol High grads through the Class of 1993 before beginning to take note of deserving Mt. Hope High athletes starting with the 1993-94 school year.
The following are the biographies of the Bristol Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2011members:
Sherri Almeida
Almeida was a multi-sport standout for the Colts in soccer, basketball and softball. She was a four-year player on the hardwood and diamond. Almeida earned all-division honors in each of her four winters playing hoops where she was a starter every season and became a 1,000-point career scorer. She closed out her career as a first-team all-division honoree in each of the three sports, including soccer where as the goalkeeper she helped Bristol win the Division III-South girls’ soccer title.
Jennifer Bauer
Bauer was a three-sport athlete for Bristol High in each of her four years at the school. She captained the tennis, cross country and basketball teams, earning all-division honors in each. Three years running, she was a decorated tennis and hoops player. It was in tennis where Bauer likely made her most notable contribution, earning the No. 1 spot on the Colts’ ladder while playing on the boys’ team. She was also a two-time member of the All-Suburban East Division first team.
Sara Berry, Anna Housley & Elizabeth Knapman
Three of the best swimmers in BHS history, Berry, Housley and Knapman were members of a second-team, All-State 200-yard medley relay team, which includes the freestyle, butterfly, breast and back strokes. The team also earned first-team all-division honors in the same event. A competitive aquatics performer from kindergarten through college, Berry was an multi-time all-division solo performer in each of her four years as a Colt. Berry was a prolific winner in freestyle events where she earned first-team All-State honors in the 50-yard version as well as second-team notice in the 100. Housley was twice an all-division honoree as well in the 200-medley relay along with mates Berry and Knapman. Knapman, in addition, was a member of the Colts’ 400-free relay team that earned second-team All-State honors in 1990.
Ryan DeFaria & Anthony Merryman
DeFaria and Merryman each participated in the short-lived, though very successful archery program at Bristol High School, which participated in the old Rhode Island High School Archery League. DeFaria and Merryman each shot for the squad in the early 1990s, helping the Colts win the sport’s championship competition while being chosen as an All-State archer. Merryman was the top point-scorer for Bristol both during the season and the title-clinching match.
Dave Filanowicz
Filanowicz was a three-sport talent at Bristol High, playing football and baseball while wrestling in the winters. And it was on the mat where he made his biggest impression. A middle weight, Filanowicz placed second in his class in the freshmen state tournament then placed in the junior varsity tourney as a sophomore before earning first-team all-division honors as a junior and senior at 160 pounds. Filanowicz completed his career as team captain and placing in the state meet.
Kerri Lanzire
Lanzire made her mark as a Colt on the softball diamond where she was a three-time all-division honoree and a member of two Bristol High Class B-II championships teams in 1990 and ‘92. An infielder, Lanzire was chosen as a first-team all-division performer for three years running. She was also selected as a second-team All-State plyer in 1990. A four-year starter, Lanzire never hit below .489 with a best of .560 as a sophomore in 1990 and was a team captain in her senior year.
Jason Lawrence
Lawrence was a decorated member of the Bristol High School football team where he plied his trade on the offensive line and at linebacker. He was three-year letterman on the gridiron, starting as a sophomore on defense as the Colts reached the Class B Super Bowl as B-2 division champs. West Warwick defeated the locals for the title. Lawrence was selected as an all-division performer on both sides of the ball, at linebacker as a junior and at offensive tackle as a senior.
John Lema
One of the most successful grapplers in the final years of Bristol High School, Lema was three times an all-division wrestler for the Colts. Another of the fine middleweight competitors, he earned distinction while vying at three different weight classes during his superb career. Highlights for Lema came with All-State performances in 145 and 152 pounds as a junior and senior, respectively.
John Lunney
An inductee as a special honoree for his service on the Bristol Athletic Hall committee and as an esteemed basketball official, Lunney could just as well be honored for his prowess as an athlete at Bristol High. He lettered in four sports, including three years both for football and basketball, captaining the latter outfit as a senior. Lunney also played baseball and participated on the Colts’ track team where he finished fourth in the discus throw as a senior at the state meet.
Rhiannon Martin
Martin was one of the more accomplished tumblers while competing on the Bristol High gymnastics team in each of her four years at the school. She earned all-division honors every winter, including first-team notice as a freshman and senior, sandwiched around two second-team awards as a sophomore and junior. Martin, who also played division-champion girls’ soccer with Almeida, was the gymnastics team captain in her final two seasons, including as a senior on Bristol’s Class B co-championship squad.
Donnie Nerone
Nerone was a two-sport performer at Bristol, earning honors in both football and swimming during his high school career. He earned first-team all-division notice in the pool in both the 50 and 100-yard freestyle events as well as in the 200-yard medley. Nerone’s swimming career was highlighted by consecutive fifth-place finishes in the 50-free at the state championship meet as a junior and senior. He was also twice recognized as an all-division running back in football and team captain as a senior.
Nathan Rau
Another member of Bristol High’s Class B-2 championship football team with Nerone and Lawrence, Rau was a three-time all-division selection on the line. He was chosen for the second team as a sophomore then earned first-team notice as both a junior and a senior for his efforts at offensive guard and defensive tackle. Lawrence was also a team co-captain in his final season. As a youth, he was a member of Bristol/King Philip Little League’s Senior Division championship team.
Joseph Securo
Another of the special honorees, Securo is considered one of the finest swimmers in the history of the town. Unfortunately, Bristol High did not offer swimming as a varsity sport during his time at the school, though he did return to coach the Colts in the early years of the high school program. Securo was a decorated performer at the local and regional level for the former Bristol YMCA team from 1969 to 1974. He would later coach Weston (Conn.) to 12 state swimming titles.
Matthew White
Like Filanowicz and Lema, White was a member of some very successful wrestling teams in the final years of Bristol High School and one of the Colts’ toughest competitors. White, who weighed in at just 160 pounds, wrestled up two classes at 189 as a season when he earned individual notice with a first-team all-division performance while compiling a 12-1 regular season record. White, who also played two seasons of varsity soccer, was a runner-up at junior varsity states earlier in his career.
Stephen Wiacek
Wiacek was a key member of the last Bristol High School championship-winning boys’ basketball teams, which claimed the fourth and final hoops title for the Colts in his senior year of 1992. Bristol edged Smithfield for the Division III crown in 1992, when Wiacek earned first-team all-division honors. Wiacek, a four-year player on the BHS golf team, was also a member of the ‘91 squad which lost the division title game to Smithfield, earning third-team all-division notice for his efforts during that season.
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