The North Rose-Wolcott Central School District inducted four people into its Athletic Hall of Fame during a ceremony April 23 at North Rose-Wolcott High School.
The NRW Athletic Hall of Fame was established to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of outstanding athletes, coaches, administrators and Cougar supporters and to enhance current student athletes’ understanding and appreciation for the positive role models in the tradition of Cougar Athletics. Through nomination and committee selection, the Hall of Fame recognizes athletes who have been graduated from NRW a minimum of 10 years; individuals who have made significant contributions to NRW athletic programs as a coach; or individuals who have made a significant impact on district, sectional, regional, state, national, professional or international athletics.
Honorees include:
Donald J. Hartley, North Rose Central School Class of 1954: Hartley participated in baseball, basketball, tennis and soccer during his high school career. He was undefeated for three years in the county tennis league, an incredible feat at the time, and his teams received multiple league and sectional championships. At Cortland State College, Hartley was the conference Defensive Player of the Year in soccer. After college, he coached several sports in Red Creek and won 23 Section V championships and six state titles as a soccer coach. He was recognized as the Regional Soccer Coach of the Year in 1978 and 1991, National High School Combined Sports Hall of Fame in 2002, National Soccer Walk of Fame in 2005, and the Cortland C-Club Hall of Fame in 2009. Hartley truly represents what excellence in athletics is all about and his impact on so many young people will forever be hard to measure.
Michael Lockwood, Class of 1997: Lockwood was a multiple-sport athlete during his high school career, participating in cross country, baseball and wrestling. As a wrestler, he was Section V Class C champion in 1996 and runner-up in 1997. With 112 wins, he is a member of the NRW Century Club. He was also a Bradbury Award winner in 1997. After high school and college, Lockwood stayed in the area, where he lives with his wife Chantel and two children. He works as the NRW athletic office clerk and go-to guy for the athletic director and coaches.
Michael Tellier, Class of 2007: Tellier started wrestling in the 3rd grade and spent five years on the NRW varsity team. In that time, he was a three-time league champion, three-time sectional champion and was runner-up at the state wrestling championships in 2007. He was named to the All-Greater Rochester wrestling team. His overall record was 149-26, an impressive accomplishment. He also spent a year as a volunteer coach at NRW. He currently lives in Pennsylvania, where he works in sales for a publishing company and is a freelance writing coach.
Thomas Muto, Jr., Class of 2006: Muto was known as “Mr. Golf” not only at NRW but throughout the state, with a long list of accomplishments in that sport. He won county championships four years in a row and was also a top 10 sectional and state qualifier during that time. In 2005 he was the Rochester District Junior Champion and a semifinalist in the New York State Junior Amateur Championships. After graduation, he went to St. John Fisher where he was the Empire 8 Freshman of the Year. In 2008 he was a second-team All-American, had a top 10 finish at the national championships and was runner-up at the New York State Men’s Amateur Championship. He went on to Barton College where he continued to play at a high level and was the 2009-10 Conference Player of the Year, the 2010 Barton College Athlete of the Year and a two-time Academic All-American. In 2010 he qualified for the U.S. Amateur Championships. Muto lives in Indiana with his wife, Cami, and three daughters, where he is a managing partner in an RV business and is currently the two-time champion of his golf club.
