2005 Inductees to the New Jersey Lacrosse Foundation Hall of Fame
David D. Breslin
Mountain Lakes High School ’88
Ohio Wesleyan University ’93
Dave Breslin attended Mountain Lakes High School from 1984 through 1988, serving as team captain and earning first-team all-section status as goalie in 1988. In his final season, Mt. Lakes won the division championship, and Dave went on to play at Oho Wesleyan for four years.
At OWU, he was a first-team All-Conference selection in 1992 and 1993. He was also a first-team All-America selection in 1993, after helping guide the Battling Bishops to the NCAA Division III National Championship game, where the squad finished as national runner-up. Dave was named All-Midwest in 1992 and 1993 and was named to the South All-Star team in 1993. In his final season, he served as team captain and earned the OWU Student Humanitarian Award.
Dave went on to play with a club team in Richmond for three seasons. Presently, he is a teacher and head lacrosse coach at The Covenant School in Charlottesville, Virginia. He has guided his squads to an overall record of 141-56 during his tenure, which began in 1996. His teams have earned eight conference titles as well as the 2003, 2004, and 2005 Virginia state titles. He currently resides in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Jon Brothers
Columbia High School ’91
University of Maryland ’95
A two-year player at Columbia High School (1989, 1991), Jon Brothers was named the 1991 CHS Most Outstanding Player despite missing his junior season due to knee surgery. In his senior season, he set school records for most ground balls in a
17-game season (211), most goals by a midfielder (37), most points by a midfielder (54), and enjoyed a 77 percent face-off percentage. He was named first-team All-State in 1991, was also selected to the North squad in the Gibbs Division,
and was a high school All-America selection.
Jon went on to play at the University of Maryland (1992–1995), helping the Terps to four NCAA tournament appearances, including a national runner-up finish in 1995. He was selected as an Atlantic Coast Conference Academic All-America in 1994, and was chosen as the 1995 Maryland Unsung Hero. During his junior season he had one of his career-best games, winning 14 of 15 face-offs versus Navy and earning ACC Player of the Week honors.
He is still listed on the Maryland record books as tied for 11th in single-season ground balls (89), and tied for 6th with 159 face-offs won in a single season. In addition, he is still 9th all-time at Maryland with 184 career ground balls.
After his Maryland career, Jon played with the Toyota club team for five years (1996–2000), helping the squad to the 2000 USCLA championship. He also spent time among the professional ranks, competing with the Baltimore Thunder, the Washington Power, the Colorado Mammoth, the New York Saints, and the New Jersey Pride.
In 1988 he was inducted to the Columbia High School Hall of Fame. Jon and his wife
Carolee reside in Chevy Chase, Maryland, where he is president of JB Creative Services, LLC.
Anthony A. Calandra
A.L. Johnson Regional High School ’90
Kean College ’95
Anthony Calandra enjoyed a four-year career as a midfielder and attackman at A.L. Johnson Regional High School, where he was named first team All-State in 1989 and 1990 and helped the Crusaders to the 1990 Pitt Division championship.
He went on to play at Rutgers University, playing for two years with the Scarlet Knights before transferring to Kean College. At Kean, Anthony was named to the All-Knickerbocker team in 1993, 1994, and 1995 playing attack/midfield. He was also an honorable mention Division III All-America selection in 1995, and was named the 1995 Knickerbocker Conference Player of the Year.
Anthony was also chosen as the 1995 Most Valuable Player of the ECAC Championship. He led the nation in scoring (Division III) in 1994 with 127 points (82 goals/45 assists) and in 1995 with 119 points (79 goals/40 assists). In his three seasons at Kean, he recorded 322 career points, and holds records for most goals in a single game (11) and most points ina single game (16).
Anthony began his coaching career with a three-year stint as an assistant coach at
Bridgewater-Raritan High School. He took over the reins as the head coach at Arthur L. Johnson High School in 2000. He guided his alma mater to the 2000 Kimber Division Championship and the 2001 Waterman Division Championship, and was named the 2000 A.L. Johnson Coach of the Year.
In addition to coaching boys lacrosse, Anthony is the head basketball coach and an assistant football coach, as well as a teacher of physical education, at A.L. Johnson. He and his wife, Samantha, live in Clark, New Jersey, with their daughter Victoria.
Philip W. Gaffney
St. Mark’s Prep ’61
Princeton University ’65
Madison Junior Lacrosse Club (Coach)
Graduating from St. Mark’s Prep in 1961, Philip Gaffney was a three-year starter and helped guide the squad to an undefeated season and the New England Prep B Championship in 1960. He was selected as a New England Regional All-Star in
1961, and went on to play at Princeton University.
Phil played crease defense for Ferris Thomsen with the Tigers from 1963-1965 and helped the team to Ivy League Championships in each year. Following his graduation he began teaching English and coaching, as assistant lacrosse coach, at Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, MA in 1965. In 1965 and 1966 he helped guide Deerfield to the top of New England high school lacrosse before being commissioned as Ensign in the United States Navy in 1967.
After completing his military service, he served as head women's lacrosse coach at
Morristown Beard School from 1985-1986. His team was a finalist in the New Jersey Prep B Championship in 1985, and compiled a 14-5 record in two seasons. Phil began coaching in the Madison (NJ) Junior Lacrosse league (5th/6th grades) in 1993 and served continuously through 1998, also serving as president of the Madison Lacrosse Club. In 1996 he founded the 5th/6th grade boys Rose City Lacrosse Festival for youth boys at Drew University, the successor of which is now the Platypus Invitational at Madison High School. He went on to coach the New Jersey 8th Grade All-Star teams of 1997 and 1998, which were played at Fairleigh Dickinson University.
Phil has played with the Navy Old Goats in the Vail Shootout Supermasters (over 40)
since 1994, and helped the Old Goats to Championships in 1995, 1997, and 2001. In
Brigitte Schrepfer Geiger
Maple Shade High School ’76
Trenton State College ’80
Brigitte Schrepfer Geiger competed at Maple Shade High School from 1973-1976, where she was an all-section selection as a center in 1973, 1974, and 1975 and served as co-captain of her team. In 1975, she was the only junior to be selected to
the Courier Post All-Area team.
She went on to play at Trenton State College from 1977–1980, earning first-team All-New Jersey Athletic Conference honors in 1979 and 1980. She was also a collegiate All-America selection in 1978. Brigitte led TSC in scoring in 1979 and 1980, and was second on the team in scoring in 1978 while leading the team in assists that same year.
Brigitte competed with the Central NJ/NY club team 1978-1986 as a midfield/deep attack, helping the squad to the USWLA national tournament several times in the 1980’s. She led the squad in scoring in 1980, 1981, 1982, and also played with the U.S. squad from 1980-1982. She served as head coach at Montclair State College 1982 and 1983 and briefly coached the girls youth (grades 6-9) program at Summit Middle School as well as the freshman squad at Montville High School in 1984.
She began officiating in the New Jersey Northeast Chapter 2 league in 1982, and continued through 2003; she also served in the collegiate Northeast region from 1995-1997 and officiated at the club level in central and northern N.J. from 1984-1988. Brigitte served as president of the Northeast Chapter 2 league from 1984-1987, was cadet chair from 1990-1993, served as a rules interpreter for the league from 1994-1998 and was the cadet co-chair in 2000-2001. In addition, she was a member of the Mt. Olive Township organizing committee to bring lacrosse to the township, and has served as the vice president of the Mount Olive Junior Lacrosse Club Girls Division since 2002.
Brigitte is currently a Health/Physical Education/Drivers Education teacher at Mount Olive High School, where she is the head field hockey coach. She was named the 1995 Daily Record and 1997 Newark Star-Ledger Field Hockey Coach of the Year. In 2005, she became the head lacrosse coach at Mt. Olive, the first year of the girls’ program. She was also named a Star-Ledger New Jersey Athletes of the Century Top Ten Athlete of the 1970's in Women's Lacrosse in 2000. A member of the National and New Jersey Field Hockey Coaches Associations as well as NJAHPERD, Brigitte is married to John Geiger and they have two sons, Tim and Kevin, and currently reside in Flanders, New Jersey.
Michael C. Hynes
Montclair High School ’73
University of Maryland ’77
Michael Hynes was a four-year member of the Montclair High School attack (1970–1973), where he helped the team to 42 consecutive wins and three state tournaments. MHS won two state championships, in 1971 and 1972, and made it to the state semi-finals in 1973. As team co-captain in his senior season, Mike led the state in scoring in 1973 with 56 points. He was a first team All-State selection in 1972 and 1973, and was selected as a high school All-American in 1973. He was also named the 1973 Most Outstanding Player in New Jersey.
Mike went on to play at the University of Maryland from 1974-1977. The Terps competed in the NCAA Final Four tournament all four years, winning the national championship in 1975; Maryland was a national finalist in 1974 and 1976 and was a national semi-finalist in 1977. During the 1975 national championship match, Mike tallied 3 goals and 2 assists to guarantee the win. In his final season with the Terps (1977), he lead the team in points and assists with 65 and 44, respectively, and was also ranked third nationally with 4.0 assists per game. Upon graduation from Maryland, he was ranked 19th all-time in career points (151), 10th in career assists (91), and 7th in single season assists (44 in 1977)—records which still stand in the Terps books. A collegiate All-America honoree in 1976, he was a second team
All-America selection in 1977 and played in the 1977 North-South College All-Star game for the South squad.
He also played for the Maryland Lacrosse Club (MLC) and several upstate New York
lacrosse clubs upon graduation. From 1978-1981, Mike helped the MLC to four national championship games, including the squad’s first championship title in 28 years in 1979.
During this time also served as an assistant coach at Mt. St. Joseph’s High School in
Maryland, helping the team to a 48-13 record. In 1992, he was inducted to the Maryland Lacrosse Club Hall of Fame.
Thomas S. Leanos
Baltimore City College HS ’66
Hofstra University ’70
Head Coach, Drew University
Thomas Leanos has been involved in the game for over 30 years as both a player and a coach. Tom played on the 1966 Baltimore City College (HS) team, winning the MSA Public School Championship in 1966. In 1967 he attended the Community College of Baltimore, where he played on the JUCO National Championship team for two years as a midfielder and was selected as a JUCO All-American in 1968. After his JUCO career, he enjoyed a two-year career at Hofstra University, was an All-Met Division All-Star for the Flying Dutchmen in 1969 and 1970, and participated in the North-South All-Star Classic in 1970.
He enjoyed play as a club player from 1971-1984, earning a nod to the USCLA All-Star team 1971. Tom was also selected to the Baltimore Sun Club All-America Club first team in 1977 and was also the Most Valuable Player of the Eastern Shore Lacrosse Club in 1977.
Currently the head coach at Drew University, Tom recently completed his 19th season the helm of the lacrosse program. The all-time winningest coach for the Rangers, he recorded his 100th career victory in 1998 and now boasts a 149-117 (.560) career mark. Tom has guided the Rangers to five ECAC Metro NY/NJ championship titles, including three consecutive championships from 1998-
2000. His teams have claimed MAC-East championships from 1988-1991, and he led the 1994 squad to the program’s first-ever MAC Championship title. He was honored by his peers in 1997, earning the MAC Coach of the Year award. In addition, five of Leanos’ squads have earned the prestigious Frenchy Julien Memorial Sportsmanship Award from the District III Lacrosse Officials Association.
Tom has coached 62 players who have been named MAC All-Stars in his 18 seasons, with two conference MVPs, four USILA All-Americans, and one Academic All-American. He guided the 1990 team to a final national ranking of 18th and also served as the coach for the South team in the 1991 Division III North/South All-Star Game.
In addition to serving as the men’s lacrosse coach at Drew, Tom is the facilities manager for the athletic department, organizing the scheduling and operation of Ranger Stadium and all outside athletic facilities. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Salisbury State from 1975-1977, and then served as the head coach for the men’s squad at Southampton College of LIU from 1979-1983, where he started the varsity program. He has directed the Mid-Atlantic Lacrosse Camp since 1988 and the Drew Lacrosse Clinic from 1988 to present. Tom has been chairman MAC Lacrosse committee, serving from 1994-1997, and participated on the NCAA men’s lacrosse committee from 1983-1989 and the NCAA Division III Lacrosse Advisory Committee from 1991-2000. In addition, he was a member of the USILA All-American selection committee from 1996-2001 and served as regional chairman for the committee in 2000-2001.
Tom and his wife, Karen, reside in Long Valley, NJ with their children, Brendan and Jonathan.
M. Susan Paige
Franklin Senior High School ’76
Lock Haven University ’80
Official
Susan Paige played at Lock Haven University as a center/defense from 1977-1980, where she helped the Bald Eagles to the 1979 NCAA Division II championship. After
graduation, she played for seven years with the West Jersey Lacrosse Club and went on to serve as head coach at Moorestown Friends School from 1983-1989, where she guided the squad to a 69-39-9 record and a state runner-up finish in the 1984 title game. Sue was chosen to coach the Senior All-State games in 1985 and 1988,
and she was awarded the 1989 Moorestown Friends Women’s Lacrosse Club of South Jersey Sportsmanship Award.
Sue served as secretary of the Women’s Lacrosse Club of SJ from 1988-1989. She was chosen to participate in the Sauk Valley Farms Sports Weekend in Brooklyn, MI to teach lacrosse at the high school/collegiate level for two weekends per year from 1983-1989. In 1989, she began officiating at the high school level, and has officiated on the collegiate level since 1994. She helped found the New Jersey Shore Chapter of Girls Lacrosse in 1997 by providing clinics to umpires and coaches. Since 1997, she has served as a cadet trainer for West Jersey Chapter 5 women’s lacrosse, and was co-vice president of the chapter from 1997-2003. Sue has been a rules interpreter for West Jersey since 2003 and a state rules interpreter for NJSIAA as well. From 2001-2002, she was the Upper Atlantic Region chair for officiating and since 2003 has been the Superregion chair (New Jersey/Pennsylvania/Delaware) and a member of the National Umpiring Committee/Women’s Division Officials
Council.
She is a nationally-rated umpire since 1998. Sue was an umpire for the NCAA Division I/III championship tournaments in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003, has umpired the annual South Jersey Senior All-Star game from 1992-2003 (excluding 1996), and umpired New Jersey high school state championship matches in 2001, 2002, 2003. She was the recipient of the 2000 Bea Markwick Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding Service and Dedication to lacrosse in South Jersey, and was chosen as the 1998 NFIOA New Jersey Girls Lacrosse Official of the Year.
Sue currently resides in Medford, New Jersey with her husband Robert and two children, Michael and Alison.
Denise D’Arcy Westcott
Moorestown High School ’76
University of Maryland ’80
Head Coach, University of Delaware (1997–present);
Drew University (1989–1991)
A goalkeeper for Moorestown High School for four years before attending the University of Maryland, Denise Wescott helped the Terps to a 50-11-1 mark and advance to the AIAW tournament three times, with 2nd/5th/2nd place finishes, respectively. She still ranks fourth on the programs’ all-time saves list with 519 stops, and boasted a 6.99 goals-against average in her career. She was named to
the AIAW national tournament all-tournament team in 1980, and was a .S.Women’s
Lacrosse all-star team selection in 1980.
She has played with the Washington Club and coached the South Mid-Atlantic and Upper-Atlantic club teams from 1977-2002. She joined the collegiate coaching ranks in 1982, serving as an assistant coach for both women’s lacrosse and field hockey at Maryland until 1986.
During those years, the Terps were NCAA national runners-up in 1983, 1984, and 1985 before capturing their first national championship in 1986. Denise went on to an assistant’s position at Penn State from 1986-1988, helping guide the team to a 1987 NCAA title and a 1988 runnerup finish. She became the head field hockey coach at Drew University in 1989, and took over the women’s lacrosse coaching duties from 1989-1991. She then assumed the head coaching duties at Rutgers University from 1991-1993, where she garnered a 17-22 record.
Denise was named the head coach of women’s lacrosse at the University of Delaware in 1997 and served through 2004 season. In 11 seasons, she recorded a 104-86 record with the Blue Hens, and her teams were ranked in the national Top 20 in six seasons. She guided the squad to America East conference titles in 1997, 1998, 1999, and helped the team earn an NCAA bid in 2000. Denise was named the 1986 and 1988 America East Coach of the Year, and also served as an assistant for field hockey at Delaware from 1993-1997.
In addition to serving as an assistant coach for the U.S. developmental squad from 1988-1999, she was a member of the U.S. squad selection committee. Since 1996, has been the head coach for the German National team, who has attended seven European Cups, two Prague Cups, and had an eighth place finish in the 2001 and 2005 World Cups. Denise was a member of the U.S. Lacrosse Rules Selection Committee in 1987, 1988, and from 2000-2002. She served as IWLCA treasurer 1986-1991, as vice president from 1997-1999, and as president from 2000-
2002. She also served on the NCAA lacrosse committee and now serves as vice president for the IFWLA in charge of development and instruction.
Denise was recently named the head coach of women’s lacrosse at Mount Saint Mary’s College in September, and currently resides in Newark, Delaware.