DUDLEY, Mass. (Sept. 28) –The Nichols College Athletic Department was proud to induct five new members into its Hall of Fame during the annual Alumni Awards Ceremony on Friday, September 25, 2009. This year's inductees include Nichols College Women's Basketball Coach Natalie (Lavin) Soffen '04, Ben Karter '04, Jenn (Eaton) Kilbride '98, Steve Gallo '89, and Dave Whitney '81, posthumous.
Natalie (Lavin) Soffen was a talented three-sport athlete at Nichols, lettering in basketball, softball and soccer. A four-year letterwinner in basketball and softball, she was a two-time All-Commonwealth Coast Conference selection at catcher and a two-time Worcester Area Colleges Basketball Association MVP at guard/forward. Despite never having played an organized soccer game before, Natalie backstopped the 2002 soccer team to the CCC title and the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth in her only year with the team. She was named the College's Outstanding Female Freshman Athlete, the Nancy Rossini Memorial Award for Outstanding Female Sophomore Athlete recipient, the Outstanding Female Sophomore Athlete, and capped her outstanding career with the Major Charles M. Hopkins Award for Study, Sports and Spirit in her senior year.
A three-year captain in basketball, Natalie finished her career with 1,135 points, which was fourth on the all-time list at the time and now ranks seventh in Nichols' history. She holds the career records for free-throws made and attempted (340-453) and held the career free-throw percentage record at 75.1% until 2006, which now ranks second all-time. Her 14 free-throws made in a game against Rivier in her junior season still stands as the single-game record, and her 384 career assists places her third all-time in the Nichols record books. She ranks fifth all-time with 203 steals, third with 97 career blocks and finished with 15 career double-doubles.
On the softball diamond, Natalie was named the softball team's Co-Rookie of the Year in 2000, and though a broken jaw ended her sophomore season early, Natalie was named the team's Most Valuable Player and the CCC's Honorable Mention Catcher in 2001. She earned All-CCC Second Team honors as a junior and led the league with a .488 stolen base percentage (16 of 33 runners thrown out).
Natalie returned to her alma mater in 2005 as an assistant basketball coach and was tabbed head coach in 2007. She guided the Bison to two-straight ECAC Tournament appearances and to a share of the 2009 TCCC regular-season title with a program-best 25-5 record that included a record 21-game winning streak. In 2009, Natalie was named the TCCC Coach of the Year.
A native of Barre, Vt., she graduated in 2004 with a BSBA in sport management and resides in Three Rivers, Mass., with her husband, Ken, and her daughter, Kamryn.
A four-year letterwinner, Ben Karter capped his career with All-American Honorable Mention honors in his spectacular senior season. Ben led the Bison to four winning seasons and the 2001 NEFC Boyd Division title. To this day, he holds records for touchdown receptions in a career (30), season (15) and game (5), and has maintained the record for receiving yards in a game with 289. His five touchdown receptions in a game still stands as the NEFC record. He also holds the record for points scored in a season (104) and game (30) after his extraordinary senior year. Ben finished his career with 2,246 receiving yards and 124 receptions to go with 33 touchdowns; he totaled 2,920 all-purpose yards and 200 points in his career and was named the Hal Chalmers Memorial Award winner in his senior year.
Ben played in all 10 games as a senior, earning his All-America nod in addition to ECAC Division III Northeast Second Team honors at both wide receiver and return specialist. He was also named a Football Gazette Division III All-East Region honoree at wide receiver, the All-Worcester Area Co-Offensive Player of the Year and an All-Worcester Area First Team selection at wide receiver and punt returner. The NEFC honored Ben as the Hal Chalmers Senior Scholar Athlete Award recipient as well as a First Team selection at both wide receiver and return specialist. He scored a school-record 104 points on the year and led the NEFC in kick returns, averaging 34.2 yards per return. His 17 total touchdowns (15 receiving) were not only a school record, but the second-most in the NEFC.
As a freshman, was named the team's Rookie of the year and the following season, he led all Bison receivers in receptions (37), yards (599) and touchdowns (6) and was named Second Team All-Worcester Area. Ben had a standout junior season, leading the team in receptions (42), yards (648) and touchdowns (8) and was named the team's Offensive MVP. He ranked second in the NEFC in both catches per game and yards, and was named All-NEFC Second Team and All-Worcester Area First Team.
A member of the Dean's List, the Delta Mu Delta National Honor Society and the Zeta Alpha Phi Scholastic Honor Society of Nichols College, Ben graduated in 2004, and returned to the Hill as a graduate assistant coach while he pursued his MBA which he earned in 2006. He is currently an OEM Partner Account Manager at IBM. A native of Seymour, Conn., he currently resides in Framingham, Mass., with his wife, Katie.
Jenn (Eaton) Kilbride was a talented three-sport athlete at Nichols, earning four letters in soccer, three in basketball and one each in track and softball. Jenn was a two-time All-Commonwealth Coast Conference selection and was named the Nichols College Sophomore, Junior and Senior Female Athlete of the Year.
A two-year captain, Jenn capped off her outstanding soccer career at sweeper with First Team All-CCC honors in her senior year. The team's Most Valuable Player, she scored her first collegiate goal when she netted the only score of the game against New England College on October 10. A First Team All-Conference All Star as a junior, and was named the team's Unsung Hero in her sophomore season. In 1995, Jenn was named to the All-CCC Second Team and was tabbed the team's Rookie of the Year. In four years, Jenn played in 75 games with a goal and four assists.
Jenn carried her speed to the track where in her only season as a junior, she posted the team's lone first-place finish, winning the 800 meter run at the WPI meet on March 28 with a time of 2:44.6. Jenn holds Nichols College record in the 800 meters with a time of 2:29.2, which she recorded at the Bridgewater meet on April 11. She was named the team's Co-MVP.
On the basketball court, Jenn scored 295 career points in 57 games, playing in all 22 games her junior season and was named the team's MVP as a senior. After seeing action in 16 games as a sophomore, Jenn pulled down 107 rebounds and scored 144 points as a junior, earning the team's Most Improved Player award. She scored 135 points as a senior and recorded 96 rebounds for a career total 213.
She also played one season of softball as a senior, playing in 14 games mostly using her speed as a pinch runner. She scored four runs and stole four bases.
Jenn currently lives in Waco, Texas, with her husband, Kevin and her three children.
Steve Gallo was one of the best quarterbacks in Nichols College history and set the tone for the future of Nichols' many talented quarterbacks. A four-year letterwinner and All-NEFC honoree, Steve finished his career with a 51.4 career completion percentage, throwing for 2,329 yards. He was named the Major Charles M. Hopkins Award for Study, Sports and Spirit in his senior year and was honored by the NEFC as the Hal Chalmers Senior Scholar Athlete Award recipient at the conclusion of the 1988 football season.
Steve once owned the season and career touchdown pass records, throwing 13 touchdowns in his junior year and 26 in his career. Steve also owned the season pass completion record with 101, attained in 1987, and his career pass completion percentage also stood as a record for some time.
A College Football Preseason All-American in his senior season of 1988, Steve captained the Bison to a 6-3 record, their best finish in five seasons. Steve was the team's most valuable player in his junior year when he threw for 13 touchdowns, completing 101 of 192 attempts for 1,176 yards. He was named the NEFC Player of the Week and to the ECAC New England Weekly Honor Roll during the season. At the end of the season, the NEFC named Gallo to the All-Conference Honorable Mention squad. Steve had six receptions for 47 yards as a freshman in 1987 before transitioning to quarterback. He threw for a pair of touchdowns as a sophomore, completing 56 passes for 73 yards.
Steve graduated with a degree in management in 1989 and is currently the regional vice president for sales and marketing at Adidas. He was named the 1992 Reebok East Region Salesperson of the Year and the 2002 Reebok Marketing Manager of the Year. In 1999, he was honored with the Reebok Marketing Contribution Award to North American Sales.
He resides in Shrewsbury with his wife, Tricia (Lyons) '89 and their three children, Erin (12), Deirdre (9) and Luke (3).
A two-year letterwinner in football and one year letterwinner in basketball, Dave Whitney's contributions to Nichols College Athletics were tremendous during his short time with the Bison.
A native of Fitchburg, Mass., Dave was an All-New England Football Conference quarterback and led the Bison to the 1978 Co-Championship. He completed 78 of 160 passes for 969 yards in eight games on the year and helped the Bison clinch a share of the NEFC title by completing 9 of 13 passes for 162 yards including a 67 yard touchdown pass to Jim Gleason in his final game on November 4th, a 14-10 home victory over Plymouth State.
Dave played in all 25 basketball games in the 1977-78 season, shooting 50.7% from the floor (113-223) and 70.5% from the free-throw line. He averaged 11.0 points per game, totaling 274 on the year while pulling down 132 rebounds and dishing out 91 assists. Dave also had 31 steals on the year. He scored a season-high 19 points against New England College.
Dave was honored with the Gary McNulty Award for Outstanding Freshman Male Athlete after his freshman year and was also named an All New England Honorable Mention selection by United Press International (UPI) in 1978.
Dave tragically lost his life in an automobile accident in 1978, during his sophomore year at Nichols.
