Nichols College Athletics

Veronesi was a pioneer for women’s athletics in the 1980’s and early 1990’s at Nichols College, serving as head coach of both the field hockey (1983-91) and softball (1985-92) programs before becoming the Director of Athletics for the women's side of the house (1984-92). She owns three of the top 10 winningest seasons in softball (26 in 1991, 20 in 1988, 18 in 1987), and her 147 wins ranked No. 1 all-time at the time of her induction. The field hockey team owned a .547 winning percentage (75-61-14) with Veronesi patrolling the sidelines and her 75 wins was No. 2 all-time, trailing only Mallet.
 
In her first season at the helm of the softball program, Veronesi guided the Bison to a program-record 15 wins and a .789 winning percentage, which is the fifth-highest mark in program history. The Bison stole a program-record 102 bases, led by Jean Kennedy’s 18, which is the fourth-highest single-season mark at NC. Michele Sinacola batted .401 during that season, a mark which still stands as the sixth-highest at NC.
 
After winning 14 games the following season, the Bison won 18 games and established a program-record for walks (138) in 1987. Laura Chalmers paced NC with 31 RBI (fourth-best mark in program history) and slugged .667 (No. 9 in school history).
 
The 1988 season was a banner one for the Bison as they won 20 games and captured the Massachusetts Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (MAIAW) Championship with a 6-0 win over Fitchburg State on May 3. The team set numerous marks which still appear in the record books, including No. 2 in winning pct. (.833) and walks (134), No. 3 in runs (237) and RBI (187), and No. 5 in batting average (.352). Individually, Sinacola paced the offense with 30 hits, 34 runs, 19 RBI, 16 steals, and a .677 on-base pct. while Lisa Gionet batted a team-leading .569. Robin Provencher led the staff in wins (10) and earned run average (1.12).
 
Three years later, Veronesi led the Bison to a then program-record 26 wins (.897 winning pct.) and another MAIAW Championship with wins over Elms (1-0) and Anna Maria (1-0; 11 innings). The Bison posted a team batting average of .359 (No. 3 in program history) while their triples (14) and runs (221) totals are No. 4 all-time. Dee Read led the team in average (.400) while Kristen Allen went 14-1 with a 0.87 ERA in the circle. Veronesi stepped down following a 19-4 campaign in 1992.
 
As a field hockey coach, Veronesi guided the Bison to four winning seasons – including a pair of 13-win campaigns in 1984 (.700 winning pct.) and 1991 (.684 winning pct.). The Bison captured the MAIAW Championship in her final season behind the bench in 1991, defeating Gordon (4-1) and Anna Maria (2-0).
 
The 1984 squad posted six shutouts and allowed the fifth-fewest goals in program history (24). Offensively, the team potted 59 goals (No. 5 all-time) and dished out 37 assists (No. 4 all-time), led by Amy Bernard’s 49 points (22 goals, five assists). In 1991, Sarah Powers (17 goals) and Deann Desrosiers (10 assists) carried the offense while Jenn Yitts posted four shutouts.