Kingswood Oxford announces newest Athletic Hall of Fame inductees.
Jennifer White Pennoyer, MD ’85. Submitted photo
Submitted by Michelle M. Murphy, Director of Communications and Marketing, Kingswood Oxford
Two West Hartford residents – Jennifer White Pennoyer, MD ’85 and Jack Sitarz ’65 – will be inducted into Kingwood Oxford’s Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 13, 2015, during the “Honoring Excellence” ceremony on Reunion ’15 Weekend.
Along with five other individual athletes, a beloved coach, and the 1990 Girls’ Ice Hockey team, they were chosen for the Hall of Fame based on their tremendous athletic achievements, as well as their integrity, sportsmanship, and character.
For information or to register to attend Reunion, visit www.kingswoodoxford.org/reunion.
The KO Athletic Hall of Fame Class of ’15 includes the following people (in alphabetical order):
Jack Sitarz ‘65. Submitted photo
Chantal Lacroix Ayers ’90, Cary, NC
Chantal was an outstanding three-sport athlete (field hockey, lacrosse, ice hockey) from the moment she transferred to KO as a sophomore. Field hockey captain and MVP as both a junior and senior, she was also a key player on the undefeated 1990 Girls’ Ice Hockey team. Chantal went on to play D1 field hockey and lacrosse at Holy Cross, where some of her school records still stand. As a senior, she led the field hockey team to the ECAC tournament. She was Patriot League Player of the Year in field hockey in 1993; was named to the All-Patriot League team several times in both sports; and won several other school and league honors.
Coach Joseph E. Gargan (posthumous)
A graduate of the University of Illinois, Coach Gargan was Athletic Director from 1925-31 and again from 1934-45 (after completing his Master’s at Columbia University), and he also coached football, baseball, basketball, and soccer — including ten teams that went undefeated. He later worked for the Hartford Board of Education; helped to create and manage the Central Connecticut Football Officials Association; and officiated football and baseball games for 10 years. He was a member of the Northern Connecticut Chapter of the National Football Foundation and its Hall of Fame. Coach Gargan passed away in 1996 at the age of 98.
Daniel E. Goldberg ’85, Ann Arbor, MI
A standout tennis player, Daniel was a two-year captain on KO’s team and was ranked #1 in singles and doubles in New England (and #12 nationally) for 18-and-under boys when he was a senior. In 1985, he won the Timothy Berman ’78 Memorial Award for Sportsmanship from the New England Tennis Association. At the University of Michigan, Daniel again served as captain; was a three-time All-American and four-time Big Ten Conference member; and playing at #1 singles in 1988, he was a finalist in the NCAA singles tournament and was named Big Ten Player of the Year. In 1989, he won Big Ten Sportsman of the Year. His career record for singles wins at Michigan remains intact. From 1986-90, Daniel also competed in the ATP tour, achieving a #276 worldwide ranking in 1988. In 1989, he was the Bronze Medalist in the Maccabiah World Games in Israel. In 1997, he was inducted into the Greater Hartford Jewish Hall of Fame.
Jared Jordan ’03, Farmington CT
Jared was a two-sport star at KO: In soccer, he was All-State as a junior and senior, and captain as a senior. In baskeball, he was captain in both junior and seniors years and All-State both years, as well. At graduation, he won the Merritt Prize. Jared quickly became a star on the Marist College men’s basketball team, too, earning conference recognition in freshman and sophomore year. As a junior, he made the MAAC First Team and the All-MAAC Tournament Team, led the nation in assists, and served as team captain. And as a senior, he again led the nation in assists, and he was named MAAC Player of the Year, won the Haggerty Award for All-Met Division 1 Men’s College Basketball, and was tapped for the All-District First Team of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. In 2007, the LA Clippers picked him in the 45th round of the NBA draft. Jared has since played for a number of teams internationally, including in Lithuania, Greece, and Germany.
Clark Peaslee ’69, New Paltz, NY
A three-sport athlete, Clark excelled at skiing, football, and lacrosse, serving as captain of the latter team his senior year. Among others, he won the MacDonald Award, the Larkin Skiing Trophy, and the Williams College award. As a senior, he was named All Conference in lacrosse and the Scholar-Athlete of the Northern Connecticut Chapter of the National Football Association. At Princeton, Clark captained the lacrosse team and represented the Tigers in the North-South All-Star Game in June 1973. In 1975, he was named MVP in the Connecticut Valley Lacrosse Conference.
Jennifer White Pennoyer, MD ’85, West Hartford, CT
A star in three sports (soccer, lacrosse, and ice hockey), Jen earned 9 varsity letters; as a senior, she was captain of the ice hockey team, MVP, and shared the Robert Lazear Award for the senior girl who contributed most to athletics. She continued playing hockey at Harvard, where she was All-Ivy for four years and earned All-ECAC Honorable Mention. (Harvard was Ivy League champs in three of her four years on the team.) As a senior, she was team captain and received the Joe Bertana Award for Leadership and Dedication.
John W. Sitarz ’65, West Hartford, CT
Jack was a three-year starter on the Varsity Football, Basketball and Baseball teams; he was class president and captain of the basketball team as a junior and senior; and captain of the baseball team as a senior. During junior year, he scored 35 points in a single game, tying the school record, and in senior year ranked second in all-time scoring and was named All-State. He received the Anthony Prize, the Irving Prize, the Williams Club of Hartford Prize, the Class of 1958 Award, and the William R. MacDonald Prize for the outstanding athlete in the senior class. Frosty Francis said he was “the most complete player he had ever coached.” At Wesleyan, Jack started on the basketball team all four years. And, in 1970, he played baseball for a Boston Red Sox Minor League team.
Kevin N. Tyler ’75, Severn, MD
A key member of the undefeated 1973 Varsity Football team, Kevin set records that season for rushing (1,376 yards), touchdowns (19), and points (120). He was named a high school All-American when he was a senior. He also competed on KO’s track team. Kevin played football for two years at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a starting kick and punt returner.
1990 KO Girls Hockey Team. Submitted photo
1990 Girls’ Ice Hockey Team
The remarkable 1990 Girls’ Ice Hockey team made school history by winning the first-ever New England Prep School Championship in that sport — the crowning achievement of a season in which they went 17-0, continuing a 47-game winning streak. Led by Coach Anthony Dennis, Coach Joelene Butress, and Coach Andre Lacroix, along with co-captains Jo-anne “Joey” Alissi Cosgriff, MD ’90 and Michelle K. Amidon ’90, the team included Margot Moses ’91, Jessica Devine ’90, Chantal Lacroix Ayers ’90, Heather Walsh, a member of the Class of ’91, Dana Finkelstein ’91, Kathryn Antos Mikkelson ’91, Lisa Tulimieri Thibodeaux ’90, Frances van Huystee Morris ’90, and Thalia Ghiglia Ricotta ’91.
