On Friday, October 7, during a ceremony in the Donnie Williams Center, St. Mary’s Ryken honored five alumni who were inducted into the 2022 Athletic Hall of Fame.
Please join us in congratulating the 2022 Inductees:
- Philip T. Cronan from the graduating class of 1990 — Baseball
- Romar Dennis from the graduating class of 2013— Lacrosse
- Treveon Graham from the graduating class of 2011 — Basketball
- Daniel Raley from the graduating class of 1967 — Baseball
- Elizabeth “Betty” Raley Woodburn from the graduating class of 1970 — Cheerleading
Philip T. Cronan ’90
Philip Cronan ‘90 was a stellar athlete at SMR from 1986-1990. Philip was recruited to play catcher on the varsity baseball team as a freshman, which was unprecedented. During his years, he led the team with his batting average, culminating in his senior year with a .525 average. Philip is a three-time First Team all St. Mary’s County and St. Mary’s Ryken Most Valuable Player; two-time All-SMAC his junior and senior years; and captain his junior and senior years. Philip remarked: “Athletics had a profound impact on life. I learned discipline, sacrifice, self-awareness, teamwork, setting goals, and preparation – all skills instrumental to helping me live my best life!”
In 1990, playing for the American Legion, he was named the Frank Riley League Champion and second runner-up in the American Legion State Championship. After graduation, Philip played baseball for Charles County Community College before signing to play Division 1 baseball at East Carolina University, earning a B.S. degree in Public Relations. While playing Division I baseball, the team was conference champions in 1993. In addition, he was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, representing student-athletes regarding policy development and NCAA legislation.
Philip’s baseball career spans more than 30 years from player to coach, including assistant coach for St. Michael’s High School Class A baseball state champions in 2011.
Philip earned a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from the College of Notre Dame in 1996 before he decided to go to the University of Baltimore School of Law, graduating in 2001 with a Juris Doctorate.
Today, Philip is a founding principal in Hollis, Cronan & Fronk, P.A. He provides legal counseling and services to individuals, families, and business entities. He has focused his law practice on family law, criminal defense in both circuit and district courts, and general civil litigation.
Before beginning a solo practice in 2004, Philip was an Assistant State’s Attorney for Caroline County. He handled matters ranging from serious traffic cases, including DUI/DWI, to felony and violent drug crimes.
Philip is an active volunteer in his community, serving on the boards of the Mid-Shore Junior Achievement, Council on Domestic Violence, Family Services Programs, American Legion Post No 91, and B.P.O. Elks Lodge No. 1272, to name a few!
Philip married his high school sweetheart, Gennie Mathews, ‘90. They have three children: Jackson attends East Carolina University, and daughters Catherine and Madeline attend St. Peters & Paul High School. The family resides on the Eastern Shore.
Romar Dennis ’13
Romar Dennis, a 2013 graduate of St. Mary’s Ryken, has been playing lacrosse since his teen years – in high school, at St. Mary’s Ryken, and in college at the Loyola University of Maryland. Despite landing a plum job as an analyst with a financial firm in Baltimore after college, he’s making a run in the lacrosse major leagues. He juggled the job at Morgan Stanley for two years with a part-time stint playing for the Denver Outlaws. Then a new league, the Premier Lacrosse League, lured him to Los Angeles to play full-time for the Atlas, one of eight pro teams that tour around the country from June to September.
The St. Mary’s Ryken Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 1981 to honor those alumni, coaches, and administrators who achieved excellence and distinguished themselves in the school’s athletic programs. Inductees are selected through a nomination process overseen by the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee and honored during Homecoming Weekend.
“My passion for lacrosse comes from being around the sport at the highest level in Maryland,” Romar said. “I used to go to Annapolis and College Park to watch some of the great mid-2000s college match-ups, which ignited my love for the sport.” He also credits his former coaches with getting him to this point. Lenny Casalino, integral to lacrosse in Southern Maryland, introduced him to the sport and helped him develop his competitive side. “He’s the reason I was good enough to play at SMR,” Romar said.
At SMR, Coach John Sothoron “really pushed me to my limit and demanded the best from me. That ‘tough love’ was something I didn’t always appreciate. Still, as I got to college, I realized he was preparing me for everything I would face after him.” And Coach Chris Perkinson “always knew how to pick us back up and teach the small nuances of the game that made the difference between being a good and great player.”
During the season, Romar, a midfielder, trains several times a week on the field and in the weight room with the Atlas, and he helps run instructional clinics for the league’s lacrosse academy for young players. He’s also a coach at a high school.
He has always been mindful that lacrosse is an exclusive sport tied to a very wealthy demographic. “My parents let me play because it helped me go to SMR, then playing at SMR earned me a full athletic scholarship to Loyola,” he said. Now he’s trying to change that. He helped start the Black Lacrosse Alliance and is on the advisory board of Harlem Lacrosse – L.A., which both help make the game more accessible to kids from different backgrounds.
He knows how big of an impact sports can play on someone’s life on and off the field. His father was drafted from Panama to play minor league baseball in the Yankees farm system. The Yankees are “a big part of my family’s immigration story,” Romar said.
Treveon Graham ’11
Treveon Graham ’11 was an all-star breakthrough playing in the Knights 2008-2011 seasons. While at St. Mary’s Ryken, he was named Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Player of the Year and The Washington Post All-Met Team in 2010 and 2011. Treveon averaged 21.5 points and 12 rebounds per game. Treveon was courted to play for Boston, Clemson, Cincinnati, Cleveland State, and Northeastern. He chose to play for Coach Shaka Smart at Virginia Commonwealth University.
(VCU).
Treveon poured in 1,882 points over his career at VCU between 2011–15 and guided the Rams to four consecutive NCAA tournaments and a pair of conference championships. In addition, he was a two-time All-Atlantic 10 Conference First Team selection.
Last year Virginia Commonwealth University retired the basketball jersey of No. 21 Treveon Graham in a pregame ceremony on Jan. 22 at the Siegel Center.
A 6-foot-5 forward, Treveon was named MVP of the 2015 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament when he averaged 17.3 points and 9.8 rebounds over four days to lead the Rams to the title. He provided 20 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists in the championship game against Dayton that season.
In a VCU career chock full of memorable moments, Treveon is also known for his long, game-winning 3-pointer in a victory over 25th-ranked Virginia on Nov. 12, 2013, the first meeting between the two programs in 15 years.
He averaged 13.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game for the Rams in 140 career games. Treveon is the sixth VCU men’s player to see his jersey retired.
In 2016 his NBA career was launched when he joined the Charlotte Hornets for two seasons. In 2018 he signed with Brooklyn Nets and played 35 games until an injury sidelined him. Treveon returned in 2019, playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves and then the Atlanta Hawks in 2020. You can catch Treveon playing with the Long Island Nets this upcoming season!
Daniel Raley ’67
Daniel Raley ’67 was the Brooks Robinson of the 1966 and 1967 Ryken baseball teams. According to fellow teammate Fred Curran ’67, “His play, leadership, and determination were instrumental in our back-to-back Southern Maryland Championships!” During his senior season, his batting average was .515, leading the team in scoring. After high school, Dan played at Loyola College in Baltimore.
Dan graduated from Loyola College in Baltimore in 1971 with a history degree. He participated in ROTC at Loyola and served as a Second Lt. in U.S. Army for 3 yrs after graduation.
In 1979, Dan and his cousin bought the family grocery store and operated it until 2005. In 1998 Dan won a seat as County Commissioner for the 4th District of St. Mary’s County and served in that position for 12 yrs. Currently retired, Dan has volunteered and served on the Board of Directors for the Lexington Park Rescue Squad, St. Clements Island 100, and has been a member of Ridge American Legion and St. Michael’s Knights of Columbus for the past 50 yrs.
In 1972 Dan married Ann Raley, and they have two children and six grandchildren who all live on the family farm in Great Mills. They celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in July.
Favorite memory: Coach Terry Smith making all of us “Ridge Boys” do “sliding” practice.
Elizabeth E. Woodburn ’70
Elizabeth “Betty” Raley Woodburn ’70 put the “cheer” in Cheerleading! Betty was a true athlete at St. Mary’s Academy performing complex gymnastics when opportunities for female athletes were scarce.
Betty was captain of the squad (JV and Varsity), serving as a leader and mentor to the team members. Her peers recognized her at the Academy as one of the best student-athletes. Betty was also a star in track, winning a state-wide competition in the 100-yard dash barefoot! Her relay team also played first.
After the Academy, Betty attended St. Mary’s College of Maryland, starting on the girl’s basketball team her first year. She was a member of the first-ever winning basketball team and named Female Athlete of the Year. After college, Betty competed in the St. Mary’s County women’s softball league and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2005.
Betty shared her talents coaching the St. Michael’s Catholic School girl’s basketball team in the late 1970s, taking them from losing seasons to their first winning season. Betty says it was gratifying to coach the girls to a successful season but added, “Coaching was not my strong point, so I handed the team down to my husband Pat ’69, who went on to coach another 20 successful years and championships.”
With all her significant accomplishments over the years and paving the way for female high school athletes, Betty says, “My family is the success story of my life! Marrying Patrick Woodburn was the best decision of my life. Together we raised six beautiful children, and we now have eight grandchildren. “
Betty and Pat are longtime volunteers with St. Michael’s school and church, and they helped start the annual auction with family members Mary and Ray Raley. The Raley family owns and operates Mary’s Hope in St. Inigoes.
What did she love about Cheerleading? “The entire squad! The ladies were hardworking, considerate, and cooperative. We had fun! We operated as a cohesive unit. I am incredibly grateful to Bro. Gerry Rooney, who took excellent care of us.”