Babylon Schools announceWall of Fame nominees for 2006

The Babylon Varsity Boosters have announced their Year 2006 Wall of Fame inductees. Babylon's Wall features those who have achieved significant success in the school's athletic program. The induction ceremony is held in the spring of every other year.

This year's inductees include four individuals and the 1991 Boys Soccer Team. The induction ceremony will be held on Saturday, June 3, at the Wall of Fame in the BHS gymnasium lobby. The individual honorees are Marilyn Cross, Joseph DeLucca, Timothy Schweitzer and Barbara Van Bourgondien Degere.

The late Marilyn Cross (class of 1959) was a basketball star at BHS in the 1950s. She achieved a BA at Adelphi and a Masters at NYU before moving on to international success in a number of athletic venues. She was a physical education teacher at North Babylon High School from 1964 to 1996 where she coached gymnastics, tennis, field hockey, volleyball and swimming. She became an athletic official for gymnastics, field hockey and girls lacrosse. In gymnastics, Marilyn rose through the ranks in New York State through the northeast region and nationally as a judge and technical director and served on the 2000 Olympic Selection Committee. She was an Olympic delegate for the 1984, 1992, 1996 and 2000 games. Marilyn was awarded the Elite Coaches National Association Judge of the Year for 1993 and 2001 and was elected to the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame in 1992 and the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 2003. The Section XI Girls Coaches have created the Spirit of Flame Award in her honor. Each year, it is presented to the gymnast who showed the best flair and artistry in Suffolk County. Marilyn passed away on October 14, 2003.

Joe DeLucca (class of 1947) was a multisport athlete at BHS, starring in baseball, basketball and football from 1945 to 1948. On the field, he was named AllCounty catcher for 1947 and 1948. In academics, he was named to the National Honor Society in 1947. He graduated from Cortland State with a BS in Education and received an MS in Education from Hofstra University and later attended Queens College. At Cortland, Joe starred in baseball and soccer before serving in the United States Marine Corps where he played baseball and managed the team at Camp Lejeune. He became a physical education teacher and coach at BHS and West Babylon High School and was named Suffolk baseball coach of the year in 1961. Joe went on to become a major league baseball scout for 34 years (Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians) and was named New York/New England Scout of the Year for 2004. He was named to the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. Joe resides in Babylon with his wife Carol. They have six children (all BHS grads) and five grandchildren. Sons Joe and Jim have preceded him on the BHS Wall of Fame.

Tim Schweitzer (class of 1981) starred in baseball, basketball and football at BHS from 1977 to 1981. In a high school athletic career marred by a number of debilitating injuries, he excelled when on the field. As a freshman, he caught every varsity game. The following year, he suffered a football injury and was the victim of a car accident which put a damper on his varsity activity. He did play JV basketball where he was the team's leading scorer and rebounder. In senior year, he was a team captain and played the entire football season as a tackle, linebacker and place kicker and was named All-League by the coaches and second team All-County by the Daily News. In baseball, he was named to the All-County team as a catcher and pitcher while leading the team in batting and won the Ray Barbuti Award from the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference for outstanding courage and sportsmanship as a high school senior. Tim attended the United States Coast Guard Academy in 1981-82 where he played football and baseball. In 1983 he played at Hofstra as a linebacker on the Lambert Trophy winning team. Tim achieved a BBA at Hofstra and a JD at Touro Law School. His career is in Admiralty Law. He resides in Babylon with his wife Ginny and five children. The two oldest are now at BHS. Young Tim plays football and lacrosse and runs track. Bryan plays baseball, basketball and football.

Barbara Van Bourgondien Degere (class of 1975) starred in field hockey, basketball, volleyball and softball at BHS from 1972 to 1975, winning athletic plaques in each of those sports. In 1974, she was awarded the Suffolk County MVP in basketball and took the County MVP awards the following year in basketball and volleyball when she was named the High School Athlete of the Year by Women In Sports. Barbara graduated from Springfield College with a BS in Health and Physical Education. She achieved a Masters in Special Education from CW Post and a Masters in School Administration and Supervision from Touro College. She teaches at Northport High School where she coaches basketball and field hockey. She was named 2004 Teacher of the Year for the Suffolk Zone by the New York State Alliance for Health, Phys Ed, Recreation and Dance and was named Section XI basketball coach of the year eight times over the last nine years. Barbara and husband Peter reside in Babylon and have two children, Julie and Peter.

The 1991 Babylon High School Boys Soccer Team - Suffolk County Small Schools Champions. Front row (left to right): Danny Butler, Scott Wit, Mark Green, Scott Freeman, Ed Lupo, Peter Horstmann, Jesse Fawess and Keith Sawczyn. Back row: Tim McDonough, Tom Migliorisi, Keith Graham, Jason Rotzman, Doug Cerny, Bob Neidig, Michael Lagendyk, Matt Krepil, Matt Dolan, Jeff Pannullo and coach Mike Livorno. The 1991 Babylon Panthers Boys Soccer Team were the Class B-C-D Suffolk County Champions who won the Small Schools title that season under coach Mike Livorno. The Panthers completed the regular season with an 11-5 record. They went on to beat Southampton and Mattituck for the County Class C championship. Then they defeated Eastport for the Small Schools Championship. They fell to Class A Large Schools champion Walt Whitman and went on to play Carle Place in the Long Island Small Schools Final, falling 1-0 in sudden death overtime. The club completed the season with an overall 14-7 record.

The team members were Danny Butler, Doug Cerny, Matt Dolan, Jesse Fawess, Scott Freeman, Keith Graham, Mark Green, Peter Horstmann, Matt Krepil, Mike Lagendyk, Ed Lupo, Tim McDonough, Tom Migliorisi, Bob Neidig, Jeff Pannullo, Jason Rotzman, Keith Sawczyn and Scott Wit. We've been able to track down a few of the players and their families for some of the backgrounds.

Danny Butler (Class of 1994) was a multisport athlete at BHS playing varsity soccer for three seasons and basketball for two. He was All-Academic in Suffolk for soccer. He then went to Notre Dame University for a BS in Business. There he played varsity lacrosse for four years and played in the NCAA tournament three seasons. He has a Masters in Health and Physical Education from Hofstra University. Danny, wife Cara and son Nate now reside in West Islip. He is a teacher at the Grand Avenue Middle School in the Bellmore/Merrick School District where he is the Athletic Coordinator and coaches junior high basketball and lacrosse.

Doug Cerny (Class of 1992) is a graduate of Long Island University with a Bachelors in Business Administration and achieved an Associates Degree in Business at Suffolk Community College where he played soccer for two seasons. Doug resides in Dayton, Ohio where he is a Software Administrator for Reynolds & Reynolds.

Scott Freeman (Valedictorian, Class of 1992) played varsity and JV soccer and tennis for four years at BHS. He was named All-League goalkeeper in the championship season. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College with a degree in Geography. Scott is currently attending medical school at the Downstate University of New York in Brooklyn.

Mark Green (Class of 1992) was a multisport athlete at BHS where he captained the soccer team, making All-County and scoring ten goals in his senior season. He was an All-League wrestler and played lacrosse. He graduated from Washington & Jefferson College with a BS in Business Administration. He played on the W&J soccer team four years and was the captain in his junior and senior seasons. He and wife Allison reside in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey. Mark is a General Manager at HQ Global Real Estate. He ran the New York City marathon in 2003.

Peter Horstmann (Class of 1993) was a multisport varsity athlete at BHS in soccer for four years, lacrosse for four years and wrestling for two. He went on to Alfred University where he played lacrosse for a year and transferred to Hofstra University for a BS in Business Management. Peter and wife Heather will soon be residents of Lindenhurst. He is a consultant at TheStreet.com in New York City.

Michael Lagendyk (Class of 1992) was president of the National Honor Society in his senior year at BHS. In soccer, he was named All-League three years, All-County twice and All-State and All-Eastern USA in his senior season when he led the Panthers with 17 goals. He was also a member of the League VI Tennis championship team in his sophomore year. He is a graduate of the University of New Hampshire with a BS in Business Administration where he played on the North Atlantic Conference Championship soccer team in 1994 and captained the club in 1995. Michael, wife Kerri and son Brady reside in Meridian, Mississippi where he is the National Accounts Manager for the Van Zyverden Bulb Co. He has competed in five marathons, including four NYCs.

Bob Neidig (Class of 1992) attended the University of Scranton and was awarded a BS in Education. He then achieved an MA in Liberal Studies and an MA in School District Administration at SUNY Stony Brook. Bob and his wife Stacy reside in Medford and have a daughter, Gianna Brooke. He is currently a Social Studies teacher at BHS where he coaches JV Boys basketball and soccer.

Jason Rotzman (Class of 1993) was a three letter athlete in soccer, wrestling and lacrosse in his junior and senior years. In 1993 he won the Lacrosse Award and was named winner of the Walter Williams Award. Jason's premature passing in 1995 due to a vehicle/pedestrian accident was a tragic loss to the Babylon community.