5 Super Athletes With Ties To Southington

Sports have a way of teaching invaluable life lessons — building character, fostering teamwork and strengthening the bonds within a community. In the Southington area, these values have shaped some truly remarkable athletes from different eras, whose accomplishments continue to inspire.

Patch is celebrating five standout athletes whose achievements have left a lasting mark on our community. This list is just a snapshot, with countless other athletes helping shape the rich sports culture in our area.

1. John Crowley (Soccer)

A Southington High School alum, John Crowley dominated opposing defenses in the early 1980s, still holding the school's single-season scoring record with 26 goals in 1983, a mark set at a time when the program was only three years old. He finished his career with 46 goals, a total that has only been topped once by a four-year player, and he was named an All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America as a senior. Crowley was inducted into the Southington Sports Hall of Fame for his run atop the school's record books.

2. Valerie DePaolo (Basketball)

A three-sport captain in basketball, volleyball and tennis at Southington High School, Val DePaolo set the school's career scoring record with 1,333 points and 1,074 rebounds, a mark that still stands. She was named a Prep All-American and Converse All-American in 1979 and went on to a full basketball scholarship at UMass. DePaolo was inducted into both the Connecticut Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993 and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009.

3. Ashley Reed (Wrestling)

A Southington High School standout, Ashley Reed helped pave the way for girls' wrestling in Connecticut, winning the 160-pound title at the state's inaugural CIAC Girls Invitational in 2020. She twice earned All-American honors at the National High School Coaches Association nationals and finished as a nationally ranked wrestler in her weight class. Reed capped her prep career by winning the 2021 Tricia Saunders Award for Connecticut, given annually to a top senior wrestler for excellence on the mat and in the classroom.

4. Rob Dibble (Baseball)

A Southington High School graduate, Rob Dibble broke into the majors as one of the hardest throwers of his era, and he still ranks among the fastest pitchers to reach 500 strikeouts in the modern game. He was a two-time National League All-Star and helped anchor the Cincinnati Reds' bullpen to a 1990 World Series championship, earning National League Championship Series MVP honors that October. Dibble has since worked as a broadcaster for ESPN and Fox Sports.

5. Austin Florian (Skeleton)

A Southington High School graduate, Austin Florian took up skeleton racing after his college days as an alpine skier at Clarkson University. He represented the United States at the IBSF World Championships in 2025, winning gold in the mixed team event alongside Mystique Ro. Florian went on to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, representing Team USA and his Connecticut hometown on the world's biggest stage.