The MIAA announced its Coach of the Year recipients earlier this week and three local coaches made the list in Swampscott boys hockey coach Gino Faia, Lynnfield girls tennis coach Craig Stone and Danvers girls soccer coach Jim Hinchion.
Each coach will be recognized at the Annual MIAA Awards Banquet on May 24 at the Doubletree Hotel in Milford.
Faia directed the Big Blue to a stellar season on the ice this past winter. Swampscott won Division 3 North as the No. 8 seed of the bracket. The Big Blue’s tournament run ended with a loss to Hanover in the Division 3 state semifinal.
“It was a great season for the team,” Faia said. “It wasn’t expected. Our whole goal was to try and win a tournament game. It was a huge accomplishment to win the North sectional title.”
Faia has served as the Big Blue’s head coach for 18 seasons. This is his first MIAA Coach of the Year Award.
“It’s definitely a surprise but it’s an honor to be recognized for the award,” Faia said. “I’m not one that’s big on individual accomplishments but it’s definitely an honor.
“I consider it an accomplishment for the players and the assistant coaches,” Faia said. “It’s a nice thing for the school as well and the administration.”
Hinchion coached the Falcons to the Division 2 Eastern Mass. state championship in 2017. Danvers entered the Division 2 North bracket as the No. 5 seed before earning wins over Beverly, Arlington and Winchester to claim the sectional title. The Falcons defeated Medway, 3-2 on penalty kicks, for the state championship.
“The players are the biggest part of the team,” Hinchion said. “They do everything on the field. I had a tremendous group of girls this past year. They deserved the success they had. It all came through hard work. I feel really lucky that I had such a great group of kids.”
Hinchion has directed the Falcons girls soccer program for 19 years. This marks his first MIAA Coach of the Year Award.
“It’s definitely an honor,” Hinchion said. “I’m very humbled by that. I’m very lucky to have had such a great group of girls play for me this past year.”
Already one of the most successful high school coaches ever in Massachusetts with more than 1,100 wins coaching the girls tennis and wrestling teams at Lynnfield, Stone continues to raise the bar.
Stone has coached those teams for a combined 81 seasons and received more awards and honors than can be counted, including national wrestling hall of fame honors and Boston Globe Coach of the Year honors (4 times) and Boston Herald Coach of the Year honors.
A 12-time Coach of the Year honoree, Stone has been there and done that.
This week, Stone was finally honored by the MIAA, receiving the 2018 MIAA Girls Tennis Coach of the Year Award.
“I was very pleased to win the award as it is a feather in the cap of our tennis program here in Lynnfield,” Stone said. “It is always nice to be recognized by your town, your peers and your fellow coaches. I get excited every season. In Lynnfield, I am fortunate that when it comes to girls tennis, kids start talking about it in elementary school because of the tradition, so they come to the high school ready to play. It’s a nice trickle down effect.”
Stone took over as head coach of the Pioneers in 1981. He posted a 5-7 record that year, and improved to 6-6 in 1982. Since then, the Pioneers have posted winning records and qualified for the tournament for 35 straight years, winning five state titles, reaching the finals of the North sectional tournament 25 times, winning 14 North titles and 17 Cape Ann League titles.
Going into the 2018 spring season, Stone compiled a 584-87 record as coach of the girls tennis team.
