Above: EG Athletic Hall of Fame Honorees of 2022.

The East Greenwich Athletic Hall of Fame has announced its newest class, which will be inducted into their ranks Sunday, May 5, at the Quonset ‘O’ Club on 200 Lt. Brown Road in North Kingstown.

This year’s inductees include Phil Martin 1981, Mark Mahoney 1983, Tad Granai 1995, Matt Bowen 2006, Tori Ahrens 2007, John Anderson Special Recognition Award; Mark Henry Golden Avenger Award, Peter Dion Outstanding Coach

PHIL MARTIN – Played three sports at EGHS. Made both Coaches and Providence Journal All State teams in football. In 1980 was Adidas All American Honorable Mention. Was team MVP and Captain as EG won championship. In basket Phil was named Captain and was one of top scorers in state. In 1980 was team MVP.

In the spring on the diamond Martin was an All Class first team choice as the team won the state championship. He was named Male Athlete of the Year by both The Crimson and Letterman’s Club.

Out in California he coached all three sports in youth programs, and, in football coached current 49’ers star Aaron Banks.

MARK MAHONEY – Played soccer, basketball and track for the Avengers. Was first team All Division in soccer as a junior and a senior. In track he was All State as a junior in 100, 200 and 400 meter relays and qualified for the New Englands in same. His senior year, he repeated that success and finished fourth in New Englands in the 100 and on relay team.

At Brandeis University Mark was a three sporter in soccer, indoor and outdoor track. Brandeis made the NCAA D3 finals and his team was inducted into Brandeis Hall of Fame. In track Mahoney qualified as a freshman.

He has spent the intervening years as a youth soccer coach and board member and also as a soccer referee on three levels and as a board member for that august body.

TAD GRANAI – Played football, hockey and baseball on Crimson teams. In hockey he started for four years and was All Conference and a 3x All Star. Also named Captain and MVP twice. One of EG’s all-time top scorers. He was 1995 Male Athlete of the Year and went on to play hockey at URI, where he started all four years.

In baseball, Granai was All Conference two times and as a senior batted over .400. He played centerfield for three years and in the summer played for West Warwick Post 2 in Legion baseball.

A team captain in football he was two-time All Conference and started three years on offense and defense along with returning punts and kicks.

Tad served in the Army for 23 yearsm reaching the rank of Lt. Colonel and served as a professor of military science at URI. He did four tours of duty in the Middle East.

A Combat Infantry Officer, he holds 2 Bronze Stars; 4 Meritorious Service Awards; 2 Commendation Medals; Combat and Expert Infantry Badges and Airborne Wings.

Lt. Colonel Granai was also chosen as the OCS Distinguished Military Graduate.

TORI AHRENS – Ms. Ahrens played varsity volleyball and basketball for four years for the Crimson and White. In ’05 and ’06 she was second team All Division and All State but made 1st team in both in 2007. She held the school record for points scored in basketball with 1,560 until 2023. She was a nominee for Gatorade Player of the Year.

In college at Franklin Pierce U. in Rindge, N.H., she played for four years and was named Freshman(woman) Player of the Week 3x. She was second in the Northeast 10 Conference in FG percentage. Tori was named to the All Academic 3rd team. The Ravens reached the Elite Eight in 2008 and followed with the National Championship playoffs and the Final Four the next two years.

Ms. Ahrens was named to the Northeast 10’s Academic Honor Roll.

She coached EGHS Girls basketball for a few years and was named the Rhode Island Coach of the Year, and she runs the WIN Program and the EG Girls Basketball Summer Camp programs.

MATT BOWEN – A five-sport athlete, Matt played soccer, basketball, baseball and competed in both indoor and outdoor track. He racked up All Division mentions in all and garnered a first team All Division in basketball and baseball and one second team All State in indoor track. He holds the school high jump mark at 6’4″ and was Male Athlete of the Year his senior year. He was a Nominee for Gatorade Male Athlete of Year and was no slouch academically grabbing a National Honor Society designation. He captained both the basketball and baseball teams.

In college at Northeastern Bowen was on the track team for three years and helped the Huskies to a CAA track title in 2008. He was 5th in the high jump at the conference meet.

Here in EG, Bowen has worked at the EG Youth Basketball and Avenger Basketball summer camps.

JOHN ANDERSON – John has been named the winner of the EGAHOF’s Special Recognition Award. Mr. Anderson was a co-founder and major driving force behind the establishment of the East Greenwich Basketball Association.

During the COVID pandemic, John announced the East Greenwich Avenger basketball games and also served as the voice of Avenger hoops via a radio video cast.

In the fall he can be seen manning the chains for EGHS football games. John is a quiet, but committed volunteer, not only for East Greenwich High School but for many other activities in the East Greenwich community. It is people like John who make any community the place it is and volunteers like John serve, as John has, in a quiet but important way.

MARK HENRY – Winner of the Golden Avenger Award. An outstanding athlete in three sports, Henry was a co-captain of his football and baseball teams. He played football and basketball four years and baseball three. At Harvard he played frosh football, house football and JV baseball. He also played in the Boston Park Baseball League. He graduated from Harvard Medical School and then went to Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshiva Medical School.

Henry was the Medical Director for the NY State Medical Service Program. He was an advocate for having Defibrillators at high school sports and other sports events in New York State and lectured nationally on these devices in schools. He had a long career in emergency medicine and was the director of the first Department of Emergency Services in New York City at Booth Memorial Medical Center for 13 years. He put in another 17 as founding chair of New York State Emergency Medical Services.

After 9/11, Mark was named to chair the Biochemical Preparation Committee for New York State.

PETER DION – Last but certainly not least is Pete Dion, long-time EGHS cross country and track coach. He along, with Field Hockey Honcho, Deb McMullen, are probably two of the most successful coaches ever to coach at EGHS, not only in terms of wins but also in getting their kids on to compete in college.

Dion started out at Cole as a basketball coach and had a 96-35 record (73 percent) with a state title and a runner-up trophy. At EGHS in Boys Cross Country, he had a 148-27 dual meet record (84 percent). His team was state champ in 2007, no small feat, winning out over not only bigger schools, but perennial powerhouses LaSalle and Hendricken. The Avs also were runner-up in New England that year. Twelve times Pete has had New England qualifiers; twelve Class Champions, two freshman team champions and 6x was the #1 school in cross country.

In Indoor Track, Dion was 40-26-1 (60 percent) and had three Class Champions. He has been named RITCA Coach of the Year three times and has had one New England Individual Champion; one R.I. State Individual Champion, 9 Individual Class Champions, 2 All Americans, 23 All Staters, and 2 boys named R.I. Gatorade Runners of the Year. Many of his runners have gone on to compete in college.

So, there you have it. This year’s crop of honorees. Standouts who can stand up to the accomplishments of many from bigger schools. East Greenwich, though one of the smaller schools in the state (at one time the smallest) has constantly and consistently put out outstanding students, not only from 1942 but even back when it was East Greenwich Academy. It is one of the reasons so many people want to move here.

For further details and information, contact Committee Chairman Guy Asadorian at 401-884-4143 or 401-741-9849.

Bruce Mastracchio, who singlehandedly runs the Brooker Sports Initiative, is especially enthusiastic about East Greenwich athletics.