Wasilik Inducted Into Westchester Sports Hall of Fame

from Mark Alan Teirstein

WESTCHESTER COUNTY, NY — Sportswriter Ernie Palladino, track champion Ron Laird, New Rochelle football coach Lou DiRienzo, Holy Child basketball coach Cathi Gray Wasilik, and Ursuline basketball coach Beth Wooters have been inducted into the Westchester Sports Hall of Fame by the selection committee.

The induction ceremony dinner is Oct. 17 at the County Center in White Plains. For reservations, contact Kevin Cook at [email protected].

Wasilik, a longtime Yonkers resident who passed away two years ago, was a pioneer for women's sports and a record-setting coach.

When Wasilik took over the athletics program at her high school alma mater, Holy Child in Rye, the school only had two sports teams. By the year 2000, Holy Child fielded 29 teams in the Upper and Middle schools.

Wasilik led the basketball team to more than 500 wins, reaching that milestone in 1999, at the time a Westchester record. She somehow managed to juggle her schedule to also coach simultaneously at Mercy College, including a 21-0 women's basketball season in 1976. She coached three sports at Mercy while she was coaching four sports at Holy Child.

Palladino, an Eastchester High graduate, spent 33 years covering high school, college, and pro sports for Gannett Newspapers, including 20 years as the Giants beat reporter. He also authored several books.

Palladino, who passed away last summer, might well be best remembered for an infamous locker room confrontation with the Giants Lawrence Taylor, when the diminutive reporter didn't back down even when the massive linebacker grabbed him around the throat.

Laird, a Peekskill grad, set 81 USA records and held 65 USA open titles at distances from 1 km to 25 miles, in a competitive career that began in 1962 and culminated with a silver medal and a bronze medal at the Masters Track and Field Championships in 1979.

Laird, a four-time Olympic athlete, went on to coach the national race-walking team from 1981-1984, and was inducted into the USA National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1986.

DiRienzo resurrected the football program at New Rochelle. Under his leadership, the Huguenots have won 13 Section 1 Class AA championships since 1988. During that time they made it to six state championship games, winning the title twice.

DiRienzo is also acclaimed for his positive impact on the players off the field, and credited for advancing a large number of them to college success.

Wooters, a Yonkers native, has had a storied career at the Ursuline School in New Rochelle. She has nearly 600 victories in 36 years, including 20 wins this past season.

Under Wooters' tenure, the Koalas have racked up eight Section 1 championships, seven regional titles, two state crowns, and a Federation title.

The Westchester Sports Hall of Fame is sponsored by the Westchester Parks Dept. The plaques are on display in the Hall of Fame room off the lobby of the County Center.