Gloucester High School athletics’ latest hall of fame class has officially been selected.
As announced earlier this week by the school, the newest members will include 10 individuals and one team. All honorees will be recognized at this year’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony, slated for the weekend of October 2nd and 3rd.
Among those earning the nod were:
Peter AsaroSally (Unis) BertolinoElizabeth “Beth” (Bertolino) AylmerElizabeth “Betsy” DayBianca GiacaloneGeoff KennedyCoach Lou McGrathMark MichalisinCaulin RogersJosh SalahThe 2000 distance medley relay team of Tristan Colangelo, Shawn Milne, Ngai Otieno and Josh Palazola.
A 2007 GHS graduate, Asaro shined as a three-sport standout in cross country as well as indoor and outdoor track. Among his numerous accomplishments, Asaro ran a 4:21 mile, which is believed to be a top five time in program history. He ran a leg on the GHS record-holding 4×800 relay team that won the 2007 indoor track All-State meet, finished second at New Englands and fifth at Nationals. He also earned third place finishes in cross country at both the Eastern Mass and All-State meets. A multi-year captain, Asaro was a 10-time NEC champion.
Unis Bertolino was a 2003 grad and starred in basketball, field hockey and outdoor track. She scored over 900 career points and tore down over 1,300 rebounds on the hardwood as a four-year starter and team captain as a junior and senior. In field hockey, Bertolino was a four-year starter and all-star as a senior. And in track, she also held captain honors and took home NEC and state titles in the shot put and discus.
Bertolino Aylmer was a 1987 graduate and made a profound impact on the basketball, field hockey, track and cross country surfaces. Earning nine total varsity letters, she was the MVP three times in basketball and their leading scorer in each of her last two years. A conference all-star and Female Athlete of the Year, Bertolino was a tri-captain during her tenure.
Day (class of 2002) played four years of soccer and was a team captain before playing at the Division 1 college level at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She is considered by many who knew her to be the best women’s soccer player to ever grace the field for GHS. Day also shined in basketball and track.
A 2013 graduate, Giacalone was a stellar soccer, indoor and outdoor track athlete. She earned NEC all-star status in all three sports and was at one time the soccer program’s all-time leading scorer. She holds at least seven track records and went on to play all three sports at Merrimack College. A multi-time captain, Giacalone was was named to All-Decade teams in both soccer and track, one of few student-athletes to earn such praise in two different sports.
Kennedy, who currently serves as the Fishermen’s boys lacrosse coach, is the lacrosse program’s all-time leading scorer with 225 points (116 goals, 109 assists). The NEC Player of the Year in 2011, he was a two-time captain. Kennedy also played both hockey and golf and was a high level contributor in both. An NEC hockey all-star, he earned the Fishermen Award as a senior and was a four-year letterman and one-time captain. As a golfer, he earned NEC all-star status and team MVP honors as a senior. Kennedy went on to play lacrosse at St. Anselm College.
McGrath spent a dozen years as Gloucester’s varsity softball coach and boasted an impressive career record of 155-63. He was honored as the NEC Coach of the Year three times (‘95, ‘97 and ‘02) and led the team to NEC Conference titles twice (‘95 and ‘02). McGrath spent countless hours advocating for the transition of the youth league from slow-pitch to fastpitch, also hosting numerous clinics for players across the North Shore during the offseason.
A 1990 graduate, Michalisin was a four-year starter, two-year captain and the team’s leading scorer for the hockey program. He also shined in football and outdoor track & field, earning numerous awards across all three sports throughout his high school career. As is the case for each of this year’s inductees, Michalisin was well regarded for not only his on field/ice prowess, but his impact off of it.
Another three-sport star, Rogers (class of 2011) stood out in cross country, baseball and basketball. He helped lead the cross country squad to numerous NEC Championships and held multiple top five finishes while also shining at the state level. A three-year baseball starter, he earned multiple NEC all-star nods and helped lead the team to a Division 1 North title while hitting over .400 all three years. He was point guard for the hoops team and went on to play baseball at Bridgeton Academy and later Roger Williams.
Salah (class of 2009) was and still is an exceptional golfer. He starred for the team all four years, receiving numerous awards before embarking on an outstanding college golf career at Sacred Heart University. Salah holds course records at three different clubs. Also a terrific hockey player, he took home numerous all-star nods for golf and was the NEC MVP three times over. When he graduated, Salah was seventh on the all-time scoring list for hockey and was a member of the 2006 state championship winning squad.
Last but certainly not least, the distance medley relay (DMR) team was the first team in US history (!) to break 10 minutes (indoors or outdoors) for the event and set a national record that stood for roughly 17 years.
Sports Editor Nick Giannino may be contacted at 978-675-2712 or ngiannino@northofboston.com.