Deer Park High School held its second annual Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony on Oct. 25, inducting 12 individual athletes, two coaches, one honorary member and one former team in an evening filled with reminiscences and school pride. The honorees mingled in the auditorium before being called to the stage, one by one, and introduced by friends and coaches with laudatory speeches. They later had the opportunity to view their official plaques, affixed to the wall in the school’s Hall of Fame wing outside of the gymnasium. The new inductees also served as grand marshals at Deer Park’s homecoming parade the following morning.

“It’s a lot of work to pull this off, but the energy here, and listening to the stories and seeing the faces of people who haven’t been here in years, that makes it all worth it,” said Athletic Director Dominick Fontana, who hosted the ceremony with his athletic department.

Congratulations to the following inductees:

Team Category:
1972-1973 boys winter track team – Won League title and Suffolk County championship; undefeated in league competition; boasted a double county champion and set several county records.

Honorary Members Category:
Helyn Wallace – Dedicated community leader; founder and president of Deer Park Nadadores Swim Club; officer for 30 years in the Deer Park Booster Club; grand marshal of homecoming parade.

Coaches Category:
Bill Bellis (Class of 1965) – Multi-sport athlete (baseball, football and wrestling); 32-year coaching career at Deer Park from 1970-2002 for football and girls volleyball; as head football coach from 1981-2001, was named Coach of the Year three times, won the 1993 Suffolk County championship, and earned 97 victories and a perfect 6-0 record in the 1986 league championship; played key role in volunteer effort to sod the football field and establish the first athletic weight room; as head girls volleyball coach from 1978-2000, he was named Coach of the Year five times, earned 210 match victories and guided team to two county semifinals.

Ed Szymanski – Coached track and cross-country from 1970-1996; named Suffolk County Coach of the Year; led winter track team to undefeated season and league championship in his first year; named; won multiple spring and winter track league and county championships, including five consecutive winter track league championships; won six consecutive cross-country League 2 dual meet championships from 1989-1994 as well as a county championship in 1994.

Athletes Category:
Emmett Berberich (Class of 1994) – Three-sport athlete (baseball, soccer and wrestling); in baseball, was team captain and MVP, was named All-County for three consecutive years, was MVP of undefeated league champion team, outfield gold glove winner and Yastrzemski Award finalist; All-League in soccer and wrestling; Honor Roll student given senior award for Most Outstanding Athlete; earned Division I baseball scholarship to Stetson University.

Trisha Carter (Class of 1988) – Four-year member of girls spring track team; named First Team All-County all four years; in 440-yard run, won two state championships, four county championships and two Empire Games titles; earned full athletic scholarship to University of Georgia, where she became two-time All-American.

Michael Castagna (Class of 1999) – Three-sport athlete (soccer, lacrosse and wrestling); played all four years on varsity soccer team; led team to 1997 county finals and 1998 Empire State Championship; named All-State in 1997, All-County from 1996-1998 and All-League in 1995; received Ray Perez Memorial Scholarship in 1998; continued soccer career at Princeton University.

Richard Cincotta (Class of 1974) – Two-sport athlete (track and football); All-County winner in both sports; won multiple county championships in 100- and 220-yard dashes; was first Deer Park athlete to win a state championship in 1974, in the 60-yard dash; two-time First Team All-County winner in winter and spring track; continued track career at Missouri Valley College.

Alyson Dzierzynski (Class of 2011) – Three-sport athlete (softball, volleyball and basketball); in softball, named All-League as sophomore, All-Division as junior, and as senior earned All-State, All-Long Island, All-County, League 5 Player of the Year and Small School Player of the Year runner-up while being ranked sixth on Long Island and 22nd in state; in volleyball, earned All-League as eighth grader, freshman and sophomore, and in senior year, named All-Conference, All-Tournament Team and Suffolk County Top 100 Tournament Player; in basketball, named League IV All-Rookie; received full softball scholarship to CW Post.

Nicholas Gallo (Class of 1973) – Three-sport athlete (wrestling, soccer and lacrosse); as wrestler, was both county and league champion; continued wrestling career at Hofstra University, where he was NCAA champion at 126 pounds, won Physical Education Male Athlete Award and was inducted into Hofstra Hall of Fame; represented U.S. at 1976 and 1980 Olympics and won silver medal at World Championships; won National Wrestling Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award.

Robert Griebe (Class of 1971) – Two-sport athlete (lacrosse and football); set Deer Park’s single season lacrosse scoring record in 1970; earned First Team All-County, First Team Scholastic All-American and All-League honors; named to inaugural U.S. High School All-American lacrosse team; continued lacrosse career at Towson University; inducted into Long Island Metropolitan Lacrosse Hall of Fame; represented U.S. at 1978 and 1982 World Championships; named U.S. Club Lacrosse Player of the Year in 1980 and 1982; jersey retired by both Deer Park and Towson.

Patricia Incandela (Class of 1985) – Five-year member of varsity volleyball team from 1981-1985; named team captain and Team MVP from 1983-1985, and League MVP twice; earned All-League from 1982-1985 and All-County in 1984 and 1985; was Empire State Volleyball Team selection in 1984 and 1985; earned full Division I scholarship and named team captain at Lehigh University.

Dominique LoFaro (Class of 2002) – Three-sport athlete (track, soccer and basketball); in track, served as team captain from 2000-2002, earned All-County and MVP honors in both winter and spring track, won county championship in 2000, and named All-League six times from 1999-2002 as well as All-State; in soccer, earned Gatorade Award as senior; won the school’s Triple Sports Award, Gold Key Award and Achievement Award Scholarship for athletics as senior; earned track scholarship to CW Post.

Victoria Major (Class of 2016) – Two-sport athlete (track and basketball); in basketball, named League Rookie of the Year, All-County, All-American, two-time All-League and three-time team MVP; in track, was winter and spring track county champion and Long Island Elite Meet High Jump champion, broke numerous school records, and as a senior, finished fourth and fifth at state championships and tied for second at Emerging Elite New Balance Nationals; continued track career at Adelphi University.

Robert McCurdy (Class of 1988) – Two-sport athlete (basketball and baseball); in basketball, led team to first league title, named county scoring leader and All-Long Island; was first Deer Park basketball player to receive Division I scholarship, to University of Virgina; after transferring to Richmond University, led nation in scoring and earned All-American honors; selected by Milwaukee Bucks in fourth round of NBA draft.

Joseph Parks (Class of 2006) – Three-sport athlete (track, soccer and wrestling); five-time All-County and three-time All-State honoree; joined track/cross-country teams as senior; won four county cross-country championships; named 2006 Suffolk County Runner of the Year and Long Island Runner of the Year; was Eastern States champion in mile, two-time Nike Nationals qualifier and three-time Empire State Games champion; continued track career and won championships at Iona University.

Date Added: 11/5/2024