Five former greats will be inducted into the Westfield State University Athletics Hall of Fame to kick off the 2013 Alumni Weekend. The 18^th Annual Westfield State University Athletics Hall of Fame inductions will be held Friday, Oct. 18, 2013. The enshrinement starts at 6:00 p.m. at Scanlon Banquet Hall.

The Class of 2013 includes: Robert Bogan ’87, football; Diana Cares ’00, cross country/track; David Kaczenski ’83, track and field; Nanci (Mahoney) Salvidio ’73, field hockey/softball/basketball; and Josue Zamora ’02, football.

Zamora was a three-time All-American and the New England player of the year during the Owls’ championship football season in 2001.

Bogan was a record-setting wide receiver/kick returner during the early years of the Westfield State football program.

Cares was a three-time conference cross country champion and an eight-time conferene track champion.

Kazcenski was a three-time national qualifier in the javelin and earned All-America honors in 1983.

Salvidio has been a local trailblazer in the emergence and popularity of women’s sports as a player, coach and official.

Here are the complete bios for each inductee:

JOSUE ZAMORA - Class of 2002

Football

Josue Zamora ’02 was a three-time All-American and New England player of the year in leading the dominating defenses of the 2001 and 2002 Westfield State championship football teams.

In his first of two seasons playing football at Westfield, Zamora’s impact was remarkable. He was a Hewlett Packard first team All-American, a d3football.com third team All-American, the New England Writers Gold Helmet Divisions 2/3 player of the year, the Gridiron Club of Boston Divisions 2/3 defensive player of the year, and the New England Football Conference (NEFC) unanimous selection as defensive player of the year.

“Josue is the best player that I have coached,” said Steve Marino, Westfield State’s head coach for the past 24 years. “He had great instincts and quickness, and could totally dominate games from his middle linebacker position.”

Spearheaded by Zamora’s All-America efforts at linebacker, the Owls led the nation in total defense during their storybook 2001 season when they posted the only undefeated regular season in school history and captured their first and only NEFC championship and NCAA Tournament berth.

Westfield’s defense was even more dominating during Zamora’s senior season in 2002 when the Owls set many of the team defensive school records and again led the NCAA Division III in total defense. Despite playing most of the 2002 season with injuries, Zamora was a third team All-American, an All-New England first team all-star, and an unanimous repeat selection as the NEFC defensive player of the year.

Westfield finished its 2002 season with an 8-3 record, dropping its final three games after setting a school record with 18 straight regular season victories. The Owls captured the NEFC Bogan Division title for the second straight year and participated in their first and only ECAC postseason tournament game at Cortland State in New York.

Zamora also excelled in baseball. He played the sport his first two years at Westfield State and was a standout catcher. He led the Owls with a .351 batting average in 2001 and was the team’s second leading hitter in 2000 with a .354 average. Zamora struck out twice in 29 games during the 2000 season, ranking in the top 10 nationally for fewest strikeouts.

Zamora has been a police officer for the past eight years at the state of Connecticut’s Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services in Middletown. The Hartford native resides in Southington and is a member of the Nutmeg Big Brother/Big Sister program. He has received several certifications in the CrossFit exercise program.

ROBERT BOGAN - Class of 1987

Football

Robert Bogan ’87 was an outstanding wide receiver and kick returner during the early years of the Westfield State football program in the 1980s.

Bogan held 21 school records at the time of his graduation in 1987. A big-time playmaker with excellent speed, size and hands, he still holds school records for most yards per reception in a game (37.6; 5 catches/188 yards), season (25.0), and career (23.0), and kickoff return average in a season (34.8) and career (27.0). His name is also in the school records for kickoffs returned for touchdowns in a season (2) and longest kickoff return (96 yards). He currently ranks 14^th on the Owls’ career scoring chart with 88 points, which includes a school record three touchdown receptions in a single game.

Bogan was a four-year starter with career totals of 60 catches for 1,382 yards in the Owls’ run-oriented offense. The sure handed standout also was the place holder for field goals and extra point attempts. Bogan was a two-time all-conference selection and a three-time Westfield State offensive MVP. His talents were noticed by professional scouts as he was invited to tryouts by the New York Giants, New England Patriots and Toronto Argonauts.

Always a student of the game, Bogan stayed in football for a number of years following stellar collegiate career. He was an assistant coach at Westfield State in 1987; an assistant at Coyle Cassidy High School in Taunton, Mass., (1988-90); the head coach at Durfee High School (1990-95) in his hometown of Fall River; and an assistant coach at UMass Dartmouth (1996-2000).

A Westfield State team captain and business management major, Bogan continues to possess leadership skills as president of the Borden & Remington Corporation and property manager of the Iron Works Complex, a 30 acres industrial park; both are located in Fall River. He has been an executive board member of the Fall River Boys & Girls Club for the past 16 years, and served as a corporate board member of the USS Massachusetts from 1998-2010. An alumnus of Bridgton (Maine) Academy, Bogan has been a Bridgton trustee since 2007 and the board’s chairman for the past two years. He was a Bristol Community College trustee from 2000-05.

Bogan has been a certified RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) instructor since 2006 and is a fourth degree black belt. He conducts RAD women’s self defense community service programs at high schools, hospitals and Boys & Girls Clubs in southeastern Massachusetts.

Bogan and his wife, Jennifer, reside in Fall River with their children Bridget (15), Christy (12) and Danny (6).

DIANA CARES - Class of 2000
Cross Country/Track

Diana Cares ’00 led the pack as the No. 1 distance runner for the Westfield State championship cross country and track and field teams.

Cares was a three-time Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) champion in leading the Owls to four consecutive cross country championships from 1996-99. Cares also claimed eight conference distance titles as the Owls captured three consecutive MASCAC outdoor championships and three straight New England Alliance indoor titles from 1998-2000. She was the selected the outstanding meet performer at the 1999 MASCAC championships.

Cares was a consistent and versatile runner, winning conference crowns in the 1500, 3,000, 5,000, and 10,000 meter runs. She was a three-time MASCAC champ in both the 3,000 and 10,000. She won the ECAC New England Division III 5,000 meter run championship in 2000, and earned All-New England honors twice, finishing second in the 10,000 meter run in both 1999 and 2000. In addition, Cares capped her outstanding collegiate cross country career by earning All-New England honors her senior year.

Cares is the former school record holder in the 10,000 meter run and also held conference records in the 3,000 and 10,000.

Cares has continued her passion for cross country and track and field. She coaches the Whitcomb Middle School cross country and track and field teams in the Marlborough public schools, where she is employed full time as a paraeducator for moderate and severe special needs students. She has officiated high school and college cross country and track meets in Central Massachusetts for the past four years, and received her MIAA coaching certification last year.

DAVID KACZENZKI - Class of 1983
Track and Field

David Kaczenski ’83 was an All-American javelin thrower and a three-time national qualifier for the Westfield State track and field teams in the early 1980s.

Kaczenski earned All-America honors when he placed fifth during his senior year at the 1983 NCAA Division III national championships. He narrowly missed earning All-America honors by placing ninth at the 1982 national championships, and he also was a national qualifier during his sophomore season.

Kaczenzki was a two-time Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) champion and earned All-New England honors in each of his three years at Westfield State, including runner-up finishes at the 1981 and 1982 New England championships. He holds the school record with a throw of 224 feet, 11 inches, and previously held the MASCAC championship meet record.

“David was a hard working, dedicated athlete who trained on his own in Stanley Park (where the Westfield State javelin competition site was located),” said Westfield State Hall of Fame track and field coach Jerry Gravel. “And he helped train our young javelin throwers; he was a very valuable team member.”

Kaczenski initially attended UMass Amherst, where he qualified for the Yankee Conference championships during his freshman year with a throw of 201 feet and placed fifth in the conference meet. Kaczenski finished second in the 1978 state championships during his senior year at Greenfield (Mass.) High School with a throw of 189-11.

Kaczenski was a very versatile high school athlete. He also participated in the pole vault and two-mile run, and was a captain of the Greenfield boys’ soccer team that posted the best record in school history. Prior to attending Westfield State, he was enrolled at Greenfield Community College and was the soccer team’s leading scorer for two seasons.

During his post-college years, Kaczenski has served as a volunteer javelin coach at Pioneer Valley Regional High School and has coached numerous youth sports teams. He stays fit running in local road races.

Kaczenski graduated from Westfield State with a criminal justice degree, but left law enforcement early in his professional career. He has been the executive director of the Massachusetts Rural Water Association, located in Northfield, Mass., for the past seven years. It is a non-profit federally funded association that assists water and wastewater systems in Massachusetts towns of 10,000 or fewer residents.

Kaczenski has been recognized by the National Rural Water Association for his legislative work in Washington, D.C. He was a waste water specialist for 20 years prior to being named the executive director.

He resides in Northfield with his wife, Sue, and children Ed (18) and Sarah (17).

NANCI (MAHONEY) SALVIDIO - Class of 1973
Field Hockey/Softball/Basketball

Nanci (Mahoney) Salvidio ’73 has been a trailblazer in the emergence and popularity of women’s sports at Westfield State and in Western Massachusetts as a player, coach and official.

Salvidio was an outstanding multi-sport athlete during the formative years of the Westfield State women’s intercollegiate sports program more than 40 years ago, a few years prior to the passage of the landmark Title IX legislation in 1972. The three-sport standout was the field hockey team’s most valuable player and leading scorer, an aggressive power forward in basketball, and pitched and played first base in softball. Her field hockey talents were renowned as she played for an elite club team at Smith College on weekends.

Skills honed on the playing fields translated to leadership roles upon graduation from Westfield State and have sustained her throughout a long career in athletics and education.

“This is a well-deserved honor for Nanci, who I am proud to call a colleague and a friend,” said Westfield State University President Evan S. Dobelle. “Her presence lights up a room and her unwavering support of and dedication to Westfield State is the standard to which we hope all our students aspire.”

Salvidio’s passion for sports began at an early age playing on the sandlots with boys in her hometown of Arlington, Mass. She was a four-year standout in field hockey, softball and basketball at Arlington High School, and helped to lead all three teams to undefeated seasons her junior and senior years. She was recruited and played for the Waltham Drifters, a semi-pro softball squad. 

Salvidio played softball in numerous leagues over the past four decades. As a coach and an official, Salvidio started the first indoor and outdoor soccer leagues for women in Westfield and coached youth and adult soccer and softball teams. She refereed softball, basketball and field hockey games in Western Massachusetts, helping to break the male dominated officiating in girls’ and women’s sports.

“Nanci followed the example of her mentors when she “paid it forward” by creating the first women’s indoor soccer league, coaching community softball and soccer teams, and organizing golf tournaments for charity,” said Dr. Carol Perrson, a former faculty member in the movement science department who is now Westfield State’s vice-present for enrollment management. “Additionally, she assisted other female athletes to become trained officials. She is without a doubt a “pathfinder” in women’s sport.”

Salvidio has accomplished a Hall of Fame professional career as well. She currently serves as Westfield State’s associate vice president of alumni and community relations. It is a position that builds on her years of service, commitment and dedication to the University. Her tenure at Westfield State began in 1980 as a counselor/advisor in the Urban Education/Special Services Program, where she was instrumental in recruiting many outstanding student-athletes who came through the program. From 1990-2005 she was the associate director of the Academic Achievement Center, helping to develop a campus wide plan modeled after the Urban Education Program.

Her sense of fair play, enthusiasm and team building skills continued to elevate Salvidio’s career. In 2002, she was elected as local chapter president of the Association of Professional Administrators (APA). She served as the assistant to the president (2005-2007), acting affirmative action/equal opportunity officer (2007-2009), and executive assistant to the president and associate vice president of alumni relations (2008-2011). In these roles, she was instrumental in developing the Office of International Programs; the Student Ambassador Program; the Advising Center, and the Horace Mann Awards for Public Service. 

The energetic Westfield alumna maintains a commitment to service as an active volunteer and as a community member. She has coordinated numerous charity golf tournaments, including the Kristen D. Nolan golf classic that honored her niece and Westfield alumna Kristen Nolan, who succumbed to cancer shortly after graduation. The event raised more than $400,000 for the Carole Fund to benefit other young people with cancer. In addition, she was recently selected as a director and second vice chair with the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce.

Always a competitor, Salvidio now participates in golf, spinning and powerwalking, and is training for a half marathon in January after completing two full marathons.

Salvidio has a daughter, Rachel, who is a guidance counselor at Southwick Tolland Regional High School.