FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nine Inductees in the Hall of Fame Class of 2019.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2019 on Monday night at the NE10 Awards Banquet – honoring seven former student-athletes and two NCAA Championship programs at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Nine inductees were named – a group that has combined for four team NCAA Championships and six individual NCAA titles. The Class of 2019 is the largest induction class since 2016, when nine inductees were also honored.
Seven different institutions are represented in the group of inductees, including UMass-Lowell, which is now a Division I school in the America East Conference. Bentley and UMass-Lowell each had a pair of Hall of Fame inductions, while eight sports were represented overall.
For information on each Hall of Fame induction, please see below:
Jacqui Barrett, UMass-Lowell (2006-10)
Jacqui Barrett was a thrower on the UMass-Lowell Track & Field team from 2006-10, becoming an NCAA National Champion in the shot put during the 2010 Outdoor Championships. She was also a two-time All-American and a three-time All-New England performer. During her senior season, Barrett was named NCAA East Region Indoor Field Athlete of the Year – ending her career holding four NE10 records in shot put and as a four-time league champion between her participation in both the indoor and outdoor seasons. Her throw of 50-feet, 8.25 inches earned her the NCAA title in 2010 and is a school record that still stands today.
Barrett, the Cushing Award winner as UMass-Lowell’s top female athlete in 2010, is the fourth NE10 women’s track & field athlete inducted into the Hall of Fame and the second from UMass-Lowell.
Lauren Battista, Bentley (2010-14)
Lauren Battista, the WBCA Division II National Player of the Year in 2014, led the Bentley women’s basketball program to the 2014 NCAA National Championship with a perfect 35-0 record. Battista, a standout player at Bentley from 2010-14, finished her career with 2,112 points – second-most in program history and sixth-most in NE10 history. A two-time NE10 Player of the Year, she earned NE10 Woman of the Year and the Honda Women’s Athlete of the Year awards during her senior campaign.
Battista helped lead the Falcons to four-consecutive NE10 Regular Season and Tournament Championships, while becoming a three-time WBCA All-American. She was a three-time NE10 Sport Excellence Award winner and the 2014 Capital One Academic All-America of the Year recipient. Battista owns the Bentley program record for games played and games started.Battista is the 16th NE10 women’s basketball player inducted into the Hall of Fame and the seventh from Bentley.
Darren Clough, Saint Anselm (1992-96)
Darren Clough helped the Saint Anselm men’s basketball program to one of its most successful stretches in history from 1992-96. Clough led Saint Anselm to three NE10 Men’s Basketball Tournament Championships. He averaged 15.6 points per game throughout his career, recording 1,760 points in his four-year tenure – good for third-most in program history. His 781 career rebounds are seventh-most in program history. In his sensational senior campaign, he earned NE10 Player of the Year and the Championship’s Most Valuable Player honor, leading the Hawks to a 16-0 mark in the league and himself to the NABC All-America Second Team.
Clough was a two-time NE10 First Team All-Conference selection and Freshman of the Year in 1993. He is the 14th NE10 men’s basketball player inducted into the Hall of Fame and the second from Saint Anselm.
Nicole (Plante) Hunt, UMass-Lowell (2003-07)
Nicole Hunt, the most decorated distance runner ever at UMass-Lowell, won the 2007 NCAA National Championship in the 10,000 meters to cap-off a highly successful cross country and track career from 2003-07. In that time span, she was a nine-time All-American and won seven NE10 titles in track among the distance events of 1,500 meters, 3,000 meters, 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters. She was also a two-time NE10 Female Athlete of the Year and five-time All-New England honors in track.
On the cross country side, Hunt was a two-time Northeast Region Athlete of the Year, two-time NE10 Cross Country Athlete of the Year and four-time NE10 First Team All-Conference selection. She is the fifth NE10 women’s track & field athlete inducted into the Hall of Fame, the second from UMass-Lowell in the Class of 2019 and the third from UMass-Lowell overall.
Junior Medina, Stonehill (1999-2002)
Junior Medina was an outfielder for the Stonehill baseball program from 1999-2002, a stretch that saw the Skyhawks win a pair of NE10 Regular Season Championships and the 2000 NE10 Baseball Tournament Championship. He was an ABCA Division II First Team All-American as a senior, in addition to earning Northeast Region Player of the Year and NE10 Player of the Year that season. A three-time NE10 First Team All-Conference selection, Medina holds four school records in total bases (500), hits (282), home runs (48) and runs scored (220).
During his senior season, Medina launched 19 home runs – leading all NE10 players and ranking second nationally. As a rookie in 1999, he was named NE10 Freshman of the Year. Medina becomes the sixth NE10 baseball player inducted into the Hall of Fame and the first from Stonehill.
Brandon Spillett, Le Moyne (2002-05)
Brandon Spillett was at the forefront of a dominant stretch for Le Moyne men’s lacrosse, as he helped the Dolphins win the 2004 NCAA National Championship. He was named the NCAA Championship Most Valuable Player after recording eight points in Le Moyne’s double-overtime win against Limestone, the program’s first-ever national title. A two-time USILA First Team All-American, Spillett played for Le Moyne from 2002-05. The Dolphins reached the NCAA Semifinals in every one of his seasons, while winning four NE10 Regular Season and Tournament Championships and posting a 48-0 record in league play.
Spillett ranks fourth in school history in goals (112), seventh in assists (73) and seventh in points (185). He is the third NE10 men’s lacrosse player inducted into the Hall of Fame and the first from Le Moyne.
Amanda Thomas, SCSU (2010-13)
Amanda Thomas, one of the most storied swimmers in NCAA history, was a member of the Southern Connecticut swimming & diving program from 2009-13. A four-time NCAA National Champion in the 200 and 400 individual medleys, Thomas led the Owls to four-consecutive NE10 Championships. As a junior and senior, Thomas was named the National Swimmer of the Meet at the conclusion of the NCAA Championships. Throughout her career, she became a three-time NE10 Swimmer of the Year, 18-time All-American and 26-time NE10 Champion, while also becoming the league’s record holder in the 200 individual medley, 400 individual medley, 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke and 200 butterfly.
Thomas is a four-time NE10 Championship Most Outstanding Performer and a four-time selection to the league’s Academic Honor Roll. She is the second NE10 women’s swimmer inducted into the Hall of Fame and the first from Southern Connecticut.
2014 Adelphi Women’s Lacrosse
Dynasty is a word that accurately describes what the Adelphi women’s lacrosse program has become over the years, and in the middle of all its success came one of the most memorable teams in program history. The 2014 team went a perfect 22-0 on its way to the NCAA National Championship – the sixth for the program at the time. On May 18, 2014, the Panthers earned a 7-5 win over Lock Haven at Kerr Stadium in Salem, Va., finishing-off an undefeated season with the help of 14 caused turnovers and six stops in net by goalkeeper Taylor Hayes.
Head coach Rob Grella led Adelphi to the title in 2014, along with the superb play of five IWLCA All-Americans – including First Team members Devan Crimi and Jackie Williams. The 2014 Adelphi women’s lacrosse team is the fifth NE10 women’s lacrosse team to win a national title and be inducted into the Hall of Fame, and the third from Adelphi.
2013-14 Bentley Women’s Basketball
Perfection. When it comes to the Bentley women’s basketball program in the 2013-14 season, the Falcons were indeed perfect – sporting a 35-0 record on their way to the program’s first-ever NCAA National Championship, as well as the first national title for head coach Barbara Stevens in her Hall of Fame career. Bentley used a late 19-5 run in the final minutes against West Texas A&M to claim a 73-65 victory on March 28, 2014 in the Erie Insurance Arena, completing a miraculous season that included a remarkable 21-0 record in NE10 play.
Class of 2019 inductee Lauren Battista was named WBCA Division II Player of the Year that season, while Stevens earned WBCA Division II National Coach of the Year. The 2013-14 Bentley women’s basketball team is the second NE10 women’s basketball team to win a national title and be inducted into the league’s Hall of Fame.
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 15 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 student-athletes compete in conference championships, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.