2002 Plymouth State Athletic Hall of Fame

ED ASHNAULT ('60): A native of North Conway, N.H., Ashnault played one year of soccer and three years of baseball for PTC. He excelled as a left-handed pitcher from 1957-59, but also started at first base and outfield and sported a career batting average of over .300. He once pitched 15 innings against Salem State, allowing two hits and striking out 17.
Ashnault went on to a coaching career that spanned the next 14 years. He was an assistant football coach and head basketball coach at Wilton (Conn.) High School from 1960-64, guiding the hoop team to a record of 70-13, including 38 consecutive victories. He moved to the collegiate level in 1964, coaching football, basketball and baseball at Dickinson University (Pa.) from 1964-67, coaching basketball at Colgate University from 1967-72, and coaching basketball at The University of William and Mary from 1972-74. He led Colgate to three straight winning seasons, including its first winning season in 10 years in 1969-70.

Perhaps Ashnault's biggest accomplishments came in ski racing, in which he competed for several decades. He captured downhill and slalom championships at Kennett High School in 1952, and continued racing as an adult, competing in the finals of the NASTAR Championship in Colorado at age 47. He was also on the American Ski Patrol in the Bavarian Alps while in the U.S. Army in the 1950s, and was a member of the U.S. Olympic Training Team in 1960.

TONY CALABRO ('74): A standout attackman for Plymouth State in the early years of men's lacrosse, Calabro helped put PSC on the map in the sport of lacrosse. He starred for the Panthers from 1971-74, setting scoring records, earning several regional honors and helping the team to a New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse League Colonial Division Championship.
Calabro got his playing career off to an outstanding start, setting the all-time New England single-season goal-scoring record in 1971 with 51 goals. That number remained the Plymouth State school record until 1998, and he is still one of only two PSC players in history to score more than 50 goals in a season.

Helped by Calabro's scoring accomplishments, the Panthers captured the NEILL Colonial Division Championship in 1971. Calabro went on to earn Colonial Division All-Star honors in 1972 and 1973 before the NEILL changed its format in 1974. A co-captain in ‘74, he finished his career with 156 goals, which still ranks third on the Panther all-time scoring charts. He also contributed 20 assists, and nearly three decades later, his 171 points is still seventh on PSC's career scoring list. He joins former teammate Steve Moltisanti and former coach Paul Hartman, who were inducted into PSC's Hall of Fame in 1999 and 2000, respectively.

JOAN FORGE ('77): A three-sport athlete (gymnastics, nordic skiing and lacrosse) at Plymouth State, Forge has gone onto a highly-successful career as a high school teacher and coach. She had the most success as a Panther athlete in lacrosse, where she played four years and served as team captain her senior year in 1977.
Forge began her distinguished coaching career as head girls basketball and softball coach at Ashland High School from 1978-84, and has been the volleyball and softball coach at Gilford H.S. since 1985. She has compiled a 303-159 record in 25 years of softball coaching, winning a state championship in 1983 and finishing runner-up in 1984. She has led the Gilford volleyball team to a 225-51 record in 17 years, winning six state championships in the last seven years and advancing to the state finals nine times in the past 11 seasons.

An active member for many years in several New Hampshire Coaches Associations, Forge has received numerous honors and awards during her coaching career. She is a three-time volleyball Coach of the Year, and has earned softball Coach of the Year honors three times as well. She received the prestigious Walter Smith Coaches Award from the Manchester Union Leader in 1999, and she was inducted into the New Hampshire Interscholastic Coaches Hall of Fame in 2001. She was also the co-founder of the Granite State Softball Classic and the Twin State (NH/VT) Softball Classic.

RICK FORGE ('78): The girls softball coach at Somersworth High School since 1977, Forge retired after the 2002 season as the winningest coach in Granite State history with six state championships and more than 400 victories. He has also coached cross country and basketball over the years, winning a state title in basketball in 1986, but most of his accolades came as the highly successful softball coach.
Forge has led the softball team to 26 consecutive appearances in the NHIAA State Tournament, advancing to the semifinals 16 times. He guided the Hilltoppers to a 23-0 record in 1988, the only undefeated season in the history of Class I. In 2001, he became the first softball coach in Granite State history to reach 400 wins, and he concluded his softball coaching career in 2002 with an overall record of 424-87.

A veteran volleyball official who officiated 18 consecutive state championship final matches from 1984-2001, Forge has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors in his career. He is a seven-time New Hampshire Softball Coach of the Year, and in 1990 and 2001 was a National High School Coach of the Year for Region 1. Forge received the prestigious Walter Smith Coaches Award from the Manchester Union Leader and was inducted into the New Hampshire Interscholastic Coaches Hall of Fame in 2000. He was also the co-founder of the Granite State Softball Classic and the Twin State (NH/VT) Softball Classic.

BILL MARSTON ('54): A longtime high school principal in the Granite State, Marston's athletic accomplishments at PTC still rank among the best ever at the school. He played basketball for two years and baseball for three years, both under legendary coach John Foley. He was the top pitcher from 1952-54, helping the team to conference championships in '52 and '53 and a runner-up finish in '54.
Marston completed his career with a 13-6 record, which still ranks among the school's all-time leaders. He was also a strong hitter, batting over .300 all three years and sharing the team batting title as a senior with a .419 average, the 16th highest single-season mark in school history. He signed a professional baseball contract with the Baltimore Orioles in 1954 and played minor league ball before being drafted into the U.S. Army in 1955. While living in Gorham, N.H., in the late 1950s, Marston also played professional baseball for the Coaticook Canadians in the Southern Province League and was successful on several American Legion teams.

Marston has remained active with his alma mater, serving as President of the Plymouth State Alumni Association and serving numerous committees. He was a representative on the University System of New Hampshire's Board of Trustees and currently serves on the PSC President's Council. He was the first recipient of the Silas Pearl Medallion Award for outstanding service to the college.

LISA RICHARDSON ('99): Perhaps the most successful athlete in the history of the PSC women's basketball program, Richardson still holds several school records and remains the first and only PSC women's basketball player to score over 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds in her career. She earned an Associates degree from PSC in 1985 and her Bachelor's degree in 1999.

A four-year starter on the basketball team from 1981-85, Richardson led the Panthers in scoring her last three years, including a 16.9 average as a sophomore in 1982-83. She led the team to 50-41 record in her four seasons, including a 16-8 mark her senior season, which at the time set a school record for victories in a season.

Richardson completed her career in 1985 with 1,194 points and 1,037 rebounds. Her point total stood as the school record for 10 years and is still the second highest total in the program's history, and her rebound total remains the PSC career standard. She also established a school mark in 1982 with 25 rebounds in a game.