Windsor High Celebrates Athletic Excellence

February 2013 will prove to be a memorable month in future years, as some of the greatest athletes, both present and past, are being honored for their accomplishments at Windsor High School.

WHS recently held a ceremony to honor five of its current great athletes, all of whom signed letters of intent to continue their athletic careers in college.

The group includes four football players and a track star described as her coach as the greatest athlete Windsor High has ever seen.

That track star, Sydnee Over, signed a letter of intent to attend Florida State University in the fall.

Having been ranked among the top five sprinters in the United States for the past few seasons, Over has accomplished things at events few at Windsor High have ever attended.

In 2012, she led Windsor Girls Track to a Class L State Championship and a number of individual first-place finishes at the New England Championships. Over ruled the 400-meter and 800-meter runs in 2012 and anchored the fastest 4x400-meter relay team in New England.

Her performance on the track earned her All-American honors for the second year in a row.

"I don't know if we'll ever see another athlete of (her) caliber," said Ron Wilson, Windsor High track coach. "It's a huge accomplishment be an All-American as a sophomore, All-American as a junior, and no doubt she'll be an All-American as a senior.

Over is not only blessed with a great deal of athleticism, but her work ethic is extraordinary, said Wilson.

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"Her mother has been my assistant coach and has really been able to develop Sydnee... and I have to say, she's as tough as nails and a very hard worker."

Over was joined in the ceremony by Quinn Fleeting, quarterback committed to playing football at Central Connecticut State University, Ryheime Moore, wide receiver committed to playing football at American International College and two brothers: Cole and Lance Ormsby.

Both brothers have chosen to stay in state, with Lance deciding to sign with CCSU and Cole heading to play at UConn.

The brothers' mother, Zaley Lumpkin, was beaming with pride as her two boys committed to play football in college next fall.

"I'm so proud of them. I'm just so happy because of their hard work and discipline... they really, really worked hard since the Mighty Mites. I have to give credit to the Windsor Giants, Windsor High School, all the coaches along the way."

The boys will be the third son of Lumpkin's to play college ball (her oldest plays at Western New England University), so she'll have to plan ahead to determine whose game she'll attend.

"Home games," she said will help her determine that. "Between myself, my sister and my brother, we may have to split up to get to all of them if they are on the same day, but we'll always have somebody at one of the games."

Athletic greatness will come full circle this Friday at Windsor High when, during halftime of the boys' basketball game.

This year's inductees have yet to be announced, but, in just its second year, the Windsor High Athletic Hall of Fame is sure to induct an accomplished bunch.

Its inaugural class included:

Richard L. Teed - Class of 1944 - Teed played professional baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers, managed for the Phillies organization and was a scout for the Phillies and Dodgers.

James Burton - Class of 1975 -  Burton was a first-team all-state and all-conference (CVC) selection in hockey, all-conference in football, and all-state and all-district in baseball. He was an All-American baseball player at Marietta College, where he was inducted into the college's athletic hall of fame, before playing professional baseball for the Dodgers and Padres organizations.

Maryellen Champlin - Class of 1977 -  Champlin was an all-conference (CVC) performer in field hockey, basketball and softball. She went on to play field hockey at Ithaca College, where her team appeared in the final four.

Judith M. Urban - Class of 1981 -  Urban was an all-conference (CVC) performer in field hockey, basketball and softball. She was also first-team all-state in basketball on her way to leading that state in rebounds during the 1980-81 season.

Gerald M. Joseph - Class of 1983 -  Joseph was an all conference performer (CVC) and all-state performer in basketball and in track. He scored 1,000 points in his basketball career before heading to the University of Bridgeport.

Barry Chasen - Coach - Chasen was a Windsor High School coach from 1970-2003. In that time he coached state titles in 1979 and 1991, and won Connecticut State Baseball Coach of the Year in 1986. In 1980, Chasen coached the girls basketball team to a second-place finish in the state championship. He also coached as an assistant on the football team, and was inducted into the Connecticut Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2002.

Randy Lee - Teacher/Volunteer - Lee was a volunteer assistant coach on the girls soccer team that won the 1991 state championship. Since 1971, he as been an athletic site director, public address announcer, educator and strong supporter of Windsor High sports.

1979 Baseball Team - The team won the state championship, going undefeated in CVC play on its way to an overall 20-2 record. The squad was ranked No. 1 in Connecticut, No. 1 in the North East and No. 3 in Collegiate Baseball's High School Poll.

The boys' basketball game will begin at 7 p.m., Fri., Feb. 15.