Four individuals and two “teams of distinction” were inducted into the Westfield State University Athletic Hall of Fame at an October 19 ceremony.
Retired football coach Steve Marino ’71, men’s basketball standout Tom Daviau ’74, field hockey player Megan (Wolski) Loftus ’08, and football pass rusher Jessie Holmes ’06 were inducted as individuals, and the 1980 men’s track and field team and the 1981 field hockey final four teams were recognized as well.
Marino served 24 years as the head coach of the Owls football program. He presided over the Owls 2001 team that posted an unbeaten regular season record, won the New England Football Conference Championship game, and advanced to the NCAA playoffs for the first time in school history. A Ludlow resident, Marino compiled a 119-115-1 record before his 2013 retirement.
Daviau anchored the frontcourt for the Owls strong men’s basketball teams of the early 1970s, captaining the 1974 team which made Westfield’s first appearance in the ECAC Basketball tournament. He ranks among the program’s all-time leaders in free-throw shooting. A Shrewsbury native who now resides in Flanders, N.J., Daviau joined several of his former teammates in the Hall of Fame.
Wolski graduated as the field hockey program’s all-time leading goal scorer in both goals (60) and points (119), and holds a variety of Owls records. She was a three-time MASCAC player of the year and played in the NFHCA National Senior All Star game. Wolski resides in her hometown of Plymouth.
Holmes was a standout defensive end for the Owls in the early 2000s who set the Westfield State record for sacks with 14 during the 2003 season. The Agawam resident was a two-time all-conference selection and was named as an All-East Region pick as a junior. He helped the Owls to back-to-back Bogan Division titles and two NEFC championship games, finishing his career with 22 sacks.
The 1981 field hockey team holds special place in the history of Owls athletics, as the team posted an 11-5-2 record and advanced to the NCAA Division III final four, as Westfield State University hosted the inaugural NCAA Division III championship that year on Alumni Field. The team’s third in the nation finish is the best ever by an Owls women’s team.
The 1980 men’s track and field team is perhaps the most successful of Hall of Fame coach Jerry Gravel’s teams. They won the inaugural New England Division III championship meet, produced All-American sprinter Russ Winchester, two past and future All-Americans, and multiple national qualifiers.
A total of 143 individuals have been inducted to the Westfield State Athletic Hall of Fame, which began in 1994. Four teams of distinction have also been recognized.