The Norwich High School Sports Hall of Fame has announced the 2024 class, which includes athletes Dr. Meyer “Sol” Bloom, Doug Grzibowski, Dave Lewis, Richard “Dick” Mattice & Bryn Loomis, Rifle Team Coach Jim Sergio & the 1965 Football Team. An in-depth biography of the inductees will run Fridays in The Evening Sun.

This year’s event will be held at the Canasawacta Country Club on October 5, where a buffet dinner, will commence at 5:30 p.m., followed by the induction ceremonies at approximately 6:30 p.m. Tickets to attend are $35 and can be purchased at the front desk of the Norwich YMCA or the Norwich High School by phoning 607-334-1600, Ext 1439. Those wishing to attend just the ceremony may do so free of charge.

Dave Lewis: Class of 1984

By Nate Lull

Few in Norwich running history have made their mark like the speedy Dave Lewis did during his time at Norwich High School. With each consecutive cross country and track race that he ran, his times would improve and blaze into record breaking territory.

With multiple STAC all-star selections, STAC champion individual honors in cross country and track, along with a 3,200-meter school record that still stands today, this body of work makes Dave Lewis a very worthy inductee into the Norwich High School Sports Hall of Fame for the Class of 2024.

Distance running and track races will always have a stern focus on time and pace. However, for Dave, a 1984 grad, it was about more than that, and that is what made him great.

“My favorite was just being outside, running through the woods and taking in the scenery,” he said. “Honestly that’s why I loved to do it. I liked the hills and being in nature. There was something about that for me.”

It must be the fresh air agreed with Dave as in his senior season in 1983-84, he did some of the best work of his career. Dave went undefeated in cross country duals and set the NHS course record with a time of 17:10 over 3.1 miles on a tough and hilly home course. That shows how difficult the Norwich course was at the time as Dave was able to clock a 15:34 over the same distance to become STAC champ in a course-record time at Catatonk Golf Course in Candor. Whether it was steep hills or fast and flat, Dave had the skillset to run under any conditions.

Perhaps the best story about that STAC championship title for Dave was the fact that he had barely any time to warm-up before the big race. The Norwich bus only arrived 10 minutes before the gun went off.

“I had never seen the course before, so I just had to put on my spikes and go,” said Lewis. “That was a big challenge on that day, but it motivated me. I wanted to run against those bigger schools. It meant a lot to me to show what I could do it at that level.”

He added to his harrier hardware when he dominated the Section IV Class B field over the IBM Homestead course when he outdistanced runner-up Tim Ryan of Corning East by 26.1 seconds. Dave closed out his cross country career with a 13th place finish in the state championships at James Baird State Park in Poughkeepsie. These impressive finishes helped Dave to be the top vote getter on the STAC All-Conference team following his senior season.

The transition to running on the track in the spring didn’t seem to bother Dave one bit. He traded in the hills and trails for left turns and speed work, but it still ended with the same result – victories for Dave Lewis. His 3,200-meter time of 9:35.6 in 1983 is still a school record today and would be good for a win at most meets in Section IV over these past 40 years as well.

Dave’s best times in the 1600 (4:25.8) and 800 (2:00) are also top-level times in all of Section IV today. It took monumental efforts by other NHS athletes like Brian Rogers and Matt Murray to knock Lewis out of those spots on the record board.

It wasn’t just solo running that made Dave great either. He was a key member of several 1600 and 3200 relay teams that helped Norwich pull out victories at various dual meets and invitational events. He was no stranger to the always dangerous steeplechase race as well, posting impressive times and earning the Purple key points.

The overall takeaway from Dave’s career is the support he received from those around him.

“All my coaches and teammates that pushed me, that means the most to me and I am very blessed,” said Lewis. “It’s humbling to think I am being talked about with all the great people that have come before and after me at NHS.”

The level of constant improvement and consistency makes Dave’s running years in Norwich some of the best on record. His tenacity in training and his willingness to endure pain and sacrifice has made him one of the best to ever lace up a pair of running spikes for the Purple and White. This level of grit and determination makes Dave Lewis the perfect addition to the Norwich High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Congratulations Dave!