EAST BOSTON, Mass. – The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) inducted its fourth-ever Hall of Fame class on Thursday, Aug. 10 at the Hilton Garden Inn in East Boston, Mass. More than 140 guests were in attendance, including this year's 10 inductees.
The 2023 Hall of Fame Class included: Albertus Magnus soccer student-athlete Stephen Zapata, Emerson tennis student-athlete Michael Huddleston, Emmanuel lacrosse student-athlete Chris Curtis, Johnson & Wales basketball student-athlete Quarry Greenaway, and Lasell soccer student-athlete Bridget Lynch. Also inducted on Thursday were Norwich basketball student-athlete Aliah Curry, Rivier volleyball coach Craig Kolek, Saint Joseph's (Maine) softball student-athlete Emily Leverone, Suffolk softball student-athlete Jess Ferreira, and University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) cross country student-athlete Kaneen Gomez-Hixon.
In addition to the Hall of Fame Inductees, the conference also recognized it's two GNAC Athlete of the Year winners, Michael Torres from USJ and Jordan Restivo from JWU.
While the focus of the event was honoring the inductees, it also provided an opportunity for the conference to recognize a number of key stakeholders; most notably the members of the GNAC Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) Commissioner's Council. Assisting at the Hall of Fame event were: Sharaya Keele from Albertus, Clement Kimani from Elms, Emily Reynolds from Mitchell, Kristin Barrett from Regis, and Janai Oliver from USJ. Also assisting were former Anna Maria soccer student-athlete and GNAC National SAAC representative Daniele Iaboni and Saint Joseph's student-athlete Nicholas Longo.
Aside from set-up and breakdown, the Commissioner's Council members also had the opportunity to introduce some of this year's inductees. Iaboni introduced Zapata, Kamani welcomed Greenaway, and Keele inducted Curry. Additionally, Barrett announced Leverone, Oliver introduced Gomez-Hixon, and Reynolds welcomed Ferreira.
Other groups that were represented included the Faculty Athletics Representatives (FAR), GNAC "Founders," officiating assignors, and the NCAA Division III Management Council.
Anna Maria FAR Mike Morgan presented Torres, while GNAC Mental Health Consultant Ivy Watts presented Restivo. The remaining presenters were GNAC "Founder" Bill Boffi who inducted Huddleston, Management Council member and Wentworth Athletic Director Cheryl Aaron who inducted Curtis, GNAC Athletics Directors Chair and Simmons AD Erica Schuling who welcomed Lynch, and GNAC "Founder" and former Rivier AD Joanne Merrill who inducted Kolek.
Also in attendance was GNAC men's basketball assignor Larry Last, as the conference would not be where it is without officials and referees for its 22 championship sports, as well as Tom O'Connor of Reading Trophy & Shirt, which has been the longtime GNAC awards provider for more than 15 years.
Each inductee was offered the opportunity to make a speech following their formal induction and was interviewed by Barrett and Reynolds.
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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2023 GNAC Hall of Fame Induction (Merrill Shea)
