River Hawks to induct four-member Hall of Fame class in October
7/2/2019 10:26:00 AM | United In Blue Fund
Jamie Gillis (WSOC), Toni-Marie (Henry) Monfort (WTF), Stacey Moragne (MBB) and Peter Olsta (BB) will be inducted on Homecoming Weekend
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LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell athletic department announced on Tuesday its four-member 2019 Hall of Fame class, as announced by Director of Athletics Peter Casey.Â
The inductees include Jamie Gillis (Women's Soccer; 2006-09), Toni-Marie (Henry) Monfort (Women's Track and Field; 2003-07), Stacey Moragne (Men's Basketball; 2002-06) and Peter Olsta (Baseball; 1966-69).
"The 2019 UMass Lowell Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees include exceptional individuals who made noteworthy contributions to the University and the Department of Athletics during their tenures," said Casey. "Their performances and records of achievement elevated their sports as they consistently exhibited leadership and competitive excellence. All four inductees are more than deserving of this prestigious honor. We look forward to celebrating the careers of Jamie, Toni-Marie, Stacey, and Peter along with family, friends, former teammates and members of River Hawk Nation."
The Class of 2019 was selected by a 14-member Hall of Fame committee comprised of school administrators, coaches and alumni.
Gillis defended the UMass Lowell women's soccer net for four years and in the process rewrote the school's record book and wrote her named into the NCAA Record Book. Gillis recorded 38 shutouts including 14 during her senior season when she set the NCAA Division II mark with a scoreless streak that stretched to 1,333:20. Gillis' performance reversed the fortunes of a program that had just one winning season in its eleven-year history. The squad earned three NCAA Tournament appearances. She was twice named the NE-10 Goalkeeper of the Year.
(Henry) Monfort, competing as a jumper and a sprinter, earned All-America status four times between 2003 and 2007 and was named the USTFCCCA Northeast Regional Field Athlete of the Year in both 2006 and 2007. Monfort qualified for the NCAA Championships seven times in events ranging from the triple jump to the 4 x 400-meter relay. She was a seven times Northeast-10 Conference Champion and was named the Women's Indoor Track Athlete twice. Monfort was named All-New England 13 times. She graduated as the UMass Lowell record holder in the triple jump and as part of two relay teams.
Moragne was a force on the court for UMass Lowell, first combining with Hall of Famer Elad Inbar to give the River Hawks a lethal one-two punch and then becoming a singular force and twice earning Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year honors. Moragne ranks fourth all-time with 2,057-points. He led his team in scoring twice and was the top rebounder three times as the River Hawks won two regular season and two Tournament titles. The lefty is in the UMass Lowell top ten in games played (3rd), field goals made (4th), field goal percentage (2nd), rebounds and three-point percentage.
Olsta, a two-year captain, was a career. 348 hitter in four seasons at Lowell Technological Institute during a time when the team average was only .228. Olsta led the team in hitting in three of those years his average ranging between .313 and .415. He is fourth all-time in hits with 70 and 11th in career batting average, .348. The four-year starter at shortstop was also honored as the winner of the University's Lester Cushing Award as the school's Most Outstanding Athlete.
The inductees will be honored at a ceremony on Friday, October 18th (4:30pm) on Homecoming Weekend in the Moloney Ballroom at University Crossing. Click here for ticket and event information.
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"I am honored to be selected amongst this group of great inductees. I am very thankful for the opportunities and experiences UMass Lowell has provided for me, both as a student athlete and women's soccer coach. It is an amazing feeling being chosen as the first women's soccer player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I am grateful for the continued support of my family, my coaches and my teammates, who always made me look good behind them. This would not have been possible without them."
JAMIE GILLIS (WOMEN'S SOCCER; 2006-09)
"As I sit and reflect on what this means, I am excited! Also, humbled and honored to be joining such an elite club. As student-athletes you hear about the Hall of Fame and aspire to get there one day, without really knowing the true magnitude of what it really means and the amount of hard work it requires. Now that the moment is here, I cannot help but feel a sense of gratitude to the people that helped me get here."
TONI-MARIE (HENRY) MONFORT (WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD; 2003-07)
"I'm so humbled and blessed to receive this honor. Going into the Hall of Fame with all the greats is truly unreal. None of this is possible without coach Barer and all the coaches taking a chance on me and giving me the formula to succeed on and off the court. I was also blessed with amazing teammates. This honor is for all of them they kept me grounded and pushed me every day to be great! Once again, I want to thank everyone that were involved in getting me to this point. Go River Hawks."
STACEY MORAGNE (MEN'S BASKETBALL; 2002-06)
"I am truly honored to be selected to the UMass Lowell Athletics Hall of Fame. My baseball experience gave me the boost in self-esteem that I needed to convince myself that I was capable of being part of the Lowell Tech Community. Playing baseball at Lowell Tech meant so much to me not only during my four years there, but for my whole life. I had the pleasure of being coached by Rusty Yarnell my freshman year and Jim Stone the next three years. Coach Stone was a great coach, a father figure to me, a true friend and still my coach. My teammates were an inspiration and many of them are still close friends after 50+ years. I want thank the Hall of Fame committee and Bob Boehm for researching the statistics for my nomination."
PETER OLSTA (BASEBALL; 1966-69)
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LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell athletic department announced on Tuesday its four-member 2019 Hall of Fame class, as announced by Director of Athletics Peter Casey.Â
The inductees include Jamie Gillis (Women's Soccer; 2006-09), Toni-Marie (Henry) Monfort (Women's Track and Field; 2003-07), Stacey Moragne (Men's Basketball; 2002-06) and Peter Olsta (Baseball; 1966-69).
"The 2019 UMass Lowell Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees include exceptional individuals who made noteworthy contributions to the University and the Department of Athletics during their tenures," said Casey. "Their performances and records of achievement elevated their sports as they consistently exhibited leadership and competitive excellence. All four inductees are more than deserving of this prestigious honor. We look forward to celebrating the careers of Jamie, Toni-Marie, Stacey, and Peter along with family, friends, former teammates and members of River Hawk Nation."
The Class of 2019 was selected by a 14-member Hall of Fame committee comprised of school administrators, coaches and alumni.
Gillis defended the UMass Lowell women's soccer net for four years and in the process rewrote the school's record book and wrote her named into the NCAA Record Book. Gillis recorded 38 shutouts including 14 during her senior season when she set the NCAA Division II mark with a scoreless streak that stretched to 1,333:20. Gillis' performance reversed the fortunes of a program that had just one winning season in its eleven-year history. The squad earned three NCAA Tournament appearances. She was twice named the NE-10 Goalkeeper of the Year.
(Henry) Monfort, competing as a jumper and a sprinter, earned All-America status four times between 2003 and 2007 and was named the USTFCCCA Northeast Regional Field Athlete of the Year in both 2006 and 2007. Monfort qualified for the NCAA Championships seven times in events ranging from the triple jump to the 4 x 400-meter relay. She was a seven times Northeast-10 Conference Champion and was named the Women's Indoor Track Athlete twice. Monfort was named All-New England 13 times. She graduated as the UMass Lowell record holder in the triple jump and as part of two relay teams.
Moragne was a force on the court for UMass Lowell, first combining with Hall of Famer Elad Inbar to give the River Hawks a lethal one-two punch and then becoming a singular force and twice earning Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year honors. Moragne ranks fourth all-time with 2,057-points. He led his team in scoring twice and was the top rebounder three times as the River Hawks won two regular season and two Tournament titles. The lefty is in the UMass Lowell top ten in games played (3rd), field goals made (4th), field goal percentage (2nd), rebounds and three-point percentage.
Olsta, a two-year captain, was a career. 348 hitter in four seasons at Lowell Technological Institute during a time when the team average was only .228. Olsta led the team in hitting in three of those years his average ranging between .313 and .415. He is fourth all-time in hits with 70 and 11th in career batting average, .348. The four-year starter at shortstop was also honored as the winner of the University's Lester Cushing Award as the school's Most Outstanding Athlete.
The inductees will be honored at a ceremony on Friday, October 18th (4:30pm) on Homecoming Weekend in the Moloney Ballroom at University Crossing. Click here for ticket and event information.
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"I am honored to be selected amongst this group of great inductees. I am very thankful for the opportunities and experiences UMass Lowell has provided for me, both as a student athlete and women's soccer coach. It is an amazing feeling being chosen as the first women's soccer player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. I am grateful for the continued support of my family, my coaches and my teammates, who always made me look good behind them. This would not have been possible without them."
JAMIE GILLIS (WOMEN'S SOCCER; 2006-09)
"As I sit and reflect on what this means, I am excited! Also, humbled and honored to be joining such an elite club. As student-athletes you hear about the Hall of Fame and aspire to get there one day, without really knowing the true magnitude of what it really means and the amount of hard work it requires. Now that the moment is here, I cannot help but feel a sense of gratitude to the people that helped me get here."
TONI-MARIE (HENRY) MONFORT (WOMEN'S TRACK AND FIELD; 2003-07)
"I'm so humbled and blessed to receive this honor. Going into the Hall of Fame with all the greats is truly unreal. None of this is possible without coach Barer and all the coaches taking a chance on me and giving me the formula to succeed on and off the court. I was also blessed with amazing teammates. This honor is for all of them they kept me grounded and pushed me every day to be great! Once again, I want to thank everyone that were involved in getting me to this point. Go River Hawks."
STACEY MORAGNE (MEN'S BASKETBALL; 2002-06)
"I am truly honored to be selected to the UMass Lowell Athletics Hall of Fame. My baseball experience gave me the boost in self-esteem that I needed to convince myself that I was capable of being part of the Lowell Tech Community. Playing baseball at Lowell Tech meant so much to me not only during my four years there, but for my whole life. I had the pleasure of being coached by Rusty Yarnell my freshman year and Jim Stone the next three years. Coach Stone was a great coach, a father figure to me, a true friend and still my coach. My teammates were an inspiration and many of them are still close friends after 50+ years. I want thank the Hall of Fame committee and Bob Boehm for researching the statistics for my nomination."
PETER OLSTA (BASEBALL; 1966-69)
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