Part one shines light on 5 of 10 newest inductees
MELROSE—The Melrose Athletic Hall of Fame will be inducting their 2024 Class on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.
The newest class members include the following individuals:
• Donald MacInnes, MHS Class of 1956, hockey
• Ken Runge, MHS Class of 1981, baseball
• Tim Reilly, MHS Class of 1981, hockey
• Keith H. Bowden, Co-Founder of Melrose Athletic Hall of Fame
• Mike Sweezey, MHS Class of 1997, wrestling, football
• Sarah McGowan, MHS Class of 2013, volleyball, tennis
• Brooke Bell, MHS Class of 2013, volleyball, basketball
• Eric Mercer, MHS Class of 2014, football, hockey, lacrosse
• Samantha D’Alessandro, 2018, swimming
• Bionca St. Fleur, MHS Class of 2013, track and field
This week and next, we’ll take a look at each athlete and explore their contributions to Melrose High School, starting with:
Donald MacInnes, MHS Class of 1956, who will be posthumously inducted into the Hall following an extraordinary 4-year varsity career at MHS, where he led by example, captaining the 1956 GBI Championship team. His talent and dedication earned him recognition as a 1st Team GBI All-Star in both 1955 and 1956 and a place on the Record American 1st Team All-Scholastic in 1956. Don’s remarkable hockey career at MHS culminated in a record-breaking performance at the 1956 New England Hockey Tournament, where he scored 13 points in 3 games (7 goals, 6 assists) and was honored as the “Most Outstanding Player” of the tournament. He continued his athletic career at Norwich University, Class of 1960, where he was captain and the team’s high scorer for three years with 108 points. He earned All American, Small College, honors. He was inducted into the Norwich University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990.
Tim Reilly, MHS Class of 1981, will celebrate his induction after a great career as an outstanding hockey player. He served as team captain in his senior year, earning Middlesex League All-Star honors in both his junior and senior seasons, and 2nd in the League in overall scoring both years. Tim was also recognized as a Hockey Night in Boston All-Star and received an Honorable Mention as a Boston Globe All-Scholastic in 1981. During his junior and senior seasons, Tim averaged an impressive 2.8 points per game, and finished his MHS career with 109 points (54 games, 46 goals, 63 assists) He continued hockey at the University of Notre Dame from 1981-1986, where he was assistant captain his senior year and was Most Improved Player in 1983 and 1984. In 1985, he made the All-Tournament Team at the Syracuse Invitational. In his 99 games played, he scored 43 Goals and 65 Assists for 108 Points.
Ken Runge, MHS Class of 1981, excelled on both the football field and the baseball diamond. As an offensive guard, he earned Middlesex League All-Star honors and was named Boston Globe Division I All-Star at linebacker. His exceptional performance also led to selections in the 1981 Shriners All-Star Game and the Harry Agganis All-Star Game, where he led the team as co-captain. Ken’s accomplishments were further recognized with the Thom McAnn Melrose Football Scholar Athlete Award. As catcher for the varsity baseball team, he earned Middlesex League All-Star honors and is a Middlesex League Champion. Ken extended his football career at UMass Amherst where he received a full four-year scholarship to play football.
Bionca St. Fleur, Class of 2013, had a lasting impact on track and field at MHS and was truly exceptional. She earned 4 varsity letters over her MHS career and served as captain of both the indoor and outdoor teams in 2013. Her leadership, hard work, and athleticism led to numerous titles, including State Champion in the long jump and multiple Middlesex League championships in the 200m, 300m, and long jump. In 2013, she made history as the first MHS female spring track athlete to reach the New England Championships in 15 years. Her college career was equally record-breaking as she received a full scholarship to run at Temple University from 2014-2017. There, she broke the school record in the 200m (24.23) at the David Hemery Invitational 2016. She also broke the School Record Long Jump (6:01m) at the American Indoor Championships in 2016.
Sarah McGowan, MHS Class of 2013, made exceptional achievements on both the volleyball and tennis courts have left an indelible mark on Melrose High School’s athletic history. As a 4-year varsity athlete in both sports, Sara was a 2-time tennis captain and captained the 2012 State Championship volleyball team. Overall, Sara is a 7-time Volleyball Champion across the Middlesex League (3), Division II North (3), and State (1). She was also a 4-time Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic selection, a 2-time MGVCA Division II All-State team member, and a 2-time Middlesex League All-Star. Sara broke the MHS all-time single season kill record with 341 kills and the MHS varsity tennis career singles match record. She went on to graduate from Boston College, where she competed in club volleyball.
Next week we will look at the remaining inductees: Samantha D’Alessandro, Keith Bowden, Mike Sweezey, Eric Mercer and Brooke Bell.
The Hall of Fame event on September 21 starts with a plaque ceremony that will take place at 4:30 p.m. at Melrose High School Learning Commons, where athletes will be presented with their induction plaques and their exceptional athletic achievements will be highlighted. This event is free to the public. The Induction Ceremony and Banquet will take place at Melrose’s Memorial Hall at 6:00 p.m.
Tickets are $50 per person. All ticket requests should be sent by email to: Johnwconnery@gmail.com.
