Westfield Hall of Fame
Class of 2008
Gregg Schmalz – Player, Westfield High School, 1985-1988 and Duke University, 1988-1992. Gregg was a highly recruited athlete in both soccer and lacrosse from Westfield High School and was inducted into the Westfield Hall of Fame in 2008 for his accomplishments in both sports. Gregg was also inducted into the NJ Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2012. In lacrosse, Gregg was a three-year starter at Westfield, earning first team All-State as a sophomore and junior and was named All-American in his junior year. He helped guide the team to back-to-back state championship titles in 1986 and 1987. Gregg was a Player of the Year candidate entering his senior year in 1988, but his season was cut short and limited to just five games due to injury. He went on to have a standout career at Duke University where he was a four year starter. Gregg served as team captain in 1991 and 1992, and was named first team All-ACC and USILA Honorable Mention All-American in 1991 and 1992. He finished his college career as the top scoring midfielder in school history and was ranked 15th overall at that time with 112 career points and 11th in goals with 85. As a senior, Gregg was among nine midfielders selected to represent the South in the USILA Division 1 North-South All-Star Game held in Baltimore, MD. Gregg served as President for the Needham Boys Lacrosse Program from 2014-2018 and has coached both boys and girls youth lacrosse teams in Needham for over twelve years. Today Gregg is a Global Account Manager for Pure Storage, a data storage technology firm, and resides in Needham, MA with his wife Magda and four children Lexi (18), David (16), Toby (15) and Lily (13). Lexi will be carrying on the family tradition of playing lacrosse at Duke starting in the fall of 2019.
Class of 2007
Chris Wojcik – Westfield High School ’92, Harvard University ’96 – A 1992 graduate of Westfield High School where he excelled at midfield and attack, tallying 171 career points (106 goals, 65 assists), Chris Wojcik was a first-team Pitt Division selection in 1991 and 1992. He was also a first team All-State selection those same years, and was named an All-American in 1991 as an attackman and selected again in 1992 as a midfielder. In 1992 he was selected to represent New Jersey in the national high school North-South game, and was named as one of three alternates for the U.S. team for the 1992 World Games. A three-sport standout in high school, Chris also excelled in soccer and earned first team All-State honors in 1991, and as a wrestler he was a 1991 state tournament qualifier, placing second in District 11, third in Region 3, and second in Union County while also being a member of the group runner-up squad. He was later named to the Star-Ledger All-Decade team for the 1990’s for his exceptional play in both lacrosse and soccer. Chris went on to play at the collegiate level for Harvard University, where he was selected as team captain in 1996. Harvard was ranked 5th in the nation in 1996 and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament that same year. He received honorable mention All-Ivy honors 1994 and 1995 and was a first team All-Ivy selection in 1996 as a midfielder. In his final season he was a USILA honorable mention All-America selection and was chosen to play in the 1996 USILA North-South game. He was awarded the prestigious William J. Bingham Award in 1996 as Harvard’s top athlete for his lacrosse and soccer play, having been selected the first two- sport team captain in over a decade, and remains the top all-time scoring leader for a midfielder at Harvard with 89 goals and 45 assists. Upon graduation, he traveled to Australia to play for the Chadstone Lacrosse Club, where he was named the team’s Most Valuable Player in 1997 and was selected as the Most Valuable Player of the Victoria League. In 2003 he returned to Harvard as an assistant for two seasons, and he was inducted into the Westfield High School Hall of Fame in 2002. Chris currently resides in Boston, Mass., and he has is the Head Coach of Harvard University.
Class of 2006
Stephen Locker – Westfield High School ’87, Rutgers University ’91 – A three-year starter at Westfield High School as a middie, Stephen Locker joined the squad as a sophomore, helping the Blue Devils to a second place finish in the state tournament in 1985. WHS went on to capture N.J. state championship titles in 1986 and 1987; the team also won the Coaches Tournament in his senior season. As a senior midfielder, he was the second-highest point scorer in the state, and was honored as the 1987 N.J. Player of the Year, earning All-County, All-State, and All-America honors. He was also chosen to represent the North squad in the N.J. North-South All-Star game in 1987, and was invited to try out for the Junior World Team. Stephen went on to play at Rutgers University from 1987-1991, where he was a four-year starter for one of the top 10 programs in the nation. He helped the Scarlet Knights to NCAA tournament berths in 1990 and 1991, earning All-Conference honors those same years. He also represented Rutgers on the North squad in the 1991 North-South Collegiate All-Star game. After his Rutgers career, Stephen went on to play with the Bud Dry semi-pro squad (1992-94), before suffering a career-ending knee injury. He has continued to foster his passion for the game by coaching the 5-7 year old age group in the Bridgewater Recreational program, and is an avid supporter of Rutgers University lacrosse and many other local squads. The principal/owner of Beacon Financial Group, a financial consulting firm in central N.J., Stephen and his wife, Robin, reside in Bridgewater, N.J. with their three future laxsters-Ethan, Brett, and Jonathan.
Class of 2002
Shaun R. Cherewich – University of Connecticut ’67, Head Coach, Westfield High School (1977-1996) – The head coach at Westfield High School for two decades, Shaun Cherewich coached the Blue Devils to a 204-108 record, three division championships, and two NJSIAA state championships. Cherewich is a 1968 graduate of the University of Connecticut, where he was a member of the Huskies defense from 1965-67. He joined the faculty at Westfield High School in 1974 as a teacher of British Literature. In 1977, he was instrumental in the formation of the Westfield Lacrosse Club and the Summer Lacrosse program, and was named head coach of the first junior varsity and varsity lacrosse teams at WHS in 1978 and 1979. He facilitated the creation of the seventh, eighth, and ninth grade town lacrosse teams for Westfield as well as the recreational Summer Lacrosse Program. Cherewich was honored as the Garden State Lacrosse League Coach of the Year in 1981 for his efforts, and in 1984 he was named the Press Box Award Winner by the Suburban News for his contributions to the development to youth sports in Union County. Just eight years after the formation of his WHS lacrosse varsity squad, he guided his squad to the first of four successive state lacrosse championship runs in 1985. His 1986 and 1987 squads went on to capture the Gibbs Division titles and the NJSIAA state titles, earning the number one ranking in the state by the Star-Ledger and Suburban Cable (Comcast). Cherewich earned Coach of the Year honors from the Star-Ledger (1986) and the Courier News (1986, 1987), and was named the New Jersey Coach of the Year by the U.S. Lacrosse Coaches Association in 1987. Cherewich’s 1988 team again went on to participate in the NJSIAA state championship game, and earned the Suburban Cable (Comcast) number one ranking. For his efforts, he was named the National Federation of Interscholastic Coaches Association Outstanding Coach for Boys Lacrosse in New Jersey. Just two years later, the Sports Folio Tenth Anniversary Issue named the Westfield High School squad the “Team of the Decade” for the 1980’s. Before retiring from coaching in 1996, Cherewich guided his 1992 squad to the Pitt Division title, and earned Coach of the Year honors from the Courier News in 1992 and 1995. He was honored by the NJ Lacrosse Coaches Association in 1992 for “dedication and contributions to New Jersey lacrosse”. Cherewich, who also chaired and served on various committee for the NJLCA, presently serves as an official for the New Jersey Women’s Lacrosse Officials Association and has continued teaching at WHS. He was awarded three grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities to study at Oxford University. He and his wife, the former Hope Frasier, have five children – Courtney, Scott, Tiffany, Justin, and Tyler.
Class of 1998
Robert Schmalz – Player, Westfield High School, 1982-1986 and University of Virginia, 1986-1990.A 1990 graduate of the University of Virginia and a 1986 graduate of Westfield High School, Robert Schmalz had a celebrated lacrosse playing career at both institutions. A four-year attackman at Westfield, Schmalz was a two-time All-American, named to the first team both years in 1985 and 1986. He was also a first-team All-League honoree in 1984, 1985, and 1986, leading Westfield to the 1986 New Jersey High School State Championship. Schmsalz was his team’s leading scorer during two seasons, and was also the New Jersey state scoring leader in 1985 and 1986. In his senior season, he was also named the New Jersey High School Player of the Year, and went on to play for the North team in the 1986 NJ High School North-South All-Star game. While at Virginia, Schmsalz was named the 1987 UVA Most Improved Player. He eamed Atlantic Coast Conference Honor Roll honors in 1987 and 1990, and was the Virginia Most Valuable Player in 1989. In 1990, he was selected to the first team All-ACC, and was chosen to play in the 1990 College North-South All-Star game. Schmalz began playing with the Shearson Bulls of the New Jersey Lacrosse Club following his collegiate career, contributing as an attack/midfield for seven years. In 1991, his club team.won the CALL League Championships. He also served as a coach in the New Jersey Lacrosse Club for two seasons, compiling a 16-4 record and taking his team to the 1996 CALL League Championship finals. In 1996, he was named to the Westfield High School Hall of Fame for his accomplishments. Schmalz has been active in grassroots lacrosse as well, serving as a staff member on several lacrosse camps and contributing to Lacrosse Foundation activities. He is currently an account executive at American Express, and resides in Tokyo.
