FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 9, 2004

Rhode Island College Announces
Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2004

Providence, RI—Rhode Island College will induct eight members into its Athletic Hall of Fame at College’s annual Athletic Recognition Dinner and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 2, in conjunction with Homecoming.

Abraham “Cappy” Asermely ’51 was a three-sport athlete during his days at the Rhode Island College of Education. He played four years of basketball and soccer, as well as two years of track and field. One of many highlights in an outstanding basketball career, he once scored 38 points vs. North Adams College.

During his senior year, Asermely helped lay the groundwork for what became the varsity baseball program. He borrowed uniforms from a local amateur team, planned an informal schedule and the baseball program was off and running.

After graduation, he worked for the city of Pawtucket as an educator, then as the Recreation Supervisor for 56 years. Nine teachers who taught under Asermely’s leadership went on to become principals.

One of his most notable endeavors while he was at Pawtucket’s recreation department was the establishment of a three-on-three basketball league in 1968, one of the first of its kind in the country. The league is still going strong today with some of the original participants still playing.

Asermely stayed involved in sports as an official and coach. He served as an umpire for more than 40 years in Little League and high school, as well as college baseball and men’s softball leagues. He umpired several Pawtucket Red Sox games and also officiated basketball. He coached the Pawtucket Vocational High School basketball team for nine years. He is a 2002 inductee to the Pawtucket Hall of Fame.

Asermely earned a bachelor’s degree in education from R.I.C.E. in 1951.

He resides in Pawtucket with his wife Ann. The couple has six children: Nancy (49), Andy (47), Jeff (45), Glenn (41), Douglas (39), Debra (35) and six grandchildren.

James Barbera ’91 is one of several wrestlers credited with helping build the Anchormen into a dynasty in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Barbera is one of only five former Rhode Island College grapplers who were part of New England College Conference Wrestling Association (NECCWA) Championship teams in each of their four years at RIC.

Barbera earned All-New England status in each of his four seasons on the mat. He was the NECCWA champion at 150 lbs. as a junior in 1990 and at 142 lbs. as a senior in 1991. Barbera was an NCAA All-American at 142 lbs., placing eighth in 1991. He was a two-time Academic All-American in 1990 and 1991, the only RIC wrestler to achieve this feat in the program’s history.

Barbera was RIC’s John E. Hetherman Award recipient, signifying him as the College’s top male senior student-athlete, in 1991. He was twice named to Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities, earning this honor in 1990 and 1991.

Barbera continued to wrestle after college, taking home first place at the AAU Wrestling National Championships for ages 30 and over in 1999. He earned a first place finish at the MAWA Wrestling National Championships in the open division a year earlier in 1998.

He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Rhode Island College in 1991.

A native of South Kingstown, he is currently a sales manager for Seafreeze, a seafood company. Barbera resides in Kingston, Rhode Island with his wife Martha ’02.

Jenna Daum ’98 is one of the most highly decorated women’s gymnasts in Rhode Island College history. She qualified for the National Collegiate Gymnastics Association (NCGA) Championships four times and her career-high marks still rank among the all-time leaders in the RIC women’s gymnastics record book.

When Daum finished her career in 1997, she was the RIC record-holder on bars and beam, and was second in the all-around. A native of Newport, she earned All-American honors in two events at the 1996 NCGA Championships. Daum placed fourth in the all-around and tied for second on floor to conclude an outstanding performance. She helped lead the team to the 1996 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship and earned All-ECAC honors on vault, bars, beam, floor and in the all-around.

Daum earned All-American honors once again as a senior in 1996-97, placing sixth on bars. She was All-ECAC on vault and in the all-around as a freshman in 1993-94.

Also while at RIC, Daum was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (S.A.A.C.) and later was a committee member for the 1998 NCGA Championships, which were hosted by RIC.

After graduation, Daum worked with Big Brothers of Rhode Island as a case manager, then at the Women’s Resource Center of Newport and Bristol Counties as a school-based violence prevention educator, then as a case manager at West Bay Community Action. She is a judge for high school gymnastics and previously was the head coach of girls’ gymnastics at Middletown High School.

Daum is working on her master’s degree, concentrating in guidance counseling at Cambridge College. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rhode Island College in 1998. Daum is single and resides in Warwick.

Claude Gladu ’62 was an outstanding basketball player at Rhode Island College from 1958-1962. He is one of only 25 former players to score 1,000 or more points in their career as Anchormen. Gladu scored 1,240 points, which ranks him 12th all-time. He also played one year of soccer and baseball while at the College.

Gladu was a member of the 1960-61 men’s basketball squad that qualified for the NAIA Tournament for the first time in school history and is the sixth member of that team to be elected into RIC’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

After his collegiate career, Gladu went on to a 28-year career as an educator. He was a social studies teacher at Lincoln Junior/Senior High School from 1962 until his retirement in 1990. Gladu served as the social studies Department Chair from 1967-90.

In addition to his teaching career, Gladu had an accomplished career as an interscholastic coach. He was one of the first-ever Rhode Island girls’ basketball male coaches, serving as an assistant coach at Lincoln High School from the late 1970s through the early 1980s. Gladu was also the girls’ cross country and outdoor track coach at LHS. He was also involved with the South Attleboro Little League from 1975-81, serving as its President from 1979-81.

A native of Central Falls, he earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Rhode Island College in 1962. He earned his M.Ed from RIC in 1965 and CAGS from Clark in 1968. He served as the Assistant Director of the Taft Institute at RIC from 1968-88.

He resides in Narragansett with his wife Dawn. The couple has three children: Christopher (37), Dennis (33) and April (30) and three grandchildren.

Richard Lawrence ’68 played three sports as an undergraduate at Rhode Island College. He played three years of soccer, plus one season each of basketball and men’s tennis.

After graduation, Lawrence embarked on a 35-year career as an educator at Mt. St. Charles Academy that is still going strong today. In 1970, Lawrence was named the varsity soccer coach. In 1974, he was appointed the Director of Athletics. Lawrence was named the varsity boys tennis coach in 1974 and took over the girls varsity tennis program in 1990.

From 1970 to the present, his teams won a total of 29 league championships and six state titles in soccer and tennis. In addition, Lawrence’s teams have played in a total of 13 state championship games or matches. Among his many achievements, the Woonsocket Call named him the Soccer Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1985 and the Tennis Coach of the Year in 1981, ‘84-86, ‘90-91 and again in 2001. He received the Franklin Circle of Life Award for coaching both tennis and soccer in 1987.

In 2003, he was inducted into the Boys Tennis Coaches Hall of Fame and the New England Soccer Hall of Fame. In 2000, he was inducted into the Rhode Island Soccer Coaches Hall of Fame. When he stepped down in 1990, Lawrence had more wins, playoff appearances and division championships than any other coach in the history of the Rhode Island Interscholastic League.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in English and Education from Rhode Island College in 1968. He earned a master’s degree in English and American Literature from the University of Rhode Island in 1974.

He resides in North Scituate with his wife Carolyn. He has six children: Christian (32), Kirsten (30), Jessica (27), Alexandra (13), Meryl (11), Jacob (4) and one grandchild.

Jeanne (Berthasavage) Lucey ’86 was a dominant sprinter in women’s outdoor track during her days at Rhode Island College. Even though it’s been 18 years since she competed for the Anchorwomen, her records in both the 100 and 200 meters still stand.

Lucey posted RIC’s fastest time ever in the 100 meters (12.41) as a senior in 1986. She established the Anchorwomen’s top time in the 200 meters (25.60) as a junior in 1985. At the conclusion of her collegiate career, she also held RIC records as part of the 4x400, 4x1600 and sprint medley teams.

She was an All-American in 1986, placing sixth in the 100 meters at the NCAA Division III National Championships, and was ranked number one in New England in that event. Lucey earned All-ECAC honors in both the 100 and 200 meters and never finished below fourth place at any meet that spring.

As a junior in 1985, Lucey earned All-ECAC honors in both the 100 and 200 meters and qualified for the NCAA Championships. She narrowly missed All-American honors, placing ninth, just .03 seconds behind the eighth and final A.A. spot.

Lucey was also an outstanding runner as a sophomore and freshman. She placed first in the 100 meters and as part of the 4x400 relay team at the Tri-State Championships in 1984.

Lucey earned a bachelor’s degree from Rhode Island College in 1986. She is an instructor’s assistant in the Lyme/Old Lyme public school system. She resides in Lyme, Connecticut with her husband Dave. The couple has four children: Connor (13), Rowan (10), Cara (8) and Mae (7).

Joe Mikaelian ’80 was an accomplished baseball player at Rhode Island College from 1974-78 and he is still in the RIC record book to this day. As an outfielder, he was known for his speed around the bases, powerful throwing arm and excellent hitting skills.

A native of Cranston, Mikaelian played in 104 career games, batting .333 with 98 runs, 106 hits, 71 RBI, 14 doubles, 12 triples and 14 home runs. He is a member of the Rhode Island College Baseball 100-Hit Club.

Although he hasn’t put on the spikes for 26 years, Mikaelian still ranks first in walks (89), second in triples (12), fourth in steals (45) and fifth in runs (98) all-time.

He helped the team capture the NESCAC title in each of his four seasons as an Anchorman and earned First Team All-Conference honors as a junior in 1976. Mikaelian missed the 1977 season while recuperating from knee surgery.

After graduation, Mikaelian went on to play Men’s Major League Softball for Pariseault Builders. The team traveled throughout the Northeast, playing in various tournaments. He was a member of Pariseault Builders’ Northeast Division Championship team in 1985, which went on to compete in the Softball World Series.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Rhode Island College in 1980. He is a specialist in inventory management at General Dynamics, a company he has worked with for the past 22 years. He resides in Westerly with his wife Gina with their daughters: Nicole (18) and Briana (15).

Troy Smith ’93 enjoyed an outstanding four-year basketball career at Rhode Island College from 1986-90. He played in a RIC record 107 career games and closed out his career with 1,719 points, which ranks him sixth all-time. Smith also compiled 1,184 career rebounds, which is second all-time. He is one of only three players ever at RIC to score 1,000 or more points and grab 1,000 or more rebounds.

The forward/center was a prolific shooter who ranks third all-time with a .596 career field goal percentage (670-1,124). During his career, he helped the Anchormen post a four-year record of 67-42 for a .615 winning percentage. He led the team in both scoring and rebounding three times in his four-year career.

The Jersey City, New Jersey native was a National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Second Team All-American, named First Team All-New England, First Team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), was the Little East Conference Player of the Year and First Team All-Little East as a senior in 1989-90.

Smith was also named the Little East Conference Co-Player of the Year, earned First Team All-Little East, as well as Second Team All-New England and All-ECAC, honors as a junior in 1988-89. Smith is one of only three All-Americans in Rhode Island College men’s basketball history, which dates back to the 1930s. Ricky Wilson ‘72 and Alex Butler ’97 are the other two.

He is currently a mathematics coordinator and head boys varsity basketball coach at Lincoln High School in New Jersey. He is single and resides in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The sixth annual Rhode Island College Athletic Recognition Dinner and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held on Saturday, Oct. 2, in conjunction with Homecoming, at Donovan Dining Center at 7 p.m. A reception to honor all former Hall of Fame inductees and all previous Hetherman and Murphy Award winners will be held at the Intercollegiate Athletics Building at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $40 each. The deadline for ordering tickets is Sept. 13. Please contact the Athletic Department at 401-456-8007 to purchase tickets or for additional information.

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