{"id":27113,"date":"2019-03-07T22:31:09","date_gmt":"2019-03-08T03:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom2\/2019\/03\/08\/athletics\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T14:11:59","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T18:11:59","slug":"athletics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/necc.edu\/newsroom\/2019\/03\/07\/athletics\/","title":{"rendered":"NECC Celebrates First Inductees to Athletics Hall of Fame"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The 1970\/71 basketball team with Noelia Figuereo and NECC President Lane Glenn (navy blue sweater)<\/p><\/div>\n

Northern Essex\u2019s Inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet on Thursday evening, February 28 was a reunion, a source of inspiration, and an affirmation of the college\u2019s athletic program, which has been growing in recent years.<\/p>\n

Inaugural inductees to the hall of fame included Noelia Figuereo, a runner from Haverhill who, less than ten years ago, was a two-time national champion, and the 1970\/71 men\u2019s basketball team, which captured the state title almost 50 years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re growing our athletic program, adding sports and athletes, and we felt it was a good time to honor the successes of the past,\u201d said Dan Blair, NECC athletic director.\u00a0 \u201cThe Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be an annual event, and there will be an open nomination process for future inductees.\u201d<\/p>\n

Figuereo was a Two-time National Champion<\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/a>Noelia Figuereo was a track star at Haverhill High School before enrolling at Northern Essex, where she was on the women\u2019s track and field team for two years.\u00a0 She was a two-time National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) National Champion, capturing the Women\u2019s 200-meter national championship in 2010 and returning in 2011 to claim the 100-meter title.\u00a0 After graduating from Northern Essex, Figuereo transferred to Merrimack College, where she ran track and earned a bachelor\u2019s in Spanish in 2015 and a master\u2019s in education in 2017.\u00a0 She is now working for a nonprofit that is under the Department of Mental Health.<\/p>\n

Figuereo says she realized track \u201cwas her calling\u201d after running in her first track meet in middle school.\u00a0 High school presented challenges for her, as she helped care for her beloved grandmother, who was diagnosed with dementia.\u00a0\u00a0 She says it was difficult to adjust to her role as \u201ca primary caregiver and a student athlete\u201d.\u00a0 Figuereo credited the college, her coaches Dawn Caputo and Andrew Barron, and her family\u2014more than a dozen family members and friends were there for the induction\u2014with providing the support that led to her success.\u00a0 She calls her mother Maria, a 1999 graduate of the college\u2019s Computer Science Program, her \u201cnumber one supporter.\u201d<\/p>\n

1970\/71 Men\u2019s Basketball Team Captured Conference Championship<\/h4>\n

\"\"<\/a>The 1970\/71 men\u2019s basketball team was a collection of young men from areas towns such as Lawrence, Haverhill, Newburyport, Lowell, and Salem, NH, among others, said Blair.\u00a0 The team was coached by the late Jack Wysong of Newburyport, who was a longtime faculty member and administrator at Northern Essex.\u00a0 With a 21-6 record, the team captured both the Massachusetts Community College Championship and the Eastern Massachusetts Small College Conference Championship.\u00a0\u00a0 At the conclusion of the season, Neil Reardon of Newburyport and Joe Goldsmith of Newburyport were named Eastern Mass All-Stars.\u00a0 Reardon and Goldsmith and John \u201cButch\u201d Dunham of Salem, NH were named among the class of 1971 Outstanding College Athletes in America.\u00a0 Joe Tardif of Plaistow, NH, who was also on the team, is still at the college.\u00a0 For the past 20 years, he has coached men\u2019s basketball, currently serving as head coach.<\/p>\n

In attendance at the banquet were Dennis Levesque of Nashua, Dan Habib of Haverhill, Andy Desrosiers of Windham, Rob Rouine of Billerica, and Dave Levine of Coral Springs, FL.\u00a0\u00a0 Charles McClure, Bob McNabb, Dick Crawford, Mike Horgan, and John \u201cButch\u201d Dunham were unable to attend.<\/p>\n

Neil Reardon, who went on to coach the Newburyport High School girls basketball team for 27 years until his retirement in 2010, spoke on behalf of the team, which was represented by a remarkable eight of the thirteen original team members.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s almost 50 years since we played ball together and this is a special night for all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Athletic Inaugural Hall of Fame Banquet included a social hour, a buffet dinner, and a program featuring remarks by Blair, NECC President Lane Glenn, and the inductees.<\/p>\n

NECC will Add Three Varsity Sports This Year<\/h4>\n

Northern Essex competes as a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association<\/a> (NJCAA) and currently sponsors nine varsity intercollegiate sports including baseball, men\u2019s basketball, golf, softball, women\u2019s volleyball, men\u2019s and women\u2019s cross country and men\u2019s and women\u2019s track and field.\u00a0 In the fall, Northern Essex will have the largest community college athletic program in the state with the addition of three new sports<\/a>: men\u2019s soccer, women\u2019s basketball and eSports.\u00a0 Nine of the 15 community colleges in the state have varsity athletic programs.<\/p>\n

Those interested in nominating athletes\u2014individuals or teams\u2014for the next ceremony are invited to submit nominations through the form<\/a> on the NECC Athletics website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\t\t