THOMAS MANFREDI

1990 INDUCTION TO THE RHODE ISLAND AQUATIC HALL OF FAME

Tom started his swimming career at Hugh B. Bain Jr. High School under coach Jim Lynch.  As an age group swimmer, he won numerous awards in A.A.U. swim meets throughout Rhode Island and New England representing the Cranston Swim Club.  Tom competed for the Cranston East High School swim team under coach Ed Golden and was recognized as one of the top butterfly swimmers in New England and was instrumental in Cranston winning its first State, New England, and Brown Interscholastic championships.  During this time he achieved a sixth place national ranking in the 100 yard butterfly.

After high school, Tom enrolled in the University of Maryland on a swimming scholarship.  While at Maryland he was a significant contributor to Maryland’s winning the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship in both his junior and senior years.  He was elected captain in his senior year.

Following his Master of Science degree, Tom continued his involvement with competitive swimming by coaching at Niagara University; and later, while earning his Doctoral degree, he coached at the University of Massachusetts.  During his first year of coaching, Tom lead Niagara to its first winning season in years.  Likewise at Massachusetts, he directed the team to its best won-loss records in years.

Doctor Manfredi is considered one of the foremost authorities in the country on the subject of cardiac rehabilitation as it pertains to water activities.  He has distinguished himself as a professor of Exercise Physiology by teaching and performing research in the human performance laboratory of Southern Connecticut State University and presently the University of Rhode Island.  His articles have been published nationally, he has been named to Who’s Who in the East, International Who’s Who, and has been named a community leader of the world.