Members of the Lawrence High School Athletic Hall of Fame gather at the induction ceremony on Oct. 10, 2015 at Mercer Oaks Country Club. Back row, left to right: Andrew Steiner, Keither Richardson, Amy Perhach-Briggs, Ricj Smith, Vernon Hicks, Brett Brackett, David Fecak, Melissa Fecak, Michelle Solack-Yuro and Edyta Szczepankowska-Riley. Front row, left to right: Nicole McMullen, Sara Beaber-Fujioka, Christie Icenhower-MacDonald and Mindy Milavsky.
By Grant Hill
The Lawrence High School Athletic Hall of Fame inducted its Class of 2015 last month. Fifteen players, coaches and supporters comprised the class, and among the inductees was the record-breaking 1990 field hockey team.
It has been 25 years since the team’s historic, somewhat heartbreaking season, led by varsity coach Kathy Viglin and junior varsity coach Laura Barrall.
“In an 18-game season, they had 13 shutouts and only allowed six regulation goals, which is pretty impressive,” she said. “Defensively, they were definitely superb, but they also scored 33 goals, so it was an all around team effort for sure.”
The team broke two school records that year—fewest goals surrendered in a season and most shutouts in a season, both of which still stand today— ending the season at 13-5. Unfortunately, the team lost in the division championship after a tie-breaking penalty shootout. Although the season met an agonizing end, individually, many of its players went on to achieve great success.
Liz Hill, the team’s goalie—who also played between the pipes for the boys’ ice hockey team at the time—went on to play in college at Princeton University, while midfielder Val Coyle was already inducted into the Hall of Fame as an individual for her stellar play and her ability to control the flow of the game.
Barrall coached many of the players on the junior varsity squad before they moved up to varsity, so she was able to witness the girls’ transitions from freshmen to upperclassmen stars. She said that while the team wasn’t particularly close knit, its success could be attributed to the fact that a lot of very talented players came together in the right place at the right time.
“I was looking through the old records and I thought ‘Oh my god, this is all school record material.’ What they were able to accomplish over the course of one year was truly remarkable,” Barrall said.
The team earned many accolades, such as Colonial Valley Conference runner-up, Central Jersey Group II semifinalist and Mercer County semifinalist.
“They just couldn’t make the big game, but their season was amazing,” Barrall said. “It was a tough season to win. West Windsor was the perennial powerhouse and in one shootout, lost Lawrence the title. It was a strong league.”
Many of the team’s members have since spread out all over the country, and as a result, none of them were able to attend the induction ceremony. The team included Dawn Bainbridge, Liza Crall, Erica Dembski, Corey Demdo, Chrissie Johnson, Lucy Pesce, Emily Ramsey, Laura Smith, Jill Thurston, Kelly Traynor, Jen Burkhardt, Laurel Lawson, Regina Reilly, Veronica Paulikis, Hill and Coyle. Robyn Wuthmow was the Cardinals’ scorekeeper.
Rick Smith, Amy Perhach Briggs, Edyta Szczepamkowska Riley, Michelle Solack Yuro, Danielle Short, Sarah Beaber Fujioka, Mindy Milavsky, Brett Brackett, Vernon Hicks, Christie Icenhower MacDonald, Nicole McMullen, Keith Richardson, Andrew Steiner and Barbara Fecack were also inducted.
Rick Smith: Coach Smith, a Rowan University graduate, began his Lawrence career in 1974. He coached the freshman football team from 1977-79, before taking the helm of the junior varsity basketball squad in 1983. He moved up to the varsity squad in 1989, when the team won the Spartan Classic tournament. The following year, Smith moved to the Lawrence Middle School boys’ basketball team, and in 1995, the squad finished undefeated for the first time ever. Though he retired in 2010, Smith still volunteers at the middle school, serves as a Lawrence Township Education Foundation trustee and is a member of the Mercer County Federal Teachers Credit Union board of directors.
Amy Perhach Briggs: Though Briggs earned varsity letters in soccer, track and basketball, soccer was her true bread and butter. She was team captain and MVP during her junior and senior seasons (1993-94 and 1994-95), as well as a Mercer County Girls’ Soccer Association Top 33 honoree. She earned Lawrence High School Female Athlete of the Year honors as a senior. Briggs went on to play collegiately at Emory University for three years, and in 1998, when she served as captain, the squad won the University Athletic Association Conference title. Individually, she was a multiple-time UAA Player of the Week and UAA first team honoree. She was named to the school’s Women’s All-Time Team in 2011. Briggs, who was a special agent for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, is currently an agent for the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
Edyta Szczepamkowska Riley: In 1991, Riley immigrated to the United States as a nine-year-old. She started her swimming career the following year with Eastern Express, where she set the USA Swimming New Jersey 100 meter backstroke record in the 11-12 girls age group. At LHS, Riley swam for the Cardinals from 1997-2000, setting records in the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke in the process. She was also a member of the record-breaking 200 indivudal medley relay, 400 freestyle relay and 200 freestyle relay teams. A University of Pennsylvania graduate, Riley swam the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly for the school, and also helped break the school record in the 400 freestyle relay. Riley is currently the associate director of real assets at Bowdoin College.
Michelle Solack Yuro: Yuro was an eight-time varsity letter recipient at the high school during the ’80s. In her senior (1983-84) season, Yuro scored a school record 25 goals for the soccer team and received All-County and All-Area honors throughout her career. She also played basketball and softball, and was named team MVP in each sport. She was the Lawrence High School Female Athlete of the Year in 1984. Collegiately, Yuro played volleyball, lacrosse and tennis at Rowan University. A Rowan Athletic Hall of Fame inductee, Yuro played on the Profs’ New Jersey Athletic Conference champion volleyball team. She toured the USA Volleyball circuit after college. Yuro is currently the manager/director of the Princeton Center for Yoga and Health.
Danielle Short: At LHS, Short (’97) was a member of the soccer, basketball and spring track teams. She broke the record for career points (1,238), leading to girls’ basketball Player of the Year and Lawrence High School Female Athlete of the Year honors. She also received the Renee Keister Award, given annually to an outstanding county basketball player. Short attended Albright College and Coastal Carolina University before returning to New Jersey and earning a degree in dental hygiene. She currently lives in Florida, where she works in the pharmaceutical industry and coaches soccer and basketball.
Sarah Beaber Fujioka: Fujioka was a member and captain of the cross country, winter track and spring track teams. Initially running cross country as an individual, she helped recruit new members to finally field a full team in her junior and senior seasons. Fujioka (’94) won the Mercer County cross country title in 1993 and received the Kirk Louderback Scholar Athlete award. Fujioka attended and ran cross country at the California Institute of Technology and currently works in healthcare administration for Southeast Alaska Tribes, where she coordinates programs for breast and cervical cancer screenings, as well as diabetes treatments.
Mindy Milavsky: Milavsky, who is currently the Lawrence Middle School principal, was inducted as a coach.
“I was really honored when I found out that I was going to be inducted,” she said in an e-mail. “I’ve always been really proud to be part of Lawrence athletics, and it was great to see so many people who feel the same way as I do about the athletic program here.
She began her career at the high school in 1992 as a physical education teacher and coached both swimming and cheerleading. As an assistant coach with the swim team, Milavsky helped leadlead the squad to Hornet Relays and Mercer County titles, as well as state sectional titles in 2000 and 2006. A College of New Jersey graduate, Milavsky swam breaststroke, butterfly and individual medley for the Lions. She was a national qualifier in the 200 and 400 medley relays and still holds records in both events.
“It meant a lot to me that Lawrence swimming was so well-represented at the induction ceremony and that former head coach Dean Mason was the one who introduced me,” Milavsky said. “It was Dean who allowed me to take such a strong role with the program when we worked together, and it was great to have him be such a big part of that night with me.”
Brett Brackett: Brackett, a 2006 graduate, started 30 consecutive games at quarterback for the Cardinals. He set school records for most touchdown passes in a season and most career touchdown passes, and, in 2005, received the Frank Mammy Piscopo Memorial Award, Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Football Foundation Player of the Year Award and the Lawrence High School Male Athlete of the Year Award. He also played basketball at LHS and finished his career with 1,354 points. Brackett went on to play football at Penn State University, where he was a co-captain in 2010. Brackett signed with the Miami Dolphins after graduation, and went on to have stints with tfour NFL teams. He signed with the Tennessee Titans and 2014 and started four times.
Vernon Hicks: Hicks, a 2000 gradute, played both football and basketball. He led the football team in interceptions during his junior and senior seasons and was part of the undefeated Valley Division champion squad. Hicks was also a member of the 1999 Central Jersey Group III champion basketball team and was selected to play in the CVC All Star High School basketball game and Sunshine Classic football game in 2000. Hicks was a wide receiver at Southern Connecticut State University and was part of a unit that was in the top five in receiving yards in the country. Hicks is currently the chief business management bureau/contracting officer at the New Jersey Department of Military and Veteran Affairs.
Christie Icenhower MacDonald: MacDonald (’06) was a varsity letter winner in both soccer and swimming. Her diving records, set in 2003 and 2004, still stand today. She attended East Carolina University, where she set eight school diving records and was a four-time NCAA Zone qualifier and All-Conference USA performer. She was named the school’s most outstanding diver four times. MacDonald is now the customer service manager and client experience team member at Customer Service Experts.
Nicole McMullen: McMullen was a multi-sport athlete at Lawrence, but she was most successful in track and field. She finished in the top three of various county championship events 10 times throughout her career. McMullen broke the school record in the 400 in 2005, qualifying her for the Nike Outdoor National Meet, and was part of 18 school records when she graduated. She earned 18 medals in state competition. McMullen was a three-time team MVP at St. Joseph’s University. She currently works in administration at Pope John Paul II High School and coaches track at Bryn Mawr College.
Keith Richardson: Richardson was a soccer, baseball and basketball standout. As captain of the 1994 Group III state chapion soccer team, he helped the team finish fourth in New Jersey. The New Jersey Soccer Coaches Association selected Richardson (’95) as the top goalkeeper in the state, and he earned All-Area, All-County and All-State honors over the course of his career. Richardson attended the University of Connecticut and Rider University, finishing his collegiate career ranked ninth in the country in goals against average among Division I schools. Today, Richardson is the assistant vice president of the Monmouth University Leadership Program.
Andrew Steiner: Steiner, a 2001 graduate, was a standout swimmer for the Cardinals. He set records in the 200 individual medley, 500 freestyle and 400 freestyle relay, and was a member of the Central Jersey Group B championship squad. He was named to the All-CVC first team in 2001 in the 100 breaststroke and medley relay events. Steinert went on the attend Bucknell University, where he swam and served as captain his senior year and helped the team win the Patriot League title in his sophomore year. Steiner is currently a dentist.
Barbara Fecak: Fecak began her teaching career at Lawrence in the ’70s and was an immediate fan and supporter of scholastic athletics, particularly football and basketball. Fecak was often found working at the concession stand, collecting tickets and cheering for a number of Cardinal squads. She was the football team’s statistician from the ’80s until her retirement in the ’00s. Fecak passed away in 2010.
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