On Tuesday, May 16, The Gunston School inducted Joe Cusimano ’12 to the Athletic Hall of Fame for his exceptional performances in soccer, basketball, and lacrosse during his time at the school. His long list of accomplishments include being the boys lacrosse record-holder for career scoring with 205 goals and 75 assists. In a single season, he holds the number one record with 79 goals and 23 assists during the 2011 season. In 2010, 2011, and 2012 he was named Gunston’s MVP. During his senior season, he was selected as the Varsity Lacrosse Captain and as the winner of the Bob Scott Award, given to a lacrosse player who exemplifies teamwork, sportsmanship and citizenship.
Cusimano, originally from Centreville, Md., is also known for how he stacked up among other athletes on the Eastern Shore. He made the ESIAC Lacrosse All Conference 1st team twice (2011 and 2012). In 2010, he was a part of the ESIAC All Conference 2nd team. He was awarded ESIAC Player of the Year in 2012. Aside from his work in lacrosse, in 2009, Joe was selected to be the Junior Varsity Basketball Captain. He also was a part of the ESIAC All Conference 1st Team for Soccer in 2009 and 2010. Gunston welcomed former teacher, coach and fellow Gunston Hall-of-Famer Ned Southworth to present the award who described Cusimano’s many accomplishments.
After accepting his award, Cusimano thanked his family, his coach, teammates, teachers, and Gunston’s former Athletic Director Anita Gruss. “Earning this award means a lot to me. I can truly say I wouldn’t be where I am today without Gunston and sports and the people that enjoyed them with me during the four years I was here. Lacrosse and Gunston Athletics gave me a time to shine and […] helped me develop some of the most important skills in life. It allowed me to become a teammate, a leader, a problem solver, and taught me how to succeed and make the most of every opportunity, even when we weren’t always winning. Gunston enabled me to develop the attributes that got me through college at Auburn, my first and second job, and now has been a large contributor to a very successful business that I’ve recently created with my partners. […] It’s an honor to be back here.”
Photo: On Tuesday, May 16, The Gunston School inducted Joe Cusimano ’12 to the Athletic Hall of Fame for his exceptional performances in soccer, basketball, and lacrosse. Former Gunston teacher, coach and fellow Hall-of-Famer Ned Southworth presented the award. Pictured (l-r) Head of School John Lewis, Ned Southworth, Bobbie Cusimano, Joe Cusimano, Michael Cusimano III, Michael Cusimano Jr., Vince Cusimano, Patrick Gillespie ’09, Former Director of Athletics Anita Gruss, and pictured in front is Maria (Cusimano) Gillespie ’10 and Caroline Gillespie.
After graduating from Gunston, Cusimano went on to play lacrosse at Auburn University where he was named Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA) Honorable Mention All-Conference Attack, SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference (SELC) Player of the Year & SELC Rookie of the Year all in 2013. Joe graduated from Auburn University in 2016 and now is a Certified Public Accountant for a Financial Group in the Washington, DC area.
Gunston’s Athletic Hall of Fame was established to honor and recognize those individuals who, through their accomplishments, have brought pride and distinction to Gunston and the community as either an athlete, coach, administrator, or contributor to the success and development of Gunston’s athletic program.
Founded in 1911, The Gunston School is an independent, nonprofit, nonsectarian, coeducational, college preparatory high school located in Centreville, Maryland. Visit gunston.org for more information.
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