The new members of the Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame will be inducted on April 25 in West Hartford.

Submitted by Kimberly Sanders Spera, Communications Director, Northwest Catholic

Submitted photo

Northwest Catholic has announced the names of the five newest members of its Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame. These outstanding alumni athletes and one coach will be inducted during a dinner and ceremony at Wampanoag Country Club on April 25, 2015. The new inductees are:

Matthew Hogan ’67 – Matt was a multi-sport athlete during his time at Northwest Catholic, playing baseball as a freshman, basketball as a freshman and sophomore, and football from his sophomore through senior years, as well as running for the track team as a senior. He was a team captain for track and defensive captain for football during his senior year, earning All-Conference honors in football in 1966. Matt also helped start a weightlifting program at Northwest Catholic. Following Northwest Catholic, he ran indoor track and played football at the University of Connecticut. His career took him to the United Nations, where he worked as a Systems Analyst from 1975 to 2009. At the UN, he started a weightlifting club and was a member of the United Nations Soccer League for 10 years. Matt has competed in local weightlifting competitions, track meets, races and triathlons, including running the New York City Marathon three times. He is retired now and lives in New York state.

Larry Hogan ’68 – A talented football player over his four years of high school, Larry also played basketball as a freshman and was a member of the school’s track team his junior and senior years. He was team captain for both the football and track teams his senior year. In his senior year of football, Larry received both All Hartford County Conference and 2^nd Team All-State honors and was selected as an alternate in the Nutmeg Bowl All-Star game. In track, he was the team MVP his senior year and qualified for the State Track Meet in shot put, discus and javelin. Following Northwest Catholic, Larry played four years of Division I football at Villanova University. He currently lives in Honolulu, where he is a Senior Staff Instructor for Island Divers Hawaii.

Carolyn Hughes LaMonaca ’75– A star track athlete and a pioneer for girls’ athletics at Northwest Catholic, Carolyn was a team captain her senior year, also earning the team’s Coaches’ Award. During her time at Northwest Catholic, she set a school record for the 80 yard hurdles and was a member of the school record-setting 4×110 relay team. She was also a member of the state champion 4×110 relay team in 1975. Carolyn went on to attend Wesleyan University, where she continued to run track, serving as a team captain. She is now retired and lives in Georgia with her husband Frank. They have three sons – Frank, John and Matt.

Franklyn Chang ’86 – A talented runner, Franklyn participated in Indoor and Outdoor Track for four years, as well as running Cross Country his junior and senior years and playing soccer his freshman and sophomore years. He was a team captain for Cross Country, Indoor Track and Outdoor Track his senior year, earning All-Conference honors in both Indoor and Outdoor Track his senior year. In 1985, he was recognized at the Hartford Public Invitational as the Best All Around Athlete. Franklyn’s track career continued at Manhattan College in Riverdale, NY, where he was named track team captain and Academic All-American his senior year. After graduating Manhattan College, he went on to earn his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1995. He is currently a Managing Director at Investcorp and lives with his wife, Sandy Lee Chang, in New Haven. They have three children – Naomi, Alexis and Talia.

Dennis McCormack, Honorary Member – After a distinguished running career as a student at East Catholic High School and the College of the Holy Cross, Dennis turned to coaching, serving in a variety of coaching capacities at Northwest Catholic from 1973 to 1977, including Head Coach for the Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country teams, Head Coach for the Indoor Track team and both Assistant Coach and Head Coach for the Boys’ Outdoor Track team. The 1976 Boys’ Cross Country team won the State Open Championship under Dennis’ leadership. Following his career at Northwest Catholic, coached the Men’s Cross Country team at the University of Hartford from 1986-1989. Dennis is currently an attorney and lives in Tolland, CT.

Tickets for the Hall of Fame ceremony and dinner are $75 and may be purchased by going to www.NorthwestCatholic.org/HOF.

Since 1961, Northwest Catholic’s mission has been to educate the whole person: mind, body, spirit, and soul. Enrollment for the Class of ’19 is now under way. For more information, contact Andrew Selig (860-236-4221, x140 or [email protected]).