RHS Tracksters Perform Superbly at Nike Nationals
This past weekend saw an amazing performance by four members of the Revere High boys outdoor track program at the Nike Outdoor Nationals in Eugene, Oregon, on legendary Hayward Field.
The Patriot quartet of Sami El Asri (senior), JV Cunha (junior), Medy Bellemsieh (junior), and Isaiah DeCrosta (sophomore) finished second in the 1600 meter Sprint Medley Relay (SMR) and third in the 4 x 400 meter relay.
The foursome set a new RHS school record for the SMR (which consists of two legs of 200 meters, a 400, and an 800) in a time of 3:37.18 and smashed their existing school record in the 4 x 400 with a clocking of 3:27.82. Their outstanding performances earned them Nike All-American status.
It Was 40 Years Ago This Week That the Revere High Girls Tennis Team Won a State Championship
The 1983 Revere High girls tennis team became the first Revere sports team ever to win a State Championship when the Lady Patriots defeated Nashoba Valley High, 4-1, in the finals of the Division II state tournament 40 years ago this week.
Junior Carla Maniscalco (who has been the girls tennis coach at Revere High for many years) played at second singles and won her match in a shutout, 6-0, 6-0.
Senior Nancy DeMarco also was a winner in straight sets at third singles, 6-4, 6-0, as were the first doubles tandem of Kristen Collar and Josephine Russo, 6-1, 6-4. and the second doubles duo of Patti Neil and Danielle DiCarlo 6-1, 6-3.
Revere’s number one singles player, junior Maria Lochiatto, who was ranked sixth in New England, took her first set against her Nashoba opponent (who was ranked fifth in New England) by a 7-6 score in a set that lasted an exhausting one hour and 40 minutes.
However, with the match already decided by that point and temperatures in Worcester hovering near 100, RHS head coach Bob Lospennato convinced Lochiatto, who had been ill all week and was feeling faint, to terminate her match, which became the only defeat in her RHS career.
“I was truly lucky to have played on the team coached by Bob Lospennato,” said Maniscalco, who succeeded Lospennato as the girls’ head coach when he was promoted to the post of Revere High Athletic Director. “Some of my fondest memories of high school were of being a part of that team for four years. Bob Lospennato was the first and best tennis coach that I ever had. I first met Bob when I was around 10 years old when I joined one of the tennis clinics he ran through the Parks and Recreation.
“I had no idea what I was doing, but he was kind, patient, and made tennis fun,” Maniscaclo continued. “He has the unique ability to take a player at any level, from beginner to advanced, and make them better. Being a part of his team was truly a major highlight of my high school experience. I learned what it was like to be a part of a team (which is unique for tennis) and had the honor of sharing the court for four years with extremely talented players.”
The following year, the RHS girls team, led once again by the 1-2 duo of Lochiatto and Mansicalco, captured their second straight state title with Lospennato at the helm.
60 years ago
June 20, 1963
Alan Butt, who just graduated as a member of the RHS Class of 1963, has signed a contract with the Chicago Cubs. Lennie Merullo, head scout of the Cubs in this area, negotiated the contract for an undisclosed sum. Butt will leave this week for the Cubs’ minor league St. Cloud, Minn. team in the Class A Northern League. Butt hit .300 for Coach John Capone’s RHS teams the past two seasons.
