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Westfield State University inducted its 26^th class into the university's Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday evening, Oct. 24 as part of the school's homecoming weekend.

A crowd of more than 175 packed the Scanlon Banquet Hall to recognize five individuals and one team that spanned more than 50 years of Westfield State athletics history.

Bill Lownds '75

Men's soccer standout Bill Lownds graduated among the all-time leading scorers in the program's history, and was part of the 1974 team that advanced to the NCAA Division III Final Four.

"I want to tell you the impact that that those four soccer teams and my coach had on my life," said Lownds, an Easthampton, Mass. native who now resides in Agawam.

"At the end of my fall freshman year, I had poured a ton of effort into soccer – not so much into academics.  I was no threat for the dean's list – I was a threat for the un-dean's list," while making a motion that indicated he might get the heave ho. 

"I had a major decision to make – was Westfield State the place for me, or did I need to find another avenue in life … All I thought about was 'I need to do whatever I need to do to play soccer for coach Kurty and alongside my teammates the next three years'."

"So I did the unthinkable for me.  I always went to class – but now I knew who the teacher was and I paid attention, I took notes, I asked questions.  Just like on the soccer field, if you go over something again and  again, you get better at it, and the result of that was a successful 36-year career in education, I owe it to my four years of teammates and my coach, coach [John] Kurty.

Cheryl Bassett '88

Cheryl Bassett was noted as perhaps the best shortstop in Owls' softball history, and was an Academic All-American as a shortstop for the Owls, is recently retired from a long and distinguished career as a federal investigator.

Among her remarks, Bassett highlighted several things that sports help teach student athletes.

"There are so many things that team sports teach you," said Bassett. "For me to then go on to a career in law enforcement.  I think I saw those skillsets translated very well into a federal career as a federal agent … The number one concept I learned here at Westfield State was teamwork … it really hit home.  Coach [Joyce] O'Donnell was amazing with making sure that we were a team."

"As a federal agent, we never made arrests on our own," said Bassett.  "It was important to know that a law enforcement officer you are working with also has your back. And so teamwork definitely was important to me, and as I wanted to know feel as though they knew that I had their back, and likewise.  In sports, our goal is to win the game, in law enforcement it's to go home that night, so safety is key.  It was really important."

Bassett is a native of East Longmeadow, Mass. who now splits her residence between Delaware and Arizona.

Don Jones '05

Don Jones was one  of the top running backs in the history of the program, and part of the 2001 team that was unbeaten in the regular season and advanced to the NCAA Playoffs for the first time in program history.

While running for more than 3,000 yards in his career, during the ceremony Jones recounted an "Owl Effort" play – making a tackle after an interception that gave his defense a chance to stop a drive in the NEFC Championship game.

"The reason we won that championship, the reason we won thirty games, the reason why we were as good as we were, wasn't necessarily because of talent.   We had talent – but if you dealt with one of us, you were definitely going to deal with all of us.   No question about that.  To me that is exactly what an Owl Effort is all about - we stick together!"

A native of Springfield and a graduate of Springfield Central high school, Jones now resides in Troy, N.Y. where he is the head football coach at Hudson Valley Community College.

Drew Soltysiak '08

Soltysiak was one of the best big-meet performers in the history of Westfield State Men's Track and Field, where he was a two-time All-American and an ECAC and New England D3 champion in the Javelin throw.

Soltysiak spoke about the impact that his family had in getting him involved in sports, and eventually in throwing the javelin, and fondly of teammate Dave Bergeron, a fellow hall of famer and training partner and mentor at Westfield.

"Tonight reminds me that no matter where you start, if you keep showing up, keep believing, and keep working, you can turn every setback into something that moves you forward," said Soltysiak.

Soltysiak still resides in his hometown of Westfield, Mass. and is a senior manager at Collins Aerospace in Windsor Locks, Conn.

Jennifer Ashton '15 

Jennifer Ashton graduated as the second all-time leading scorer in the history of Westfield State women's basketball, the programs all-time leader in steals, and ranks in the top 10 in program history in almost every statistical category, and went on to play four seasons of professional basketball in England and Sweden.

Ashton thanked her coaches - head coach Andrea Bertini, and assistants Jack Zabek and the late Ojae Beale – for the role they played in her development at Westfield State.

Ashton proudly recounted telling her teammates overseas where she had played in college – and though few had heard of Westfield, "It always reminded me that it's not about what division you played in or where you went to school, but about how you made the most of your situation and opportunities that were presented to you.   Westfield State was a beautiful part of my life that I'll cherish forever.  It helped me achieve the career I have today, being part of a competitive sports team really benefits you in every walk of life."

A native of Beverly, Mass., Ashton now resides in Haverhill, and works as a court officer as well as refereeing men's collegiate basketball.

Team of Distinction – 1975 Baseball 

50 years later the 1975 baseball team stands as the team that won the most games in a season, in any sport, in the history of Westfield State athletics, finishing 32-8, and advanced to the finals of the NCAA Regional Tournament, falling one win short of the College World Series.

Bob Berriman, one of the team's seniors in 1975, spoke on behalf of the team before introducing his teammates as they received their individual awards.

"We didn't have pitch counts, our pitch counts were when the pitchers arm fell off," joked Berriman.

"To think it's been 50 years - and I'm up here speaking because I'm the oldest – to think 50 teams, probably a thousand players, no one has matched this record – is pretty impressive, pretty scary… we're very proud of the fact that we have a great program here at Westfield State and we appreciate it."

"We were just a group of guys that smelled bad – how did those uniforms get washed, anyway," queried Berriman as an aside.  But we were a family of brothers that were accountable.  Things were learned together, and we carried out successful careers, families, and now here we are fifty years later."

The first class of the Westfield State Athletic Hall of Fame was inducted in 1994.  This year's class brings the hall's total inductees to 161 individuals and six teams.

Nominations for consideration to be selected to the hall of fame are encouraged, and can be submitted the University's athletics website at https://www.westfieldstateowls.com/hall-of-fame/nomination-form .

Student-athlete graduates must be 10 years removed from their year of graduation in order to be considered for induction, and are selected by the committee on a bi-annual basis based on playing ability ntegrity, sportsmanship, character contributions, honors or recognition, and achievements.