Two athletes and one coach were honored during the Wayland-Cohocton Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Friday, January 26th in the high school cafeteria. Master of Ceremonies Rob Hughes welcomed guests and outlined the evening’s activities following appetizers and socializing. The celebration continued with a buffet dinner and dessert before the acknowledgement of the inductees.
WCCS Alumni and Hall of Fame member Alyssa Englert introduced inductee John Crossett, speaking of his many accomplishments as a coach at Wayland-Cohocton. Ms. Englert was a former athlete of Coach Crossett. Coach Crossett, also a Wayland Central School alumni and student athlete, then spoke about his time as a coach and educator. He talked about the teamwork and commitment of players, fellow coaches and family. He highlighted the basketball program that had so much to do with the honor he was receiving as an inductee. He thanked his family, athletes and fellow educators for the influence they had in his development as a coach, from his earliest years as a young boy. Among his many accomplishments was the 2009 Section V Championship team also being named Scholar Athlete State Champion for the highest academic average in the NYS. Coach Crossett began coaching in the early 1980s and had numerous successful teams as well as LCAA and Sectional Championships during his career. He was also named Class B Coach of the Year in 2009, and 2011 and LCAA Coach of the Year in 2011.
Classmates and fellow athletes Kristin Meyer and Janet Naab spoke about their friend, teammate, and Hall of Fame Inductee Jennifer Gibson. Her outstanding accomplishments as a Wayland Central School four-sport athlete are unmatched, but it was her character and friendship that was the focus of the memories. In turn, Jennifer spoke generously about the friends and experiences she had as a Wayland Central School athlete and how those opportunities developed a love of movement and her lifelong passion for educating children in athletics. She continues to be active as a highly competitive tennis player and in supporting others in their efforts to be active. Jennifer spoke about the commitment she learned from her family and the influence that has had throughout her life, and the loved ones that continue to encourage her competitiveness and athleticism. Jennifer was a 5-year letterman in three sports and four-year letterman in one sport. She was a LCAA Division All Star Team member in all four sports numerous years and a member of multiple championship teams. She was also named MVP a number of times.
Current Wayland-Cohocton Coach Dave Stewart spoke about Lauren Mastin Valerio and her many accomplishments as a three-sport athlete who went on to play two sports at Alfred University where she was Most Improved Player in freshman basketball and Rookie of the Year in softball. Coach Stewart spoke of Lauren’s leadership, commitment and being a kind and caring person. Lauren was the recipient of the 550 and 800 point awards and she was a recipient of the NCAA National Student Athlete Award for Achieving Excellence in Academics and Athletics for four years. She competed in soccer, basketball and softball at Wayland-Cohocton as well as travel softball. She was an LCAA All Star and Exceptional Senior and Scholar Athlete and recipient of the NBA/WNBA Sportsmanship Award for Outstanding Conduct on the Court in 2003. She was a member of the 2004 WCCS Softball team qualifying for the state final four. Lauren spoke about how athletics open doors and provided her with opportunities throughout her life. She reminisced about good times and the people that had meant a lot to her along the journey. As she has begun coaching her own children, Lauren looks forward to the future and hopes they will have the experiences she has had growing up, particularly as an athlete.
Following the dinner and presentations in the cafeteria, the festivities moved to the Field House where during halftime of the Varsity Boys Basketball game against Dansville the inductees were introduced and presented plaques. Plaques are given to the inductees to keep and also added to the Athletic Hall of Fame Wall outside of the High School Field House. The community was then invited to join the inductees in the cafeteria to share memories and cake during an open mic session.
A full list of the inductees and their accomplishments can be found at: https://www.wccsk12.org/o/wccs...
Additional photographs can be seen by going to:https://drive.google.com/drive...
The Hall of Fame Committee Members include: Julee Acomb, Terry Brown, Brandon Mastin, Dave Mastin, JulieMartin, Barb Miller, Dave Stewart, Bob Toland, Steve Wager and Becky Wager. The committee would also like to thank: American Custom Engraving Co., Jeff Englert, Jim and Jamie Burke, Cohocton Sports Boosters Club, Bob Fleishman and Family Caterers, Kathryn Gelser, Rob Hughes, Patricia Jacobs, Wayland American Legion Post 402, and the student volunteers, Gabi Sick, Charles LeRoux and Alyssa Nowak.
Thank you to the event sponsors: Dr. John Burroughs, Sean and Shannon Burroughs, Cohocton Sports Booster Club, Alyssa Englerg, Evan Englert, Jeff and Kim Englert, Joe Haydon, J&B Sprinkles Ice Cream Island, Landino Excavating, Palmer’s Last Stop, Brian and Farrah Schubmehl, Jim Schubmehl Massage Therapy, The Bakery at ML Cakes and Catering, The Gibson Family in Honor of Jennifer.