Category Archives: Milford

Sage Esposito

Posted on

Sage Esposito played volleyball at Foran High School Volleyball from 2007-2010. She was a setter and a 4 year starter. She captained the Foran team her junior and senior year. Her accolades include All-State Team selection in 2010 and 2009 as well as a second team selection in 2008. The New Haven Register awarded Sage an All-Area selection in 2010, 2009 and 2008. Sage earned a 2010 Connecticut Post All-Star award and New Haven Register Volleyball Most Valuable player designation. The Register also named Page Female Athlete of the Year for 2010-2011. She was chosen by area coaches to play in the Senior All Star Volleyball game her senior year. Sage also earned All-SCC division honors in 2010, 2009 and 2008.

Sage currently holds 2 school records in assists (1992) and assists for a single match (48). She was also a member of the Foran High School softball team from 2008-2011 where she was a 4 year varsity team member, a 3 year starter at second base and a captain in 2011. She earned All-State 2nd team and All – Area honors from the New Haven Register in 2011. Sage batted an amazing .541 her senior year for the 2011 Class M State Champions and #1 Ranked Team in the state.

She went on play volleyball for the University of Connecticut from 2011-2014 where she was a defensive specialist 2011-2013, and switched to setter in the 6-2 offense her senior year. She played in 342 sets, 106 matches, compiled 592 assists, 68 aces, 620 digs. Sage earned Big East All-Academic Team honors for the 2011-2012 school year. She also sang with the A Capella group “Rubyfruit”at UCONN.

She graduated in 2015 with a BS degree in Communications and went on to the University of Michigan to earn a MS degree in Human Computer Interaction. She is currently working at ESPN in New York City.

Sage will be married to Sergio Campbell in December 2018.

Milford Mirror

Cathy Vitelli

Posted on

Cathy-Beth’s volleyball experience began as a player at West Haven High School. She and her team were finalists in a State Championship game and she was named to the All-State team. She also played at Southern Connecticut State College where she was a four-year starter and played in the National Tournament. She was an assistant coach at Southern in 1975.

Cathy-Beth’s career as an official began in 1972 when she worked high school matches as well as men and women’s collegiate matches and tournaments. In 2003 and continuing to the present, she has officiated scholastic girls’ matches including league and state tournaments and state final matches. She has also officiated boys’ volleyball state tournaments including state finals matches. From 2004 to the present, Cathy-Beth has served as a mentor to the Southern Connecticut Officials Board. She is an approved evaluator to assist the trainer, assigner, and official with development and training. She assists with classes and virtually every aspect of officiating enhancement and supports new and veteran officials to grow their skills and learn new ones. Also during that time until 2015, Cathy-Beth served as a trainer for the board as well, recruiting new officials and training them in play situations, conduct, management, control, and professionalism. Her responsibility included conducting clinics for education, evaluation, and certification testing of officials.

Lastly, Cathy- Beth is the rules interpreter for the board. She is responsible for presenting new rules to the Board of Officials annually. She also clarifies the rules and play situations during the season for officials and coaches. As player and coach, Cathy-Beth was preparing to begin her true calling – as an outstanding official at every level.

Cindy DeCarlo

Posted on

Cindy DeCarlo earned her BS and MS in Physical Education from Southern CT State University and later earned her 6th Year in Administration from Southern as well.

From 1978 to 1982, Cindy coached volleyball at Jonathan Law HS in Milford. Then in 1986 she began officiating volleyball as a member of the CT Federation of Volleyball Officials, the CFVO. During this time she held the offices of secretary/treasurer and vice-president as well.

In 1995 she served as a volunteer volleyball official for the International Special Olympics held in New Haven.

In the 1998 – 1999 school year, Cindy left officiating to become an interim elementary building administrator. At the end of that year, she went back to officiating as President of the CFVO. During the years she officiated, Cindy was assigned not only regular season matches, she also officiated conference and state tournaments including finals as both a referee and a down official.

Cindy is a past member of the CIAC Board of Volleyball Officials, and after spearheading the effort for many years to bring both boards of officials under one governing body, which they are now, she has continued her affiliation with the CFVO as an ex-officio member.

Cindy retired 1n 2008 after 35 years of teaching Physical Education in the Milford Public Schools. She is currently working as an adjunct professor at Southern supervising Physical Education Student Teachers.

Patty Doolittle Giannattasio

Posted on

dooltittle

Patty began her volleyball career in 1974 as a freshman at Foran High School, coached by Edna Fraser. It was the first season that volleyball was played in the Fall. During her four years at Foran, her team finished fourth, third, second and won the state tournament. She lettered during her sophomore, junior and senior years and also captained the team her senior year. She was selected MVP her junior and senior years. In 1978 Patty received the Foran Athletic Assoc. Award, the Connecticut Scholar Athlete award and the Keystone Scholar Athlete Award.  She received an athletic scholarship to the University of Rhode Island, where she captained the team her Junior and senior years. She graduated with distinction with a BA in psychology.

Patty has coached volleyball at Jonathon Law High School and Fitch High School.  She initiated the volleyball program at Mitchell College in ’93 and has also coached at the US Coast Guard Academy.

Edna Fraser

Posted on

fraser

Edna graduated from West Haven High School and SCSU with a BS and MS in Health and Physical Education.

She played softball for the Raybeston  Brakettes during the 1950’s and 1960’s.  Her teaching and coaching began at Milford High School and in 1973 she moved to Foran High School. It was there that she coached volleyball (1973-1978), basketball (1973-1986), and softball (1973-1991). Her teams won 399 games in the three sports over a 33-year career.  In 1986, she took the position of athletic director at Foran. She served in that position until 1992. She served as CIAC volleyball tournament director from 1992-1996.

Edna was a pioneer in establishing sports for girls in the state of Connecticut. she began her career at a time when there were few if any sport opportunities as well as establishing herself and her programs as models of excellence.

Aside from her award presented tonight, Edna has also been inducted into the SCSU Alumni Hall of Fame. She is a member of the Softball Hall of Fame, the Conn. Coach Association Hall of Fame and will be inducted into the Connecticut High School Basketball Hall of Fame in April. Edna was also honored by the town of Milford with the renaming of the gymnasium at Foran High School as the Edna I. Fraser Gymnasium.

April Hunt

Posted on

ahunt

April’s involvement with sports can best be described as long and varied. In the Fall of 1973 she started schools at Foran, Milford’s new high school. A versatile and dedicated athlete, April excelled at every sport she played.  While at Foran she was a three sport athlete, her outstanding play and winning attitude earned her letters each year in volleyball, basketball and softball. Although there were no all-star teams for volleyball in the early 70’s, April was a standout for hall of fame coach Edna Fraser and her team.  She was a quick and aggressive left-handed hitter suing her height and skill to her advantage. She could power or finesse the ball past her opponents and was a very efficient blocker. In 1975 she was instrumental in helping 5th ranked Foran defeat Sheehan to win the CIAC Class M State Championship. She was also a standout in basketball and softball. She was selected as captain of both teams and as a senior she was selected to the All-State basketball team.  She played first base and pitcher for the Diamonds and the Raybestos Robins amateur softball teams.

In 1974, April was introduced to a European sport called team handball in her physical education class. It would prove to be a life-changing event. She liked it so much she joined a club team and at a tournament was asked to try out for the US National team. Competing against women 5 eyars her senior, sixteen year old April was selected as one of the 20 players chosen to represent the United States. Over the next six years, she competed all over the world, including Iceland, Yugoslavia, Norway and Sweden. In 1975 she gave up a trip to Russia so she could compete with her high school team in the CIAC Volleyball Championships. After graduation, April received a basketball scholarship to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, no small feat as there were not many scholarships for women’s athletics then. She also played JV and varsity volleyball as a walk-on. In the summer of 1979, April lived and trained at the Olympics Training Center. Then as a result of the ’80 Olympic boycott, she returned to school and finished her degree, receiving a BA in English.

In 1992, April started her family. She has two children, Eric (16) and Emily (13). She is presently teaching social skills as a special education teacher at Foundation High School in Milford. April is still active and plays tennis, sails, rides her bike, plays golf, travels and enjoys outdoor activities with her family. Recently she took up the sports of sailing and crew and looks forward to competing in these sports with her soulmate, Tim Morgan. One of April’s life goals is to land her feet on all seven continents and with her sense of adventure and wonder about the world, we bet she will.