Saint Paul Wall inducts Nieuwesteeg, Arcuri and Capretta.
The Saint Paul Wall of Excellence grew by three following an induction ceremony held at the school Oct. 13.
With the induction of Ryan Nieuwesteeg, Dr. Patricia Arcuri and Frank Capretta, there are now 12 members of the wall in the school’s 40-year history. Nieuwesteeg and Arcuri were inducted in the athlete’s category and Capretta as a builder.
At Saint Paul, Nieuwesteeg was the 2009 junior athlete of the year, the 2009 offensive football player of the year, the 2011 senior athlete of the year, Niagara’s top offensive football player in 2011 and a member of the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association championship football team in 2011.
He went on to have a successful career at the university level with the Guelph Gryphons. Nieuwesteeg was an Ontario University Athletics First Team and All-Canadian kick returner in 2014, Guelph’s special teams player of the year in 2014 and 2015 and a Second Team all-star kick returner in 2015. In 2015, he was a member of a Yates Cup champion. Nieuwesteeg holds the distinction of having the all-time second and fourth most return yards in a Canadian university season.
In 2016, he was drafted into the CFL by the Toronto Argonauts and in 2018 he was a member of the Team Canada junior development rugby team.
Nieuwesteeg works as a business development associate, volunteers for the Big Brothers and Sisters program and is a volunteer firefighter.
Arcuri was Saint Paul’s junior athlete and junior christian athlete of the year in 2005 and the senior athlete and senior christian athlete of the year in 2007 as well as the rowing MVP in 2007. She was an honours medalist every year.
At the Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association championships, Arcuri won gold in the junior women’s double (2004) and bronze in the junior women’s lightweight four (2004), the senior women’s pair (2006) and the senior women’s double (2007). At the prestigious Stotesbury Cup regatta, she captured bronze in the junior women’s double in 2006.
When her high school career ended, she signed an NCAA Division 1 rowing scholarship with SUNY at Buffalo. At the Dad Vails Regatta, she earned bronze in the women’s novice four in 2008 and gold in the women’s junior varsity eight in 2009.
She graduated from SUNY at Buffalo with a bachelor of science degree in biological sciences and attended the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine where she obtained her Doctor of Naturopathy.
Her volunteer activities started at Saint Paul with the annual Saint Paul pilgrimage and Soup Kitchen and have continued on at the Niagara Falls Rowing Club where she helps in various capacities, including fundraising and coaching and serving as the professional and medical advisor. Arcuri also volunteers at fundraisers and events with the St. Catharines Greek Orthodox Church.
Capretta served as Saint Paul’s program chair of physical education and athletics from 1999 until 2021.
He was the head coach of the senior boys basketball team from 1999 to 2020, winning zone championships in 2004, 2006, 2014, 2016 and 2017 and SOSSA crowns in 2004, 2013 and 2016.
His teams made appearances at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations championships in 2004, 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2019, winning an OFSAA AAA bronze medal in 2004. That squad was named the Niagara Falls Team of the Year.
In his career as coach, Capretta recorded 18 20-win seasons, four 30-win seasons and a school record 36 wins during the 2015-16 season. He was also the school’s varsity golf coach from 1999 to 2020.
Capretta retired from Saint Paul in 2022 and is now the assistant coach with the Brock women’s basketball team.
