For Immediate Release
June 7, 2011
South Easton, Mass. – The Northeast-10 Conference announced its Hall of Fame Class of 2011 Tuesday night at its annual awards banquet in Providence, R.I. Nine former student-athletes will be joining the Northeast-10 Hall of Fame.
The student-athletes that will be inducted include: Dana LeVangie '91 (baseball) from American International College, Ben Nassar '99 (football) from Bentley University, Jon Sjogren '88 (baseball) from Bryant University, Justin Blood '01 (baseball) from Franklin Pierce University, Raffaella Paparo '96 (softball) from Merrimack College, Andy Wasik '01 (lacrosse) from Pace University, Kim Witteman '95 (women's soccer) from Quinnipiac University, Kateema Riettie '03 (track and field) from Southern Connecticut State University, andNancy Smith '83 (basketball, soccer, and softball) from Stonehill College.
During the course of the upcoming 2011-2012 academic year, each new member of the Hall of Fame will be recognized and honored by their respective schools.
LeVangie was a catcher on the baseball team for two seasons at American Int'l (1990-91), and left a lasting mark on the program. As a senior, he batted .462 with 13 home runs and 75 runs batted in en route to garnering Division II All-American and Northeast-10 Player of the Year honors. He helped lead the Yellow Jackets to a 32-12 mark and a trip to the College Baseball World Series for the first time in school history. LeVangie still holds the school record for career batting average among players with at least 100 hits (.410). Following his collegiate career, he was drafted by the Boston Red Sox, where he served as the bullpen catcher for eight seasons, including the 2004 championship season. He is still employed as a scout with the organization.
Nassar was a defensive standout for the Bentley football team. He was a three-time New England Football Writers Division II-III All-New England performer and a two-time recipient of the Zabilski Award, which is given to the top defensive player in New England at the Division II or III levels. Nassar was a three-time team defensive most valuable player and was the Eastern Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1997 and 1998. Nassar finished his career with 40.5 sacks, a Bentley record, and 82.5 tackles for a loss. He helped lead the Falcons to a record of 31-10 during his time as a member of the team.
Sjogren played, and ultimately, coached for the Bryant baseball team, posting a 360-301-1 record in his 15 years as the head coach - becoming the winningest coach in school history. Before assuming the coaching duties, Sjogren earned All-New England and all-conference recognition as a player and finished his career with a .370 batting average. As a coach, he led the Bulldogs to three NCAA tournament appearances and four Northeast-10 conference titles. In 2004, Sjogren led Bryant to its first NCAA Regional Championship and berth in the College World Series. The Bulldogs finished the season with a school record 40 wins and a No. 6 national ranking. Sjogren was named Northeast-10 Coach of the Year four times in his tenure with Bryant and led the team to three NCAA Championship appearances. He is still the only Bulldog to have won a conference championship and appear in an NCAA tournament as both a player and a head coach.
Blood was a pitcher on the baseball team at Franklin Pierce, and is among the school's all-time leaders in virtually every statistical category, including career strikeouts (2nd), innings pitched (6th), and complete games (4th). His best season was in 2000, when he struck out 106 batters in just 88.2 innings of work. Blood also holds the Franklin Pierce single-game record for strikeouts with 20 against New Hampshire College (now Southern New Hampshire University) on April 11, 2001. As a sophomore, Blood threw the second no-hitter in Ravens history against Cardinal Stritch. He was a ninth-round draft pick (279th overall) of the Seattle Mariners in the 2001 MLB First-Year Player Draft and went on to play three seasons of minor league baseball. Since his playing career came to an end, Blood has worked as a baseball coach and recently, he was named the head coach at the University of Hartford.
Paparo helped lead Merrimack to three Northeast-10 titles during her time as a student-athlete. She was a four-time All-Northeast-10 First Team player, and was the 1993 Conference Rookie of the Year and the 1996 Conference Player of the Year. Paparo was named a First Team All American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) in 1993 and 1996, and was a Second Team All American in 1994 and 1995. In 1996, Paparo was also named the ECAC Division II North Softball Player of the Year. Paparo helped lead the Warriors to a 159-30 overall record, including 61-7 in the Northeast-10 during her time there, and she is still among the school's all-time leaders in a number of offensive categories. Following her playing career, Paparo was honored as a member of the NCAA Division II 25th Anniversary softball team.
Wasik was a standout on the men's lacrosse team at Pace. He remains the school's all-time leader in points, goals, and assists. As a senior, he was named the school's Athlete of the Year, and he was a Division II All American each of his four years on campus. Twice, Wasik was named the conference's Player of the Year (2000, 2001), and he was the Conference Rookie of the Year in 1998. As a sophomore, Wasik was named the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association's (USILA) Attackman of the Year. He was also named to the ECAC All-Star Team in 2000 and 2001, and was the ECAC Player of the Year as a senior.
Witteman remains entrenched in the Quinnipiac women's soccer record books, as she is still the school's all-time leading scorer. She finished her career with 58 goals and 20 assists in 77 games played. She was named to the Northeast-10 First Team all four years, and was the conference's Freshman of the Year in 1992, and the conference's Player of the Year in 1995.
Riettie was a standout on the track and field team at So. Connecticut. In 2001 and 2002, she won the NCAA National Championship in the javelin. She was the runner-up in 2003. Riettie is one of only four female student-athletes in the school's history to win an NCAA individual national championship. She was a two-time NE-10 Conference and New England champion in the javelin, and she still holds the school record for the javelin throw at 166 feet, one inch. Riettie was a United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic Team selection, and she represented the Jamaican National Team in international competition.
Smith was a three-sport standout for Stonehill and remains the only student-athlete to compete in three varsity sports in school history. Smith was a guard on the basketball team, a goalie on the soccer team, and a shortstop on the softball team, and as a senior, she served as a captain for all three. Smith was the starting point guard on the program's first Northeast-8 Conference Championship team in 1983, earning NE-10 Championship Most Valuable Player honors. She helped lead the basketball team to 20 or more wins each of her four years at Stonehill. Twice, Smith was named a Second Team All-American in softball, and she earned the college's Edward F. Martin Award her senior year, which is given to the top female scholar-athlete. She still ranks second in program history with 604 career assists; while her 5.8 assists per game average is first all-time.
The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that are committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,500 student-athletes. Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
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