Athletic Achievers

A veteran of the Ultimate Fighting Championship league, Roxanne Modafferi attributes her durability to her positive mental attitude. For mixed martial artist Roxanne Modafferi, it’s all about positive thinking. Nicknamed “The Happy Warrior,” the 38-year-old fights in the flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) based in Las Vegas, where she trains with the Syndicate team. She was ranked ninth in her division in June, with 25 wins, including four by knockout, and 19 losses, mostly by decision. She has appeared on two seasons of “The Ultimate Fighter,” a reality television series and mixed martial arts competition. Modafferi was …

After more than two decades as a college basketball coach, Fran Fraschilla  is sharing his wealth of expertise as an analyst for ESPN. Growing up the oldest of seven children in Brooklyn, New York, Fran Fraschilla was hooked on basketball at an early age, like most of his peers. What Fraschilla, now 62, didn’t envision as a youngster was that his glory days wouldn’t come on the basketball court, but as a college coach and later as a TV analyst. “I like to talk. I like to entertain. I love to explain basketball to fans on TV,” says Fraschilla, who …

A rising star in the race walking world until a leg injury sidelined him, Michael Mannozzi has battled back into contention thanks to an indomitable drive and the support of his family. Michael Mannozzi earned 17 national race walking titles from 2010-16, so one might think placing fifth at the 2021 USA 50K National Championships in February would be a somewhat unremarkable result for him. Not so, the 35-year-old says. “That race, for me, was in all ways a success,” he says. “That was so rewarding.” That’s because Mannozzi, now a religious affairs airman at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in …

A longtime special teams coordinator, John Bonamego recently ascended the NFL coaching ranks thanks to his dedication to teaching the fundamentals. After a long career as a special teams coordinator in the National Football League, John Bonamego says there is one thing he’s most proud of. “I have never had a previous relationship with the coaches I’ve worked for,” he says. “In every case, they found me. I was recommended and hired based on the merits of my work.” Bonamego, 57, was hired by the Los Angeles Rams in February 2020 as special teams coordinator and has since taken on …

Initially amused by the sport, Michael Paccione and his family are now among the top lawn mower racers in the nation. The first time Michael Paccione saw his father-in-law race a lawn mower on a dirt track in Maryland, he reacted the way most people would: with amused astonishment. “We were teasing him about it,” Paccione recounts, “because it was so hokey.” Fast-forward 15 years, and Paccione, of Toms River, New Jersey, has become an avid lawn mower racer who all but waxes poetic about this little-known sport, which his wife and three children have also taken up. “It’s wild,” …

Taking up her first golf club as a tot, Caterina Don has made impressive professional headway during her undergraduate career. A 20-year-old golfer from Italy, Caterina Don says being invited to play at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Open while just a sophomore at the University of Georgia was “an amazing learning experience.” Even though she failed to make the cut after the first day of play at the tournament, which was held at Champions Golf Club in Houston, the opportunities afforded her were invaluable, Caterina says. This was her first major professional tournament, and her invitation was based on her …

Relatively short for an outsider hitter, Rachel Giustino excelled at collegiate volleyball through a combination of power, finesse and athleticism. In volleyball, being taller does give a player an advantage — something Rachel Giustino readily admits. Height is almost a prerequisite if a female high school player hopes to catch the eye of a major university. “Normally, big schools won’t recruit anyone under 6 foot,” says Giustino, who’s listed at 5-10. But that didn’t deter David Schwepker, head volleyball coach at Murray State University in Kentucky. From the get-go, Schwepker set his sights on Giustino, who helped lead Marian Central …

A veteran rider at 16 years of age, Katelyn Turner took her roping to the next level last year at the World Junior Championships in Vegas. Katelyn Turner found her passion at a young age when she first saddled up a horse. Now, she’s competing in the international spotlight at just 16 years old. Turner was only 10 when she first started riding. Once she put her feet in the stirrups, they almost never came out. “I lived in Hollywood, Florida, and they used to have a Wednesday night Jackpot Rodeo,” says Turner, the granddaughter of longtime Chicago-area Italian-American community …

A former Chicago Cub with 237 games under his belt, Carmen Fanzone has been denied benefits accorded other short-term players in the wake of a 1980 rule change. Former Cubs player Carmen Fanzone still has fond memories of his time in the Windy City. “When I was there, if people found out you played for the Cubs, you were treated like royalty,” the 78-year-old Fanzone says. Sadly, the same cannot be said of Major League Baseball and the union representing today’s players, the Major League Baseball Players’ Association. Fanzone is among the over 600 retirees who do not receive MLB …

An abiding passion for hockey propelled John Conenna to the pinnacle of the sport in Illinois. From standout grade-school goalie to stellar high school coach to Illinois Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, John Conenna has excelled at every local level of the sport. The soon-to-be-60-year-old travel agency owner was bitten by the hockey bug when he was only 8. “I used to watch a group of boys in my neighborhood play street hockey outside my window,” Conenna says. “I figured I’d tag along and try it and I was hooked.” His choice of positions was influenced by the play of …