Induction Class Of 2008

Jason Bennett is a 1993 graduate of New Bedford High School, where he was a key member of the State Championship baseball and basketball teams, as well as a member of the golf team. A three year starter on the baseball team, Jason was named co-captain with teammate Jeff Sylvia during his senior season. In his three years, he compiled a batting average of 330 while collecting 15 wins, 6 saves and an ERA of 2.29 on the mound. He was named to the Big Three All-Star team in both his junior and senior year.

During his senior year, Jason led his team to the No. 1 ranking in the state, while winning the Division 1 State Title. During the state title run, Jason pitched in all 6 games of the tournament, recording 5 saves and one win, earning him the tournament MVP. As a senior his accomplishments included The Standard Times Player of the Year, and the Boston Globe and Herald All-Scholastic teams.

Jason was also a two year member of the

basketball team. A three point shooter, Jason provided an offensive spark for the Whalers on their way to a state title. He netted 131 three pointers in his two seasons placing 2nd among 3 point leaders behind Charlie DePina.

After high school, Jason accepted a scholarship to play baseball at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. A four year pitcher, Jason broke the career record for wins with 25. During his Sophomore season, he tied a single season record for winning percentage with an 8 - 0 record. He was elected captain in his senior year. He compiled a 9 • 2 record during this season placing him on the Atlantic 10 2nd team and All New England 1st Team. He was also awarded the Joseph Thompson Memorial MVP trophy for the most valuable Minuteman. In his four years, UMass won the Atlantic 10 regular season 4 times and made 2 NCAA tournament appearances. In his junior season, his team broke the record for UMass victories in a season, while coming 1 game short of the school's 1st appearance in the College World Series.

Upon graduation, Jason played one season professionally for the Lafayette Leopards of the Heartland Independent League. He is currently employed as a business teacher at New Bedford High School, where he coaches JV Baseball and JV Girls Basketball. Jason resides in Plainville with his wife Claudia and their two children, Mia (4) and Jordan (2).

Jeffrey "Foo Foo" Correia is one of the finest all-around male athletes ever to represent New Bedford High School. The 1993 graduate competed in football, basketball and track and field where he provided some of the most memorable highlights in Whaler athletic history.

A member of the New Bedford Gridiron Hall of Fame, Jeff was a four year starter on both offense and defense. Buddy Thomas, S-T sports writer chose Correia as the most outstanding wide receiver that he covered in his thirty-plus year career covering local high school sports. He has the statistics to back up Buddy's appraisal of his skills. Jeff averaged an eye-popping 21.3 yards per reception while accumulating over 2500 yards during his career. He found the end zone on twenty five occasions. He once scored five touchdowns in one game in a variety of ways; three on receptions, one on a punt return and one from his defensive position as a safety on an interception return. He also had two other TD's called back in that same game against Silver Lake. He was selected to play in the annual Shriner's Football Game due to his outstanding career on the gridiron.

In basketball, Jeff was a three year starter who was a double digit scorer from his two guard position. The Whalers captured their first state basketball title in more than thirty years m 1993 as the senior all star hit the game winning basket in traffic at the Worcester Centrum. His eighteen foot foul line jumper sent thousands of jubilant Whaler fans out into blizzard conditions that made the trip home slow but a very happy one to say the least.

On the track, Correia had a chance to exhibit his individual athletic talents. He was a two time Class A high hurdle champion as well as capturing the All State hurdle championship as a senior. Mis vietory catapulted the Whalers to the All State team title. Jeff actually placed in the Class A high hurdles during all four years of his high school career as well as placing his final three years in the All State meet. Jeff also captured the Class A long jump title as a junior and recorded his best jump (22.67 at the New England's in 1992. He is still co-record holder in the 110m high hurdles (13.9) with fellow Hall of Fame member Dennis Rock and is the sole holder of the 300m intermediate hurdles 138. 1) He scored more points in Class A, State and New England competition than any New Bedford High School male track and field athlete before or since.

Upon graduation, Jeff attended Taft College in California where he captured the prestigious Mt Sat relays junior college high hurdle title as a freshman. His time in collegiate hurdles (47"| of 13.8 was one of the fastest junior college times in the country in 1994.

Today, Jeff is employed by United Parcel Services and resides in New Bedtord

Laurie (Brown) Fiske graduated from NBHS with highest honors in 1993. She was a three sport athlete contributing to volleyball, track & field, and tennis. In her senior year she was co-captain of both the volleyball and tennis teams

Tennis was Laurie's first love.

At the age of twelve, she

received her first scholarship, the Bob Hamburg Memoral®31 Award, from the NB Recreational Department to attend the Whaling City Tennis Association's Junior Summer Program where she received the Most Improved Junior Player in 1990. She spent many days on the court both in Buttonwood Park and at the Dartmouth Indoor Tennis Club. Her efforts 38W0 seem to have paid off as she lettered four years in a row for gang Coach Bill Esancy and was named to both the Big Three All-Star Tennis Team and the Standard Times All Star Team twice during her high school career. In 1992, paired with Athena Xifaras, they made it all the way to the MIAA South Sectional Finals and opted to play singles their senior year.

Since her focus was on tennis, a spring season, she joined the winter track & field team to stay in shape Not a top contributor but a hard worker and determined to beat her own times in the 50 yard hurdles 300 yard dashi and heights in the high jump, she did place and helped her team earn points. She lettered in track and field three years in a row, missing lettering in her freshman year by one point.

She contributed to the first varsity volleyball team ever to win the South Sectional Tournament in 1991 At some point during that season, Coach Neil Macedo convinced Laurie to give up her Sunday tennis lessons and play for the Coastal Junior Olympic Volleyball Club to improve her skills, In the fall of 1992, as co captain, Laurie began to ser her hard work pay off.

Her team made it all the way to the MIAA State Finals for the first time in the school's

history. She was named Standard Times Perfection Player of the week twice, the Big 3 All Star MVP. a Standant Times All Star, a member of the Boston Globe All-Scholastic Team, and a Boston Herald All Star That season she broke the school record for kills with 167 and for digs with 132, and she also managed a 56 serve receive percentage and 41 aces. In November of 1992, she was nominated as Female Athlete of the Month by her peers for these accomplishments, who also stated "she was a team leader, one who always encouraged players to do then best."

In 1993, she was the recipient of the James P. Murphy Memorial Award, a member of the MA Mizund High School all Star Volleyball Series, a two year member of; the Bay State Coastal Volleyball Team.

a member of Who's Who in High School Sports, a second time member of Who's Who in High School Academics, and a member of the National Honor Society.

Laurie was offered a chance to join a volleyball touring team in France and attended the University of Grenoble, as well as a scholarship opportunity from UMass Lowell for volleyball. She opted for an academic and athletic scholarship for volleyball from Florida Institute of Technology, Division II.

At Florida Tech, she injured her right shoulder and being determined, she learned to play left handed. She transferred to UMass Dartmouth where she was red shirted for a year due to surgery and physical therapy, having turned down a second scholarship offer from UMass Lowell upon her return to Massachusetts. She played there for one season before accepting a job as Coach of the first Freshman Girls Volleyball Team at NBHS her senior year of college. She graduated com lude from UMass Dartmouth with a dual degree in Mathematics and Marine Biology in 1997. She also coached a few years in the Coastal Junior's Volleyball Program as well as contributing as Assistant Coach of the Bay State Games Woman Coastal Volleyball Team for one year.

Laurie married her college sweetheart and they reside with their two children, Alec (5 yrs and Haylee (1 yrs) mem s Gainesville, Fl. She is currently employed as the Program Coordinator of the University of Florida's Glycogen Storage Disease Program, the largest of its kind for this disease in the world. She recently wete her dirst childrens: book "GSD, The Way to be" for those families affected with glycogen storage disease

In February, 1990, Hector Beltran became the first NBHS diver to win the All-State springboard diving championship and be crowned the number one diver in the state of Massachusetts. He also ended his exceptional season and high school diving career nationally ranked as a member of the NISCA (National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches' Association) "Top 40" high school divers in the country Hector was also chosen by the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald as their All Scholastic diver of the year. He was named by the New Bedford Standard Times as their diving all star for the second year in a row.

When Hector started diving at NBHS as a freshman, he showed obvious promise because he was an exceptional all-around athlete, but he lacked confidence. He enjoyed several sports, but had not picked something that he really wanted to go after. During his sophomore year. Hector began to show the mental and physical toughness and aggressiveness that it takes to excel in diving. By his junior year, he was on his way, steadily learning a very difficult list of dives and working the board for unusual height. During that junior year, Hector was undefeated in dual meets and placed second at the South Sectional Championships. He then established himself among the elite with a third place finish at the State Meet, scoring a school record of 409.95 points.

As a senior, Hector was 6'2" and 188 pounds - unusually big for a diver. During his warm up. he was an intimidating. presence when he softly and quietly bent the springboard to where it was almost touching the water and launching himself well above all competitors. During his senior year, Hector was once again undefeated in dual meets and then stormed his way to the top, winning both the South Sectional Championships and the All State Meet.

Hector was also a member of the track and field team at NBHS, where he participated in several events. In the javelin, he had several notable performances when he threw for more than 180 feet.

As a senior, Hector decided to try out for the football team. He quickly became outstanding as a defensive force and was named as the Standard Times / Perfection Oil "Player of The Week" for his accomplishments in his very first NBHS football game. He repeated the honor a few games later.

Following high school, Hector attended Northeastern University. Today, he lives and works in the Miami, Florida area with his wife, Sandra, and their three very active sons: Evangelos is 13 and is an accomplished baseball player; Hector is 9 and is having a lot of success playing the piano: and Alexander is 4 and is very excited about his Karate classes.

Quinn Feno graduated from New Bedford High in 1990. During his years at New Bedford High, Quinn lettered in three varsity sports, volleyball, basketball and baseball, with baseball being his best sport. In his junior year, he led the Southeastern Mass Conference in hitting, batting .460 with 29 RBI's and five home runs. In one particular game against Plymouth, he went five for five with two home runs and 7 rbi's. In an eight game stretch that season, he went 18 for 23 with four home runs and 18 RBI's. In that same year, he was voted Most Valuable Player for the Southeastern Mass Conference and a Standard Times All Star.

In his senior season, he batted 393 with 26 rbi's and five home runs. That year, the team went to the state finals but lost to Milford in a great game. Quinn was once again voted Most Valuable Player for the league, Standard Times' All Star, and All State by both the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald and Gatorade's All District - United States finishing his career with a .426 batting average with 55 RBI's and 10 home runs.

Quinn was offered a baseball scholarship to the University of Miami but was drafted by the Boston Red Sox. He was the first New England player that year to be drafted by them.

He was voted the best athlete in the Boston Red Sox draft according to Baseball America that year. Quinn played for the Boston Red Sox farm system for five years in the Gulf Coast League, New York Penn League and the Florida State League making it as high as double. He played with such players as Mo Vaughn, Tim Naehring, John Valentin and Trot Nixon.

After two knee surgeries and a torn Achilles' tendon, his career was over in 1994. He has been working as a Court Officer for the Massachusetts Trial Courts since 2001 and is currently at the New Bedford District Court. Quinn lives in Fairhaven with his wife.

Catherine and their two and a half year old son, Chace Gabriel.

Hillary (Rocha) Sousa is a 1988 graduate of New Bedford High School. She enjoyed a fabulous four year career as she competed in cross country, indoor and outdoor track.

During the fall, Hillary was a prime building block as the New Bedford High School girl's cross country team developed into one of the state's premier programs.

Competing in one of, if not the, toughest girls cross country conferences (SMC) in Massachusetts, the Whalers compiled an overall four-year dual meet record of 24-5. Four of the five losses occurred during Hillary's freshman season as she and fellow freshmen, April Beaulieu and Susan Watkins, were busy getting acclimated to racing in a highly competitive conference. By seasons end, Hillary, April and Sue along with junior Liz Alves had improved to where they finished third at the MIAA Eastern Division I Championship and one week later were seventh in the All State Championships.

Hillary would be the central figure in cross country teams that never finished lower than third at the MIAA Eastern Division I Championship and in her junior year, the team would capture the Division I Title.

She was a four-time conference all star and her school record time of 17:42 at Buttonwood Park stood until the course was retired in 1999.

On the track, Hillary was a standout in both the one and two mile runs. The 1986 distance group of Hillary, Liz Alves, Sue Watkins and Niki Girard finished fifth in the Eastern States Championships (held in Uniondale, L.I.) in the 4x1 mile.

Her school record in the outdoor two mile (11:37.7) still stands today. She is a member of three relay records that still stand (indoor distance medley and outdoor distance medley and 4x1 mile). She is regarded as one of the most outstanding distance runners ever to compete for New Bedford High School.

Hillary is a 1992 graduate of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth with a degree in Portuguese/Education. She continued to compete while studying at UMass. She received her Master's in Educational Leadership from Fitchburg State College in 1999. She has been the head coach of cross country track at Dartmouth High School.

Today, Hillary and her husband Octavio reside in New Bedford with their two children, Juliana and Adriano. She is a foreign language teacher at Dartmouth High School.

Steve Rezendes is a 1970 graduate of New Bedford High School. He played baseball from 1967.1970.

Cross Country in 1967 and Winter Track as a 2-miler from 1967 - 1969.

Steve's prowess was demonstrated on the baseball diamond both as a slick fielding first baseman and as a standout pitcher. Every year of his career beginning in the South End Jr. Pony League and finishing at SMU (UMass Dartmouth), he never failed to hit below .300 with all but two years playing in the "wooden bat era". His high school career as a pitcher was nothing short of phenomenal having lost but one game in his three year career. His only loss is the first game he ever pitched in the Greater Boston League as junior varsity sophomore against Medford High School. Steve was promoted to the John Pacheco varsity squad in his junior year and was expected to contribute strictly in a pitching capacity. Being told, "you're a pitcher and that's all your going to be on this team", he he bided his time until an opportunity came by way of a pinch hitting role in a critical moment early in the 1969 campaign against arch-rival Durfee High School. The Skippy Lewis coached Hilltoppers replaced their standout right-handed hurler Mark Bomback in favor of their left-handed relief pitcher to pitch to the left-handed Rezendes with the bases loaded. With one swing of the bat, he hit a bases clearing triple and from that moment became the starting first baseman for the balance of his high school career.

While the 1969 season was quite successful, it was the 1970 squad where Steve and his teammates advanced to win the Class A Eastern Mass Schoolboy Baseball Championship, which was the first time in the history of NBHS this feat was accomplished (I believe from Coach Pacheco this is true. It not, remove it.). During the 1970 campaign, Steve either won or saved all but four of his teams 22 wins. This record-setting team accomplishment was also marked by an individual state record which can only be equaled and never broken. Steve pitched the entire season without giving up an earned run. His .000 ERA propelled him into a first team selection on the Boston Globe All Scholastic team as a relief pitcher. This was the first time in the history of this award the category of relief pitcher became part of the all-scholastic selection. Steve also earned honorable mention honors as first baseman on the Boston Herald All-Scholastic squad.

Steve continued his baseball career as a four year starter for SMU. In his collegiate career he led his team in batting in 3 of his 4 years and was recognized as one of the best fielding first basemen in New England. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering and has enjoyed a 34 year career as a construction professional building commercial projects throughout the northeast. He is presently employed by J.B. Lanagan & Co., in Dartmouth, MA. He lives in Mattapoisett and has two children, Eric 31 and Alyssa 24.

"Jimmy" Murphy graduated from New Bedford High School in 1912. While a student at NBHS Jimmy excelled in football, basketball, baseball and track.

He was most notably known for his prowess on the gridiron. Upon graduation he attended Worcester Academy for one year and while a student there he was instrumental in starting a soccer program at the prep school.

Following his one year at Worcester Academy, Jimmy enrolled at Brown University where he participated in football. basketball and baseball. During his four years at the University he became nationally known for his exploits in football. As a quarterback his exciting broken field running earned him Al-American honors before graduating in 1917.

After graduating from Brown, Jimmy served his country in World War I. Following his tour of duty in the armed service he worked for the government in Washington, DC and after two years there took a position as a sales representative with the Pottstown Steel Co. in Douglasville, PA.

Jimmy returned to New Bedford in 1926 with his wife Elizabeth and assumed the role of coach of football, basketball and baseball. Prior to Jimmy's hiring all three teams had become doormats for all local teams in all three sports. Coach Murphy had a vision and worked diligently with all athletes and each year his teams' records improved considerably. As Ves Sprague wrote in the Standard Times "his hopes embraced a representative team in all sports that would hold its own against any kind of opposition". By 1931 Jimmy took the NBHS basketball team from a losing record when he took over to the semi-finals in the state M.I.T. tournament. It was in football, however, that he had the greatest impact.

In his first year as head coach (1927) the team went 2-7 and in 1931

went undefeated and untied at 10 - 0. It was during the second game of the 1932 season, while playing at Quincy High School that Coach Murphy was stricken with a heart attack and after the game passed away while being treated at Quincy Hospital.

Coach Murphy's sudden passing came as a shock to local residents as well as folks from all over New England. It was estimated that more than 10,000 people lined the streets of New Bedford for his funeral procession. Jimmy was survived by his wife and daughters Elizabeth and Patricia. Soon after Jimmy's death a committee was formed to create an award in his memory to be given to a deserving graduating NBHS athlete who exemplified his greatest attributes scholarship, citizenship and athleticism. The first recipient was Clarry Haskell, a member of the 1931 team and a member of the NBHS Athletic Hall of Fame 1998.

To this day the James P. Murphy Award is the most coveted award given to a student/athlete at New Bedford High School.