FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Courtesy of W. New England Athletics Communications

GNAC Hall of Fame Dinner
set for August 7 in Boston

WINTHROP, Mass. – In preparation for the 2019 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Hall of Fame Induction next Wednesday, August 7, the GNAC is featuring each of the eight inductees leading up to the event at the Hilton Garden Inn Logan Airport in East Boston, Mass. For the complete spotlight schedule, please see below. 

From the Western New England University softball program, standout right-handed pitcher Jackie (Shedlock) Kapusta '05 earns the prestigious GNAC recognition less than two years after being inducted into Western New England's Downes Athletic Hall of Fame in 2017. She is also a member of the Downes Hall of Fame as a member of the 2003 softball team, which was inducted in 2008.

One of the most dominant pitchers in the history of the Western New England softball program, Shedlock ranks in the top-3 of almost every career pitching category, including first in batting average against (.165), second in strikeouts (576) and earned run average (0.88) and third in wins (60). Shedlock's ERA and strikeout total also rank second in GNAC history.

She was a key contributor as a sophomore in 2003 during the Golden Bears' run to the College World Series, going 9-1 with 0.72 ERA while limiting opposing batters to a .158 average. Shedlock followed that up with an even more impressive campaign as a junior in 2004, as she went 20-6 with a 0.94 ERA and earned Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III Northeast Region first team, All-Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) first team and GNAC Pitcher of the Year accolades.

Shedlock capped her collegiate career in 2005 by becoming Western New England's first female All-American in any sport with her selection to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III third team. She also collected a pair of regional honors and repeated as the GNAC Pitcher of the Year after winning a single-season program record 23 games (23-5 overall) and posting a 0.95 ERA with 239 strikeouts in 154.2 innings pitched (10.8 K/7).

A three-time All-Conference and two-time All-Region performer, Shedlock was a member of Western New England teams that went 138-33-1 (.805), won four consecutive GNAC championships and appeared in the NCAA Tournament each year during her four-year career.

Western New England softball competed in the GNAC for eight seasons from 2000-07, before joining the Commonwealth Coast Conference for the 2007-08 campaign. The Golden Bears won the GNAC title five times during that eight-year span and posted one runner-up finish.

The festivities on August 7 will begin at 6:00 PM with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner at 6:30 PM and the induction ceremony presentations running from approximately 7:00 PM until 8:30 PM at the Hilton Garden Inn. All eight inductees are expected to be in attendance. 

Throughout the month of July, the GNAC will spotlight eight Hall inductees on the following dates:
Tues 7/9: Ray Askew, Albertus Magnus College Men's Basketball
Thurs 7/11: Iman (Davis) Barbosa, Emmanuel College Women's Basketball
Tues 7/16: Lamonte Thomas, Johnson & Wales University (RI) Men's Basketball
Thurs 7/18: Jose Guitian, Lasell College Men's Basketball
Tues 7/23: Josh McElroy, Norwich University Men's Soccer
Thurs 7/25: Aaron Dufoe, Rivier University Men's Basketball/Men's Soccer
Tues 7/30: Michael Maguire, Suffolk University Baseball
Thurs 8/1: Jackie (Shedlock) Kapusta, Western New England University Softball

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 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. 

– #TheGNAC –

2019 HALL of FAME INDUCTEE: Jackie (Shedlock) Kapusta, Western New England Softball