Westfield State University held its 22nd Athletic Hall of Fame Induction ceremony in October 2017, inducting five new individual members and recognizing two “Teams of Distinction.”
Individual inductees, pictured left, were: (front row) women’s basketball standout Kristen (Schmaelzle) Lavelle ’00; track and field All-American David Bergeron ’07; softball pitcher Leah (Peterson) Holmes ’06; (back row) men’s soccer forward Andrew Lewis ’02; and All-American football running back Shawn Lyman ’02.
The 1950-51 men’s basketball team and 1974 men’s soccer teams were recognized as the first two “Teams of Distinction.”
David Bergeron ’07
Bergeron was a two-time All-American in the javelin. He saved his best for the final throw of his collegiate career, launching it a then-school record of 208 feet at the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Division III outdoor track and field championships to finish second in
the nation. “It was so unique to me to be able to put my education to work in the actual minute of what I was doing in sport, which was really cool,” says Bergeron. “The Woodward Center is an unbelievable facility, and the education that we can get there—that can’t be touched by the other state colleges.”
Kristen Lavelle ’00
Lavelle totaled 1,161 points and 659 rebounds for the Owls highly successful women’s basketball program. She set Westfield State records for both career and single season field goal percentage and played on three 20-win teams.
Leah Holmes ’06
Holmes was named the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference player of the year in 2005. She was a three-time all-conference selection as a pitcher, compiling 29 wins and 46 complete games, and regularly helped her own cause at the plate, where she was a .319 career hitter. “The opportunity I had as a student-athlete helped lay a foundation for my life after college,” says Holmes. “It taught me how to be dedicated, committed to any challenge I have encountered, and to learn how to better balance life at work and at home. As a teacher, I encourage the values of teamwork and cooperation in my classroom.”
Andrew Lewis ’02
Lewis was a three-time all-conference forward on the Owls strong soccer teams of the late 1990s. He helped the Owls to one Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) tournament appearance, and as a senior led the Owls to a conference title and an NCAA tournament appearance. He ranks as one of the top three scorers in the last 30 years at Westfield State.
Shawn Lyman ’02
Lyman was an honorable mention All-American in 2001, a historic season in which his football team was an undefeated 10-0 in the regular season and advanced to the NCAA Playoffs for the first (and only) time in program history. He set single-season records with 1,483 rushing yards, 14 rushing touchdowns, and 84 points scored that season, while he was called up to active duty at Westover Air Force Base in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, tragedy. “I worked six days a week and 12-hour shifts, and had to maintain full class load to stay NCAA eligible,” says Lyman. “My teammates, family, friends, and members of Westover Air Force Base helped support me.”
