The following distinguished athletes, coaches, official, administrators, and journalists were inducted into the Rhode Island Interscholastic League High School Athletic Hall of Fame-Class of 2017 on Wednesday, October 25, 2017, 7pm at the Crowne Plaza, Warwick, Rhode Island. Also honored was the 2017 "Outstanding Service Award" recipient, Mr. Robert E. Littlefield.
Denise Armstrong-Florio – A three-sport star at Cranston West in the late 1970s, Armstrong-Florio remains one of the best female athletes ever to play for her school, earning All-State honors in basketball, volleyball and tennis.
Meghann Carney Peterson – A three-sport star at North Kingstown in the mid-1990s, Carney was an All-Stater in both field hockey and volleyball, as well as being named Gatorade R.I. Volleyball Player of the Year in 1996, while also earning All-Division honors in basketball.
Shelley Zanfagna Cavanaugh– A three-time All-Stater, Cavanaugh dominated the diamond when the RIIL added fast-pitch softball in the mid-1980s, hurling North Providence to three of its first four state titles and finishing with 381 career strikeouts.
Coach Jim Doyle – One of Rhode Island’s most successful high school coaches in any sport, Doyle’s coaching career spans more than three decades, first at St. Raphael and now at Bishop Hendricken. During that time he has coached his teams to a total of 52 state championships – 18 in cross country, 22 in indoor track-and-field and 12 in outdoor track-and-field.
Virginia “Gini” Duarte (posthumous) – A longtime elementary teacher in East Providence, Duarte worked closely with Alice Sullivan beginning in the late 1960s to develop girls’ high school sports in Rhode Island. In addition to being an original member of the RIIL’s Sub-Committee for Girls High School Sports, she coached at East Providence High School and was a girls basketball and volleyball official.
Katherine (Johnston) Itacy – A three-time All-State selection outdoors, twice indoors, as well as a three-time Gatorade R.I. Girls Track and Field Athlete of the Year, Itacy set state records in both the 4K hammer throw and 20-pound weight throw en route to winning many titles while competing for Warwick Vets in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Catherine M. Lanni – An All-Stater and 1983 McDonald’s High School All-American honorable mention, Lanni was one of the greatest girls basketball players ever to play at North Providence High School. After serving as an assistant coach at CCRI, she went on to coach for seven years at Shea High School, leading the Raiders to their program’s first divisional and state titles.
Julie Maguire – A graduate of North Kingstown where she was a member of the Skippers’ 1983 state championship field hockey team and also played basketball, track and field, volleyball and softball, Maguire has been coaching at her alma mater ever since graduating from the University of Rhode Island. Over the last 27 years, she has guided the North Kingstown field hockey team to 10 Division I titles and 22 Final Four appearances.
Pat Monti – The 1963-64 Rhode Island Schoolboy Athlete of the Year, Monti starred in football, basketball and baseball at Barrington High School, leading the baseball team to the 1964 state title and the basketball team to three Class C Championships. He also coached the swim team at his alma mater and was an RIIL baseball umpire for 10 years.
Mike Reeder – A boys and girls basketball official for more than 40 years, Reeder has served as president of both boards, as well as a rules interpreter, and has been honored numerous times for his service and dedication to the profession.
Tony Torregrossa – A member of a state championship wrestling team and two state championship football teams at Mount Pleasant High School, Torregrossa has spent the past 51 years at Smithfield High School, working as a math teacher and athletic director, while also coaching football, wrestling and softball and amassing an impressive collection of league, divisional and state championships.
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