Yesterday, August 12th at the 2010 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Professional Development seminar the first ever GNAC Hall of Fame inductees were awarded. The nomination process began last year with numerous nominations and well-rounded former student-athletes, who all made a lasting impact on their colleges and universities.
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference 2010 Inaugural Hall of Fame Inductees:
Andy Yosinoff – Emmanuel Women's Basketball Head Coach
Induction into the GNAC Hall of Fame is yet another accomplishment to add to an impressive résumé for Yosinoff, who this past season guided the Saints to their 14th GNAC title and subsequent NCAA tournament appearance. With 640 career wins, he ranks fourth all time amongst Division III women’s basketball coaches. In 2008, he was honored for his contribution to women’s athletics with a “Heights Award,” presented by the Massachusetts State Lottery and Boston College Athletics at Boston College’s Conte Forum. He served as the USA Maccabiah Open head women’s basketball coach in 2005, where he guided Team USA to its first-ever gold medal during the Maccabiah Games in Israel. In 2003, he was also inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. Click here for complete story
2000 Emmanuel – Women's Basketball team
The 2000-2001 season was an incredible ride for the Saints, who won a then school-record 29 games, including a 23-game mid-season win streak en route to the Final Four. Their appearance marked the first time any Boston college or university men’s or women’s basketball team (Division I, II or III) has ever qualified for the national semifinals. The team received numerous honors for its stellar season, including being named the 2001 Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Team of the Year. The Saints went undefeated in the GNAC during the regular season, posting a 12-0 record. This undefeated stretch began Emmanuel’s nationally recognized Division III conference win-streak record of 72 games, which lasted through 2006. Click here for complete story
Dan Dix – Southern Vermont College Cross Country
Dix was a breath taking runner who was named twice to the ECAC All-Conference Team, twice to the NCAA Academic All-American, and a three time GNAC Individual Cross Country Champion (1999, 2000, and 2001). His record includes: GNAC five-mile X-C Record Holder: (25:23), Rivier College X-C five-mile course record (25:23), Western New England five-mile course record (26:32), Castleton State College five-mile record holder (26:41), and SVC 4-mile course record (21:13). Since graduating from Southern Vermont College in December of 2002, with a B.S. in Environmental Studies, Dan has been employed at All4 Inc, as an Air Quality Scientist. Also, in spring of 2010 Dan competed in his first Boston Marathon and ran 3:07:16 good enough to qualify for another Boston Marathon which he plans to do next year.
Rob Hennigan- Emerson College
Hennigan graduated from Emerson College in 2004 with a degree in broadcast journalism. The Worcester, Massachusetts native was named a Division III All-American and an Academic All-American as a senior and was the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Year three consecutive seasons. He finished his career as the all-time scoring leader in Emerson history. Hennigan enters his first year with the Oklahoma City Thunder as the team's Director of College/International Player Personnel. Hennigan spent the last five seasons with the San Antonio Spurs and was named the director of basketball operations in September of 2007.
Katie Norton – Suffolk Softball
Winter or spring, inside a gym or on a field, she performed at the highest level as a multi-talented, two-sport star. Norton is the all-time leading scorer in women basketball history at Suffolk with 1,516 points. She helped Suffolk qualify for the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tournament in each of her four years playing for the Rams. She was also named her team’s captain and Most Valuable Player her last three seasons, and selected a GNAC All-Star throughout her four-year career. Norton was a top-notch centerfielder and pitcher on the Suffolk women’s softball team. In the spring of 2000, she made headlines as the NCAA National Division III batting champion with a stunning .606 batting average. She also finished third in the nation in RBI average (1.67 per game), and fourth nationally in stolen bases (48 in 58 attempts). A four-year GNAC All-Star, she once pitched a no-hitter and on another memorable occasion, hit three home runs in one game. Today, she inspires others as a special education teacher in Boston. Click here for complete story
Sara Pray – Pine Manor College Softball and Soccer
Pray was a four-time All-GNAC Softball selection and a two-time all-conference soccer honoree. A catcher and feared slugger, Pray led NCAA Division III in RBI, with 66, and slugging percentage, at a robust 1.215 clip, in 2000. As captain of the 2001 GNAC Champion Gators, she led Pine Manor to its first NCAA Tournament birth. A three-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association all-region selection, she was named NFCA First Team All-Region in 2000. Twice a First Team All-GNAC soccer goalkeeper and a three-time PMC Athlete of the Year, Pray departed Chestnut Hill as the softball program’s all-time leader in home runs (35), RBI (165), runs (156), doubles (48) and slugging (.888). Sara is currently the Crew Chief for Aqua Environments. Click here for complete story
Noel Kusek – Saint Josephs (CT) Volleyball
Noel Kusek, from Bartlett, Illnois was the cornerstone in the Blue Jays’ Great Northeast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championship during her four years. Kusek was twice named GNAC regular season Player of the Year, GNAC tournament MVP, first – team All GNAC and as an All New- England player. As a senior she guided the volleyball team to their third consecutive GNAC regular season and tournament championship.
Milton Johnson – Johnson and Wales University Soccer
Skilled and quick as lightning, the incomparable Johnson was the Great Northeast Athletic Conference’s preeminent men’s soccer player over the course of the league’s first three years. The first student-athlete to ever win a GNAC Player of the Year award twice in any conference sport, Johnson was among the best to ever wear a Johnson & Wales uniform. The conference’s leading scorer and Player of the Year with 22 goals and 48 points in 1996, Johnson had 11 goals and 26 points in 1997 to capture his second consecutive Player of the Year award. He returned to action in 2001 to use his final year of eligibility while in graduate school at Johnson & Wales, and contributed another six goals, to thus become the second Wildcat player in team history to score over forty goals in a career.
Suffolk Baseball 2000 team
Under the direction of Coach Cary McConnell, the 1999-2000 Suffolk Baseball team captured a 38-9 overall record ranking this team with the third most victories in the NCAA record keeping since the adoption of the regular season 45 game limit. They also swept the GNAC for a perfect 19-0 record leading to the GNAC Championship, then capturing their first ever ECAC Championship, leading to the NCAA tournament where they finished with 2 victories and 2 defeats. The 2000 team also included many individual award winners such as: Coach Cary - GNAC Coach of the Year, Joe Duca - GNAC Player of the Year, Max Nunez earned All American honors by the American Baseball Coaches Association and was signed to the Red Sox minor league club in Florida, First Team All Conference for Nunez, Peter Quinn, and Mike Anastasia amongst many others. Click here for complete story
Krista Dacek – Simmons College Soccer
Krista Dacek made an impact immediately when she joined the Sharks in 1998. In her first year, Dacek was an All-Conference First Team selection and an All-Tournament selection. She was selected as the conference tournament's Most Valuable Player and was voted as the GNAC Rookie of the Year. The Sharks went 8-0 in the conference and edged Endicott 3-2 in the final to earn the championship crown for Simmons College. Dacek was named an All-Conference First Team selection as a defender in 1999, 2000 and as a midfielder in 2001. She was also named a conference All-Tournament selection again in 1999 and 2001. Krista is currently the Product Development Manager for Hearts On Fire Company based out of Boston.