Alumni Inducted Into Athletic Wall of Fame
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The Galway Central School District is proud to announce the 2026 Inductees into the Golden Eagles Athletic Wall of Fame. The Wall of Fame recognizes and honors student athletes, coaches, teams, and community members who have made significant contributions to the Galway athletic program. Individuals were nominated for their service, performance, dedication, and commitment to Galway Athletics by members of the Galway community. A selection committee then voted to induct the following athletes/community members into the Golden Eagles Athletic Wall of Fame at the Wall of Fame Ceremony on June 18, 2026.
Holden Decker, Class of 2020
Holden Decker was a two-sport athlete at Galway. In cross country, he qualified for the New York State Championships during both his junior and senior seasons. As a junior, he placed third in the Class D Sectional Championships with a time of 18:01, securing his first trip to the state meet. During Holden’s senior season, he improved significantly, placing second at Sectionals with a personal-best time of 16:28 before going on to finish 35th overall at the New York State Championships with a time of 16:35.
On the track, Holden did well in middle-distance events, particularly in the 800m and 1600m races. During his junior season, he qualified for the State Qualifier Meet in the 800 meters and placed fourth in the 1600 meters. At the State Qualifier meet, Holden achieved his high school personal best in the 800m, close to breaking the two-minute barrier with a time of 2:00.08. His senior outdoor track season was canceled due to COVID-19, but prior to that, he competed independently at an indoor meet in Boston, where he ran the full mile in 4:35, setting the Galway High School record in the 1-mile/1600m.
Holden went on to run for three-years in NCAA D2 at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale FL, graduating a year early with his Bachelor’s degree in business entrepreneurship and a minor in marketing. While there, he had personal bests in the 1500m of 4:15 and a personal best in the 800m of 1:59. In Cross Country he had a personal best of 28:15 in the 8k.
After graduating, he worked in hospitality where he had the opportunity to help open a restaurant and work on private yachts. He worked his way up in hospitality management at a Michelin Key 4 Diamond resort in Lake Placid called The Whiteface Lodge where he is now the executive director of food and beverage managing a culinary and front of house team of around 100 employees across five restaurant outlets.
Chad Mathias, Class of 1992
A three-sport athlete at Galway Central HS in the early ‘90s, Chad Mathias was particularly well-known on the basketball court where he scored over 1,000 career points. In his senior year, Chad was a standout shooting guard on a team that went to the sectional finals and defeated the number one ranked team along the way. He was named First Team Tri-Valley League Basketball All-Star his junior and senior years, and was an Exceptional Senior Game participant.
Chad was also the varsity soccer goalkeeper and a member of the varsity track & field team, competing in high jump, pole vault, and the 110m hurdles. Following graduation, Chad went on to Hudson Valley Community College and Cobleskill College, eventually earning his degree in computer science. He continued his love of sports, coaching Youth Commission baseball and CYO basketball at Broadalbin.Dillan Palaszewski, Class of 2018
Dillan began wrestling in 2005 at the age of five in Galway’s Pee Wee Wrestling program. Coached by Coaches Roser and Rockwood, he soon started to compete in local wrestling tournaments through middle school, along with other tournaments nationally with his club team.
Dillan started to compete at the Varsity level in eighth grade, making him a five-year starter. He was a four-year Team Captain with a varsity record of 192-18 and 116 pins. During his years at Galway, Dillan accomplished the following:
WAC Conference CO-MVP, 2017-2018
5-time representative on the Section II All Star Team
Member of the Galway Section II WAC Championship Team
5-time Class D Finalist and 4-time Class D Champion
5-time Section II Finalist and 2-time Section II Champion
4-time NYS Tournament Qualifier where he made NYS Place Finisher twice – 5th place in 2014-15 (the youngest Galway Place Finisher) and 3rd place in 2017-18 (highest Galway Place Finisher)
After graduating from Galway, Dillan continued his academic and athletic career at Springfield College, where he was a two-time NWCA Scholar All-American. He now coaches wrestling at RPI with fellow Galway alumni, Brad Nelson.
2021 Varsity Volleyball Team
After winning their conference and sectional tournaments, the Galway Girls Volleyball Team won the Regional Championship and advanced to the NYS Semi-Finals where they finished as NYS Runners-up. This remarkable team and its players and coach won many awards and accolades the 2021 season, including: America Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) High School All-Region Team and All America Team!
2021 Varsity Volleyball Roster:
Anna Dabrowski, Class of 2021
Kylee Decker, Class of 2021
Trishelle Oliver, Class of 2021
Julia Reedy, Class of 2021
Sadie Underwood, Class of 2021
Carolyn Bruchac, Class of 2022
Sara Conti, Class of 2022
Jayden DeVellis, Class of 2022
Abigail Ehrenberg, Class of 2022
Sophia Fasolino, Class of 2022
Kailey Jankowski, Class of 2022
Jillian Neahr, Class of 2022
Spencer Newsom, Class of 2022
Grace O’Brien, Class of 2022
Molly Oravsky, Class of 2022
Amber Kolpakas, Class of 2023
Coach: Mike Glenn
Assistant Coaches: Neil Lamare and Megan Gawrys
Individual Accomplishments of the 2021 Volleyball Team:
Anna Dabrowski:
AVCA Best & Brightest Award
WAC Honorable Mention
Exceptional Senior
Kylee Decker:
WAC MVP Setter
Hudson Division 1st Team All Star
Exceptional Senior
Scored her 1,000th Career Assist
Jayden DeVellis:
NYS 1st Team All State
WAC Defensive Player of the Year
Hudson Division 1st Team All Star
1,000 Digs
Sophia Fasolino:
WAC Honorable Mention
Scored her 1,000th Career Assist
Amber Kolpakas:
NYS 2nd Team All State
Hudson Division 1st Team All Star
Grace O’Brien:
Hudson Division 1st Team All-Star
Trishelle Oliver:
Hudson Division 1st Team All Star
Exceptional Senior
Julia Reedy:
AVCA All Regional Team
AVCA Best & Brightest Award
AVCA All America Honorable Mention
NYS 1st Team All State
WAC Section 2 Overall MVP
WAC Section 2 Co-MVP Hitter
Hudson Division 1st Team All Star
Exceptional Senior
1,000 Digs
Sadie Underwood:
WAC Honorable Mention
Exceptional Senior