BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott College Athletics and Recreation department is proud to announce that during October's Homecoming and Family Week former student-athletes Jenna Facey (Bortolotti) '11 (Milton, Mass.), Tad Gold '14 (Martha's Vineyard, Mass.), Sam Ozycz '12 M'13 (Cheshire, Conn.), and Morgan Sitarz (DeShaw) '12 M'14 (Danville, N.H.) will all be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame, Class of 2021, on Saturday, October 2.
The aforementioned group of student-athletes will be the 23rd class inducted into the Endicott Athletics Hall of Fame since its inaugural membership began in 1994. All four student-athletes will formally be inducted on Saturday, October 2 during the Athletics Tribute and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony inside MacDonald Gymnasium at 9 AM.
ENDICOTT ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME, CLASS OF 2021
JENNA FACEY (BORTOLOTTI) '11, SOFTBALL
"Records are made to be broken" – or so they say – but in the case of Jenna Facey's (Bortolotti) Hall of Fame career, there are some records the former hurler set that just may never be touched.
Those records include career wins (63), games started (79), complete games (66, tied w/ Hall of Famer Robyn Savitske Crosby), most strikeouts looking (129, second closest 81), most batters faced (2,238; second 1,729), most at-bats against (1,982; second 1,620), most fly outs (458), and most ground outs (672).
Facey's impressive career stat line is as follows: 91 appearances (79 starts), 515 2/3 innings pitched, 63-17 record, one save, a 2.06 earned run average (ERA), 24 shutouts, and 357 strikeouts.
Aside from her numerous and outstanding statistical accomplishments, Facey aided the Gulls to four Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a regional finalist appearance in 2008, during her storied career. As a team, the Gulls went 143-35-1 overall (.802) and 86-9-1 in conference play (.901) in that span.
She also earned one National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) All-New England Second Team honor, two CCC Pitcher of the Year awards, two selections to the CCC All-Conference First Team, and 2010-11 Endicott Co-Female Athlete of the Year accolades.
"While Jenna's incredible softball accomplishments are not only unprecedented and eye-popping, but also what resonates with me most about Jenna was her unflappable perseverance and ability to perform. In the largest moments that she was placed in, and there were a lot over her four years, very few executed and embodied the supreme confidence that Jenna did throughout her Endicott career," said Wylie. "She thrived in some of the most challenging and difficult competitive moments her team was in, rising to every occasion. And though that competitive edge and dominance were always present, she did it with a smile and sportsmanship that made her inspirational. Above all her accomplishments, she is an amazing, talented, and genuine person."
"Endicott shaped me into who I am today. Looking back I can see how the athletic, academic, and personal experiences I had there prepared me for all my future challenges," said Facey. "I will always cherish the lifelong friendships and Endicott's everlasting support. My coaches and teammates inspired me to push past my limits to achieve things I never thought possible. I am so grateful for that time in my life."
TAD GOLD '14, BASEBALL
It was probably a safe bet to punch Tad Gold's ticket into the Hall of Fame in 2014 when the speedy outfielder became the first student-athlete in Endicott Athletics history from any sport to receive National Player of the Year honors (D3baseball.com).
If that wasn't enough, Gold's remaining athletic achievements sure did the trick.
Gold's eye-popping resume also includes being drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 35th round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Amateur Draft, which marks the Gulls' highest draft pick in program history; 2013-14 Endicott Male Athlete of the Year laurels; two All-America honors; three New England Player of the Year awards; three All-Region selections; one CCC Player of the Year honor; and two CCC All-Conference First Team selections.
In 178 career games played (177 starts), Gold slashed .355/.426/.514 (.avg/.obp/.slg), scored 163 runs, notched 222 hits (38 doubles, 23 triples, five home runs), tallied 128 RBI, walked 69 times, and stole 94 bases on 109 attempts (.862).
Gold still ranks first all-time in program history in runs scored, hits, and triples. He also ranks in the top-10 in stolen bases, batting average, at-bats, stolen bases, highest stolen base percentage, games played, RBI, slugging percentage, doubles, on-base percentage, fielding percentage (.995), and walks.
As a team during his career (130-61 overall, .681 | 55-15 conference, .786), Endicott won two CCC Championships (2013-14), two Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) titles (2011-12), and produced two NCAA Tournament Regional Finalist runs (2013-14), the best finishes in program history.
Both NCAA Tournament Regional Finalist runs concluded with the Gulls being ranked No. 19 nationally in 2013 and No. 23 in 2014, respectively.
"For four years Endicott had the privilege to witness Tad's approach to any competitive opportunity he was put in. His numbers tell the story of his dominance as a student-athlete. His humbleness, kindness, and team-first mentality separated him from the rest despite all of his accomplishments," said Wylie. "Over that four-year stretch, the baseball team reached some incredible heights of success, and I would attribute a lot of that success to Tad's strong leadership style and the great mutual respect and culture that those baseball teams had. In my opinion, Tad is one of the best athletes Endicott has ever had."
"This is such a special honor and truly a team award that is shared with each and every one of my teammates and coaches from 2010-2014. Without them, this achievement would not have been possible," said Gold. "It brings me immense joy to reflect on the time spent competing with this group of high-quality characters. It's always a great day to be a Gull!"
SAM OZYCZ '12 M'13, MEN'S LACROSSE
Sam Ozycz was world-class on and off the field at Endicott.
Athletically, Ozycz claimed several awards for his play at the faceoff X, highlighted by his selection as the 2013 NCAA Division III and the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Faceoff Specialist of the Year.
Ozycz's other awards include being named to the Tewaaraton Award Watchlist, two All-America honors, ECAC All-New England and CCC Defensive Player of the Year accolades, two All-Region awards, and a pair of All-CCC selections.
Meanwhile, his career numbers include 82 games played, 29 goals, 9 assists, 38 points, 728 ground balls, and 1,074 faceoff wins in 1,602 attempts (.670).
Ozycz still ranks second all-time at Endicott in faceoff wins, faceoff percentage, ground balls, ground balls per game (8.88), and games played. As for the NCAA Division III record books, Ozycz is fourth all-time in career ground balls and ranks in the top-10 for the following single-season records (all established in 2013): ground balls per game (13.84, ranks 3rd all-time), total ground balls (263, 2nd), faceoff wins (354, 5th), and faceoff win percentage (.761, 7th).
As a team, the Gulls went 71-32 overall (.689) and 39-6 in conference play (.867) during his time with the program from 2009-13. Endicott also won two CCC titles, a pair of ECAC Championships, and made two NCAA Tournament appearances.
Academically, Ozycz was a USILA Scholar All-American, the CCC Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and a CCC Academic All-Conference honoree.
"As a person, Sam is one of the most respected, driven, and professional people that has ever played a sport here at Endicott. His standard for excellence in everything he and his team did, coupled with his amazing leadership qualities, makes Sam such an easy Hall of Fame candidate," said Wylie. "Arguably one of the top face-off specialists that Endicott, and perhaps the region, has ever seen, Sam's ability to control the game permitted the men's lacrosse program to achieve tremendous success during his time as a student-athlete. Sam's play also gave the Endicott community much to be proud of as well."
"I am honored to be selected as an inductee to the Endicott Athletics Hall of Fame. My time at Endicott was one of the most rewarding years of my life. The men's lacrosse program helped me become a distinguished athlete and molded me into the person I am today," said Ozycz. "I am so lucky to have been surrounded by the outstanding leadership of the athletic department, coaching staff, and faculty at Endicott. I specifically want to thank my teammates and Coach Quirk who had a profound impact on my success as a student-athlete and beyond."
MORGAN SITARZ (DESHAW) '12 M'14, WOMEN'S LACROSSE
Morgan Sitarz (DeShaw) and winning go hand-in-hand. It's as simple as that.
From 2009-12, Sitarz led the Gulls to a 57-23 overall record (.713), a 37-1 mark in conference action (.974), four CCC Championships, and four NCAA Tournament appearances behind her electric offensive play.
All told, Sitarz and the Gulls lost less than 25 games during her playing career, which also featured Sitarz receiving five All-Region honors, three All-Conference First Team selections, 2012 CCC Offensive Player of the Year accolades, and the 2010-11 Endicott Co-Female Athlete of the Year award.
Sitarz's career numbers include 78 games played, 207 goals, 71 assists, 278 points, 11 extra attacker goals, 57 draw controls, 100 ground balls, and 31 caused turnovers.
Sitarz still ranks inside the top-10 at Endicott in games played (8th), goals (3rd), goals per game (2.65, 5th), free-position goals (78, 1st), assists (6th), points (2nd), points per game (3.56, 4th), and extra attacker goals (1st).
Academically, Sitarz earned CCC Academic All-Conference and Endicott Academic Varsity Club honors throughout her career.
"From 2009-2012, the women's lacrosse program was in the midst of being one of Endicott's most successful programs. On par with men's lacrosse and softball as far as consecutive conference championships and NCAA appearances around that time period, Morgan was front and center at the success of the women's lacrosse program because of her leadership and playing ability. Morgan was not only one of the best female lacrosse players at Endicott, but she's also one of the best all-around athletes that we've ever had," said Wylie. "On any given game, whether in-conference or out, she always stood out as one of the most highly skilled student-athletes on the field. She was a consummate team-player that made everyone around her not only better lacrosse players, but better people. She made such a positive impact on all of us at Endicott, that we begged her to come back and work in the athletic department for two years while she completed her master's degree. Once again, she demonstrated her professionalism and drive in everything she did for our department."
"I am honored to be inducted into the Endicott Athletics Hall of Fame. Endicott Athletics provided me with a foundation of support and encouragement that propelled me to grow and improve not only as an athlete, but, more importantly, as an individual," said Sitarz. "My time as a student-athlete at Endicott was truly invaluable and I am extremely thankful to have been a small part of such a successful women's lacrosse program. I am forever grateful for my family, teammates, coaches, and all of the athletic administrators that made my experience so positive and impactful."
ABOUT THE ENDICOTT ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME
The purpose of the Endicott Athletics Hall of Fame is to give lasting recognition to those individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the achievements and prestige of Endicott in the field of athletics, and who have continued to demonstrate in their lives the values imparted by intercollegiate athletics. Plaques of these chosen few are enshrined on the walls of the Post Center.
Each class is chosen by a committee of seven members consisting of the Director of Athletics, an Assistant Athletic Director, an alumni relations representative, the Faculty Athletics Representative, a sports information representative, and two current head coaches. Candidates are submitted electronically and each individual is evaluated according to the criteria for nomination.
Since 1994, 55 former student-athletes, coaches, faculty members, and administrators have been inducted into the Endicott Athletics Hall of Fame. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
