Manhasset Lacrosse HOF holds an important function for the local community

MANHASSET, N.Y. — If there’s one thing that most people know about Manhasset, it’s that this is a lacrosse town. While the sport has evolved mightily throughout the years, the tradition of honoring the best of the best remains the same. As such, since 1989, the Manhasset Lacrosse Hall of Fame has stood as a testament to the best of the best who have graced our town’s schools and fields.

At its heart, however, the Hall of Fame also holds a crucial place in the local lacrosse world, as a fundraising force that supports educational scholarships, team travel and athletic equipment/supplies for our student athletes.

“The history that lacrosse has in this community runs deep,” notes Whitney Baugher Godfrey, herself a 2017 MLHOF inductee and Board Member and whose father, Harry, was a founding member of the HOF, along with Alan Lowe, Tom Raleigh and Marty Gately. “Manhasset High School had one of the very first lacrosse programs, and the caliber of players that the program consistently turns out—both on the boys’ and girls’ sides—is mind-blowing. The Hall of Fame not only celebrates players who have excelled in lacrosse, but also those who have excelled in the ranks of coaching and contributing to the game.”

Concurs Pattianne Kenny Reilly, a 2015 HOF inductee, “[Growing up], the whole town was about lacrosse and it was never a question of if one would play—it was more like when. I loved playing lacrosse for MHS. I played on the varsity team for three years under Coach Pam Monfort McDonough [a 1994 HOF inductee and longtime Board Member]. We had so many strong players on our team, including [1995 inductee] Danielle Gallagher and [1996 inductee] Diane Whipple, and we won the state title my sophomore year.”

While every person that Reilly mentioned is currently a member of the MLHOF, she and Godfrey also share the distinction of having multiple members of their own families get inducted into this vaunted institution. “Both of my brothers played at MHS and then went on to play on National Championship teams,” shares Godfrey. “My grandfather, who was one of the founders of Manhasset PAL, two of my uncles, my brother-in-law, and my father, who coached for many years. Each of these men were, and still are, important figures in the lacrosse community.”

For Reilly, it was not only her siblings, Christine Kenny Goettelmann (2001 inductee) and Jim Kenny (2018 inductee), who were honored, but also her husband, Tim, in 2014. Perhaps most moving for Reilly, though, is the fact that her mom, Pat Kenny, was also honored in 2019 with the Angela Miller Award, which “is given to someone who supported Manhasset Lacrosse as a parent, supporter and fan,” she smiles. “My mom had a special book with directions written out to every high-school field on Long Island! All three of my siblings and I played lacrosse all four years of high school, and she never missed a game.”

Devotion and dynasties are hallmarks of Manhasset lacrosse and continue into the program’s current generations. “I love watching my kids play,” shares mom-of-four Godfrey, who runs the girls’ PAL Lacrosse Program and coaches, as well. “I love watching ALL of the kids play! These kids are out there giving 110% all of the time.” Adds Reilly, “From the time our children were small, Tim and I had catches with them in the yard and shared our love of the sport.” Today, the Reillys’ college-freshman daughter, Megan, is playing lacrosse at Villanova, and their sons, Brendan and Brian would like to follow in their parents’ and sister’s footsteps.

While the HOF usually holds their annual golf outing and induction banquet each year in early May, the pandemic forced the institution to cancel in 2020. Happily though, this year, the nonprofit was able to hold an in-person fundraising dinner, albeit in September. The 2021 event was especially meaningful to the community as the lives of former players James Farrell, Michael Farrell and Ryan Kiess, all of whom passed tragically this summer, were honored and celebrated. In fact, nearly $40,000 was raised that night to benefit the scholarships set up in these much-missed young men’s names.

To Godfrey, this is just further evidence of a sport becoming a lifelong bond. It is her hope that, “players continue to give back to the subsequent generations of young athletes. It doesn’t end when you play your last game. Some of the most valuable things that young people can get out of playing lacrosse, and other sports in general, are some of the fundamental things I try to teach all of my players: sportsmanship, leadership, how to be a good team member and friend, and how to represent your team and your town with pride when you put that uniform on.”

For more information about the Manhasset Lacrosse Hall of Fame, please visit www.manhassetlacrossehof.com.

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