Suzanne Marsan
Class of 1982
Suzanne Marsan, Class of 1982, was the quintessential team player, whose leadership and considerable athletic talent proved catalysts for Green Wave field hockey, basketball and softball squads seeking Western Connecticut Conference and state honors.
Suzanne etched a memorable, three-sport NMHS athletic career with plenty of those memories created on the basketball hardcourt and on the softball diamond. Yet it was her superior field hockey skills and the team’s resultant successes that principally paved the way for her Athletic Hall of Fame induction.
Legendary coach Fran Zaloski was so moved after witnessing yet another excellent effort by Suzanne in a pivotal WCC match to describe her performances as “so outstanding every game.”
Suzanne spearheaded the junior varsity to a 12-2-1 season as a freshman and developed into a key varsity player as a sophomore.In the fall of 1980 Suzanne gradually began to take charge for the Green Wave. Following a 9-2-2 regular season, her contributions from one end of the field to the other sparked a 2-0 win over arch-rival Pomperaug in the WCC playoff semifinals, then an overtime triumph over Joel Barlow in the championship match.
Suzanne was perhaps Green Wave field hockey’s key player, possessing excellent stick skills while displaying a gritty, hustling style that served to spark the WCC title run. She extended her solid play into the state class ‘M’ tournament as the Green Wave dispatched Mercy, 3-0, Killingly, 2-1, and South Windsor, 2-0, before absorbing a heartbreaking, 2-0 defeat to North Branford in the state championship match. For the 1980 campaign, Suzanne and Co. outscored their opposition by a cumulative 40-13 margin en route to a 14-3-2 record.
Coach Zaloski expected a lot from Suzanne in her senior season and she provided even more. Her “leadership and stickwork” were regularly praised by her coach as the Green Wave rolled to a 9-1-3 regular season. Among the highlights were a 4-0 win over Weston during which Suzanne scored twice and assisted another goal from her midfield position, and her game-winning goal during a 1-0 escape vs. Newtown.
Pomperaug stunned the Green Wave, 2-1, in the WCC playoffs, but Suzanne and her teammates bounced back in the state ‘L’ tournament to edge highly touted E.O. Smith, 1-0, in the quarterfinals and semifinal foe Rippowam of Stamford, 2-1, on Suzanne’s overtime goal. Cheshire then spoiled New Milford’s state championship dream, 1-0, yet not before Suzanne had secured her place among the Green Wave’s all-time best field hockey players.
For her efforts, she was accorded a second straight, first-team all-WCC honor and a spot on the all-state class ‘L’ team. Perhaps more to the point, Suzanne was selected as the multi-talented Green Wave’s Most Valuable Player.
The level of team success in basketball wasn’t at the height of field hockey’s, but Suzanne enjoyed three varsity seasons as a rotation player for coach John Bachetti, along the way proving to be a fierce defender and rebounder, and seemingly rising to the occasion with her best scoring games against the toughest opponents.
Early on during her sophomore year, Suzanne was praised by her coach for her “hustle and rebounding,” twice hauling down double-figure rebounds. Victories were still few and far between during Suzanne’s junior season, but not for wont of her efforts... she scored in double figures multiple times and again reaped her coach’s laudatory remarks.
As the program built toward what would be an historic WCC championship in 1983, Suzanne enjoyed a strong senior year in ’82, serving as co-captain for a junior-dominated team and again peaking in the big games. She scored a career-high 18 points vs. mighty Masuk during a 61-49 WCC playoff semifinal defeat, and scored a game-high 15 points to lead a 48-47 win over Newtown in the state class ‘L’ tournament opener.
In no small way due to Suzanne’s contributions, the Green Wave improved that winter to 14-5 in the regular season and 15-7 overall.
Come springtime, Green Wave softball capitalized on Suzanne’s athletic versatility during three seasons of varsity ball as she played leftfield, second base and finally first base, displaying a deft glove at each position.
At the plate, whether the occasion called for a line drive or a bunt, Suzanne usually was able to produce. She batted .311 as a senior, perhaps most notably slugging a three-run homer to key a 13-9 win over New Fairfield.The Green Wave got out to a quick start in the first round of the state class ‘L’ tournament, but wound up on the short end of a 15-12 score to Notre Dame of Fairfield, thus closing the book on Suzanne’s high school athletic career.
As a senior, Suzanne earned all-WCC plaudits thanks to her leadership, clutch hitting and sports smarts. Better yet, she was chosen as the team’s Most Valuable Player over members of a strong junior class that would go on to win the WCC championship the following spring.
