2023 Winners
SwimmingHenry Warren
Henry was named captain of the 2023 Cranford Boy’s Swim Team. He was on the Jersey Gators for ten years and the Cranford High School team for 4 years. During a difficult time in his life, he said that swimming was a “consistent grounding outlet” and that “having the support of two separate swim teams was truly an irreplaceable experience.” He continued by saying “The love and support of all these people I’ve both grown up with and am currently friends with was one of the biggest helping hands during that time.” Henry will be attending The College of New Jersey on five-year master track in early education and special education. Excert from awards speech Julia Hulse Julia was also named as one of the captains of the 2023 Cranford Girl’s Swim Team. She has been swimming on teams since she was very young including many years on the Gators as well as four years on the High School team. In her essay, she said: “My teammates mean so much to me and all of my happiest memories of high school include my teammates, the pre-meet hype of having pasta parties, the loud exciting bus rides to meets we didn't want to swim, the gossiping with other teams in the locker rooms, pushing each other through brutal sets during practice, and so much more.” Excert from awards speech |
Field HockeyErin DeGroat Erin played 4 years on the High School Field Hockey team. She joined the varsity squad as a sophomore and played midfield. Coach Berk said, “She supported her offensive line by hustling up the field to help set up a shot on goal, while selflessly hustling back on defense to help block a shot. Her hard-working mentality was contagious as she would put all of her efforts into every play and every practice. While maintaining her team player attitude, she inspired the players around her to never give up and led by example on and off the field.” Erin is headed to the University of Delaware and majoring in chemical engineering. Excert from awards speech Audrey McMahon Audrey played on both the Cranford High School Field Hockey and Swim teams for 4 years. She said that “Field hockey is my athletic love. It all began in the Brookside gym at the clinic that Mrs. Dolan put together and ran. She wasn’t coaching a top-ranked high school team, but she knew that this start for the youngest players was an important part of the Cranford field hockey puzzle. We were ultimate beginners. We didn’t know how to hold the stick or understand that you could only use the flat side, but we couldn’t get enough and we wore our tie-dyed field hockey shirts around town with pride. When I joined field hockey freshman year, I was both very nervous and intimidated. The older girls seemed so big and good! They were serious about expectations of the team, but also welcomed me and showed me by their example that a team is not just winning the game, it is about showing up, trying your hardest, and lifting up those around you.” Audrey will be attending Ithaca College next year, where she will be studying Psychology and Fine Arts, and playing field hockey. Excert from awards speech |
2022 Winners
Swimming
Jessica Mooney
Jessica grew up swimming for the Jersey Gators and later for the High School Swim Team. During these years, she learned that a strong leader paves the way for a successful and cohesive team. As a young competitor, she discovered how she changed from having an individual mindset to becoming a member of a group striving towards a shared goal. When she became a captain herself, she felt strongly that it was her responsibility to teach the younger members of her team these same critical life lessons. Being a good teammate allowed her to be an even stronger leader. In her words, “The lessons you learn from being on a team can stay with you forever.” Jessica will be continuing her swimming career, majoring in psychology at Farleigh Dickinson University. We know that Anne will be cheering loudly for you on the sidelines at FDU. Excert from awards speech Michael DeSimone
Michael grew up as a Jersey Gator before joining the high school swim team. He spoke about how scary it was as a freshman joining a team full of older and more experienced members. His nerves faded though when his new teammates welcomed him right in as if he had been there all along. He said one of the greatest lessons he learned from them was, “If everyone gives 100% we can accomplish amazing things” As a senior captain, he made sure to pass on this lesson to every nervous underclassman who stepped onto the deck for the first time. Michael will be continuing his swimming career as a business management major at Salisbury University. We know that Anne would be so proud of all your accomplishments. Excert from awards speech |
Dan Connolly
Dan has been swimming for Cranford since his freshman year, however, he has also been on many other teams, including his years on the baseball field and his time as a lifeguard at the Cranford Pool. He noted that the most successful teams he has been on all came together as a family. In his words, “A team is a family who will be there for each other and work together to accomplish something great.” He went on to say, “I know my teams have always been there for me”. He emphasizes that teams are everywhere, not just in sports. We can accomplish so much more together. This is the lesson that my mom was always trying to get across. Dan will be continuing his studies as a Marine Biology major at Monmouth University. We know if Anne were here she would give you the biggest hug and tell you she’ll always be on your team. Excert from awards speech Justin Lotito
Justin joined the high school swim team his freshman year and immediately started to see the power of having strong supporting teammates. He spoke about cheering his fellow swimmers on from the sideline and when his time came to step on the block he wrote how good it felt to hear them rooting for him. It strengthened and encouraged him to work even harder. These experiences helped him as a lifeguard at the Cranford Pools. He saw what a team can accomplish when he made his first save and all of his fellow guards rushed to support him and he said, “It made me feel great knowing that I was not alone.” He found that a true team is far stronger than a collection of individuals. Justin will be studying communications at Seton Hall University next fall. Everyone in our family remembers Anne rooting for you and we know she always will be. Excert from awards speech |
2021 Winners
SwimmingDane Hagstrom
Dane was named a Team Captain for the 2021 Boys Varsity Swim Team. Coach Donnelly said he was “one of the best starting divers I’ve coached in 16 years.” Dane wrote movingly about how his teammates and coaches stuck with him through thick and thin to help him face adversity in and out of the pool. He said that “a team to me is more than just a group of people with common goals, but rather a family of close friends.” He plans to major in engineering at Drexel University. Best of luck and congratulations to Dane Hagstrom. Excert from awards speech Savannah Riera Savannah has been competitively swimming since the age of seven and has been on numerous teams in Virginia, Lima, Peru, and Cranford. She swam for both the Jersey Gators and the High School Varsity swim team, where she was voted as a team captain for the 2021 season. She is also a member of the Cranford First Aid Squad. She said, “I would not be who I am today, or where I am today without my teams and the lessons I have learned along my journey.” Next year, she will be swimming at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. Congratulations to Savannah Riera! I know you’ll bring the values and lessons you learned in Cranford with you and I have no doubt you’ll make us all proud. Excert from awards speech |
Field HockeyMaeve Hanlon Maeve began learning the sport in 3rd grade from Anne during her very first clinic and in many of her clinics to come. In the beginning, she admitted, this was not her favorite sport, but she stuck with it and began to finally love the game in middle school where Anne was the coach for her 7th-grade year. She went on to be voted captain of the varsity 2021 team. Maeve wrote passionately about the amazing bond she had with her team and said “Not only did this sport give me a sense of purpose outside of school, but it gave me life-long friendships with girls I am proud to call my second family.” She will be studying marketing at Marist College this fall. Congratulations to Maeve Hanlon. I know Anne would be so very proud of you and that you will go on to do great things. Excert from awards speech Deirdre Tighe Deirdre started field hockey in middle school and volunteered to be the goalie, the hardest position on a sport she was brand new to. Even though it was difficult, she stuck with it because she loved the girls she was playing with. She developed into an outstanding goalie and played on the varsity team during her junior and senior years. Throughout the team’s many highs and lows she wrote about how they all stuck together to pick themselves up when times were tough but also to celebrate their triumphs. She said, “I am eternally indebted to the incredible, strong women that made the past six years better than I could have imagined and who gave me the chance to experience something magical.” She will be studying politics and international affairs at Wake Forest University in the fall. Congratulations to Deirdre Tighe. I know that Anne would be so incredibly proud of all that you have accomplished, and I know she would wish you the best of luck in college. Excert from awards speech |
2020 Winners
SwimmingChaz DeSimone Chaz was a four-year member of the Cranford High School Boys Varsity Swim Team. Chaz has been swimming since he was a child, as have all of the DeSimone siblings, and enjoyed many years on the Gator team before joining the high school team. Chaz found his spot on the team early on and grew as a swimmer tremendously during his junior year. It was during this time that Chaz really put a lot of focus on the breast stroke events (in the medley relay and in the 100 yard individual). Chaz was also a main competitor in the individual 50 free and for some time during his junior year, the 100 free. He was consistently a sprinter in the 200 yard medley relay and 200 yard freestyle relays. At almost all of Chaz’s swim meets for the past two years, Chaz has competed in four events which is the maximum allowed by the NJSIAA. The only time this year that I did not put Chaz in four events was during a period of illness or exhaustion. He never complained about his events and enjoyed watching his times decrease at various points throughout his high school career. Chaz also served as a co-captain this year for the team. Chaz’s strengths with the team are his physical strength and his love of fitness. When Chaz is scolded to focus on something, he listens and will do what he is told. Chaz’s downfall is his punctuality and attendance especially during his senior year. He was consistently late to most practices and missed numerous practices to attend to other things; some were excused as they involved his physical fitness tests with the military schools he was applying to. I would have liked to have seen Chaz interact more with the new swimmers on the team as many of them looked up to him. Chaz is friendly and certainly outgoing, and I should have pushed him more to reach out to those younger swimmers. During swim meets, Chaz was always focused on his sport, his event, and swimming the best that he could. He could tell if he had a good or bad time based on his starts and turns. It was exciting to watch him reach some of his timed goals this season on his personal events. Chaz has always been respectful towards the coaching staff and his team and his absence will be felt next year. I know a highlight for Chaz was during his junior year when we swam a relay of non-Gator swimmers against all Gator swimmers. Chaz and his non-Gator swimmers relay won the event and they always enjoyed rubbing that in every now and then. When I asked Chaz why he felt he was deserving of this scholarship, he responded, “As a life-long Cranford resident and a student of Anne Dolan's Star Guard certification course, I feel that I embody the qualities that Mrs. Dolan taught. Working for her for 2 years taught me the importance of diligence and compassion. Every day I take the stand, I remember one thing she always said, "Drowning can happen to anybody at any time." It is this mantra that keeps me ever-vigilant and maintaining a watchful eye at all times. It's this and many other lessons I learned from Mrs. Dolan that I will bring with me to college and beyond.” Excert from recommendation letter written by: Colleen Donnelly Boy's Varsity Swim Coach |
Field HockeyPaige Brogan When I think of Paige Brogan, qualities like leadership and respect come to mind. For the last four years, it has been an absolute pleasure coaching Paige in two sports, field hockey and lacrosse. Paige embodies so many qualities that make her a wonderful candidate for this scholarship. Paige has received many awards throughout her field hockey and lacrosse career. She was named captain of the field hockey team as a senior. Her teammates and coaches unanimously selected her for captain based on her positive attitude, character, and leadership traits. She was named to the following honors: 2019 All Star Team: Union County 2019 First Team All Conference 2019 2nd Team All Conference 2018 2nd Team All Conference 2017 second team All Conference 2016 Honorable Mention All Conference She has been a multi-year varsity letter winner in both field hockey and lacrosse and has made positive impacts for both of her teams. Not only does Paige see success on the field, but she is also involved in Cranford’s community. Paige is a wonderful, well-rounded role model for the younger players in our program. She is always the first one to practice and last one to leave, always helping with setting up and cleaning up the field. Paige’s passion to continuously learn and grow as both an athlete and a scholar stands true to her character. Paige’s leadership on and off the field motivates her teammates and herself. She models how hard work and commitment, results in success. She helped lead the 2017 field hockey team to their first Conference victory since 1989. She is fair and loyal to her teammates and supports them through high pressure moments. Paige’s passion for both sports and dedication to her teammates makes her an extremely valuable player to our programs. Excert from recommendation letter written by: Samantha Berk Cranford Head Varsity Field Hockey Coach Erin Trojan Erin has been a member of my varsity lacrosse and field hockey teams for the last three years, but I have known Erin dating back to her middle school days when I taught her in the art classroom. Erin is a person that has always been kind, respectful and hardworking. She has continued to demonstrate those qualities as a high school student athlete. In the beginning of Erin’s senior year, she was voted captain of the field hockey team. Erin’s teammates admire her for many reasons, but two that stand out to me include, leading by example and being approachable. Erin is always leading her team in runs and putting in the work on the off season months. As her coach, I have seen Erin step into the role of captain seamlessly and she has been the heart of the team. Throughout the years, Erin has formed close bonds with her teammates, but she especially relates to her younger teammates because she understands what it feels like to be a rookie at the sport. Up until her freshman year, Erin was a dedicated lacrosse player, but after a little convincing, I got Erin to come out for field hockey the summer going into her sophomore year. She took a risk and tried something new. Erin persevered through the growing pains that come with starting a new sport and has made so much progress throughout her journey. Being a risk taker is a quality that not a lot of high schoolers have. Erin continuously demonstrates willingness to be vulnerable which has elevated her to the next level in so many ways. I am so thankful she chose to take the risk because she has brought so much positivity to the team. She works hard for everything she has earned, including her role as captain. Erin not only makes a difference on the field hockey field, but also in her school and community. Erin has participated in volunteer trips and is a member of several clubs at Cranford High School. Her teachers, peers and coaches continuously praise Erin for her maturity and leadership traits. I know she will continue to make a positive impact in her college community as she did in ours. Excert from recommendation letter written by: Samantha Berk Cranford Head Varsity Field Hockey Coach |