Category Archives: Search for Inductee
Kate Whalen
Kate Whalen attended Cheshire High School where for all four years; she was a three sport athlete. She played volleyball, basketball and softball. While she was recognized in all three sports for her accomplishments, it was in volleyball that she truly excelled.
In 1981 Kate was named the Most Improved Player. In 1982, she was named team Captain and later, her Team’s Most Valuable Player. In her career, she received both league and state honors. She was named to the 1st Team All Housatonic League, and the All State Class L 2nd Team.
Kate attended the University of New Haven on a volleyball/softball scholarship. In her senior year, she credits her coach Debbie Chin with influencing her career, resulting in her current position as the Senior Associate Director of Athletics at Adelphi University.
Marie Lavin
Marie Lavin began her volleyball officiating career in 1987. Only four years later, in 1991, she officiated her first state tournament final.
Since then, Marie has officiated many matches and fourteen state tournament finals. In her incredible career, she also in one season officiated four state finals, two for girls volleyball and two for boys volleyball.
Marie has served her fellow officials as well. She served as President of the Connecticut Federation of Volleyball Officials from 2004 until 2008. Since 2008, she has served as the Assigning Coordinator for CFVO as well as serving on the Connecticut State Board of Volleyball Officials as secretary for four years and as President of the Board for two years. In addition she has recently served as the Boys Volleyball State Tournament Assigner for 2014 and 2015.
Marina Rose
Marina Rose attended Coventry High School where she earned three varsity letters in track and field and four varsity letters in basketball and volleyball.
Marina’s greatest accomplishments were earned playing volleyball. She was named captain of the volleyball team in both her junior and senior year. During her four years on the team, Coventry won four consecutive Class S State Championships. In those championships, she was named the Most Valuable Player in three of the four state championship matches.
In 2013, Marina was named the Gatorade Connecticut Player of the Year, as well as the MaxPreps Small Schools High School Volleyball Player of the Year. Marina now attends Providence College and is a junior. She plays on the volleyball team and this year she earned the title of captain.
Marina studies Health Policy and Management at Providence College and wants to pursue medicine after her years at Providence to become an Obstetrician. Her younger sister, Emma is currently playing volleyball at Iona College and is a freshman. Marina loves to play beach volleyball doubles with Emma and enjoys coaching when she can.
Rich Heitz
Richard Heitz has said he always loved the sport of volleyball since first being introduced to it in middle school. Unfortunately, there were no boys’ volleyball programs when he attended Pomperaug High School and he had to wait until the age of eighteen to play for his church team in a power league in Oxford, CT.
Richard played competitively on various club teams and in tournaments in the area until he began coaching as an assistant coach under Deb O’Brien at Wethersfield High School in 1994. He coached the Junior Varsity until 2001 when he took the head coaching position at Southington High School. Entering this 2015 fall season, he will have coached at Southington for fourteen years with an overall record of 236-72.
Richard’s teams at Southington won 9 consecutive divisional titles from 2004 – 2012. They were also CCC Tournament champions in 2008 and 2010, as well as state champions in 2009 and state runners-up in 2011. His teams have been recognized many times including twelve times by the American Volleyball Coaches Association with the Team Academic Award, as well as four times by the Connecticut Board of Volleyball Officials (CBVO) with their annual sportsmanship award in 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2010.
Richard has been recognized as well for the accomplishments of his teams. In 2014, he was named the Connecticut High School Coaches Association’s Coach of the year. In 2015, he was a Finalist for National High School Coach of the Year in Volleyball, recognized at NHSACA annual convention in Rochester, MN.
Richard has given back much to the sport of volleyball having served for twelve years as a member of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Girls’ Volleyball Committee, and served as chairman for six of those years. He also spent 10 years as a member of the CHSCA Senior All-Star Game Committee, and was selected as head coach in the game in 2007. He has served the sport regionally and nationally as well, serving on the Girls’ Volleyball All-American Committee for Region 1 (covering New England and New York State) and for three years as a board member for the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
Southington Observer: Rising to great Heitz: Lady Knight coach inducted into CT volleyball hall of fame
Tessa Smolinski
Tessa Smolinski played scholastically at RHAM High School, where she was the school’s Scholar Athlete-of-the-Year as a senior. She became the program’s first Gatorade Connecticut Volleyball Player-of-the-Year when she led the Sachems to an undefeated season and a third straight Class “M” state championship. Smolinski was a two-time Most Valuable Player of the state title match and a two-time first-team Class “M” All-Stater.
After high school, Tessa attended Springfield College where she participated in four NCAA Division III tournaments and won two New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) post-season tournaments. She had a career 1556 kills and 1355 digs while at Springfield. As a senior, she was chosen as the NEWMAC Player-of-the-Year, and repeated as a second-team AVCA All-American. She is also the recipient of the NCAA Elite 89 Award, which is presented to the player at the national championships with the highest GPA, as she graduated with a 3.99 GPA.
Smolinski is an experienced clinician at various volleyball camps and clinics. She is now an assistant coach under Megan Silver-Droesch at the University of Connecticut, while pursuing a Doctorate in Audiology at the University.
Becky Corb Thomas
Becky Corb played volleyball at Bunnell High School from 1998-2001 under head Coach Dave Jockle, another inductee this evening. During her career, Becky’s teams won three Conference Champion-ships. In her senior year, her team won the State Championship and Becky was named to the First Team All-Conference, and the First Team All-State. In addition, she was named to the New Haven Register’s All-Area Team and to the Hartford Courant’s All-Courant Team. Also in her senior year, she was named the New Haven Register’s Player of the Year.
Becky played collegiately at Loyola College from 2002-2006. In her junior year, she led her team and was 2nd in the Conference with 434 kills. She also had 210 digs, 8 solo blocks, 35 total blocks, 10 assists, and led the team in service aces with 31.
In Becky’s senior year, she was named to both the Patriot Invitational All-Tournament Team with 47 kills and the Spring Hill Suites Classic All-Tournament Team with 69 kills and 39 digs, and was named Loyola College’s Volleyball Most Valuable Player.
Becky became only the second player in Loyola’s history with 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs. When she graduated, she held the school’s career kill record with 1,629.
Dave Jockle
Dave Jockle began his volleyball career as the assistant coach at Fairfield University. In 1994, he was hired as the head coach at Bunnell High School in Stratford and held the position through 2009. During that time, his teams compiled a record of 311 and 63, an 83% winning record. They won eight Southwest Conference champion-ships, nine Colonial Division Championships and four State Championships. In both 2004 and 2006, they were the #1 ranked team in Connecticut.
Dave was named the CT Post High School Volleyball coach of the year four times. In 2001 and 2006, he was named the New Haven Register High School Volleyball Coach of the year and in 2006 was named the CIAC High School Coach of the year.
Besides high school volleyball, Dave also coached the CT Juniors Travel Program. In 1996 his team competed in the Junior Olympics National Program.
This is Dave Jockle’s second Hall of Fame induction. In 2008, Dave Jockle was inducted into the Bunnell High School Hall of Fame as well.
Cindy DeCarlo
Cindy DeCarlo earned her BS and MS in Physical Education from Southern CT State University and later earned her 6th Year in Administration from Southern as well.
From 1978 to 1982, Cindy coached volleyball at Jonathan Law HS in Milford. Then in 1986 she began officiating volleyball as a member of the CT Federation of Volleyball Officials, the CFVO. During this time she held the offices of secretary/treasurer and vice-president as well.
In 1995 she served as a volunteer volleyball official for the International Special Olympics held in New Haven.
In the 1998 – 1999 school year, Cindy left officiating to become an interim elementary building administrator. At the end of that year, she went back to officiating as President of the CFVO. During the years she officiated, Cindy was assigned not only regular season matches, she also officiated conference and state tournaments including finals as both a referee and a down official.
Cindy is a past member of the CIAC Board of Volleyball Officials, and after spearheading the effort for many years to bring both boards of officials under one governing body, which they are now, she has continued her affiliation with the CFVO as an ex-officio member.
Cindy retired 1n 2008 after 35 years of teaching Physical Education in the Milford Public Schools. She is currently working as an adjunct professor at Southern supervising Physical Education Student Teachers.
George Green
George Green has been the coach at St. Joseph’s High School for 32 years. His overall record is 537 and 117. Although undocumented, his 537 wins in volleyball, is believed to be the most wins in Connecticut history.
His teams won 14 League Championships and five State Championships in 1984, ’89, ’91, ’92, and ’97 and won the silver medal in 2002.
George was twice the coach in the Sr. Volleyball All-Star game including in its inaugural year in 1991, and was named CT. High School Coach of the year in 1993. He was also named the New Haven Register and CT. Post Coach of the Year.
In addition, George won three State Championships in Class M Boys’ Volleyball and five State Championships in Class S Girls and Boys Tennis.
In this, his last year of coaching volleyball, George has left a legacy of outstanding coaching success that will not be forgotten.