DUDLEY, Mass. (9/7/23) – The Nichols College Athletic Hall of Fame will induct three former standout student-athletes and one team on Saturday, September 30^th, 2023: Colin Whitney '16, Maria Balabanova '11, Chris Dubay '02 and the 2010 Men's Soccer team. The group will be inducted at 10AM at the Daniels Auditorium.

Started in 1972, the Hall of Fame will now house a total of 233 members: 220 former student-athletes and 12 honorary members.

"Colin Whitney, Maria Balabanova, Chris Dubay, and the 2010 Men's Soccer team each made a substantial impact on the Nichols Athletics community during their time on The Hill," said Vice President and Director of Athletics Jack Hayes. "Their commitment to excellence, along with the success they achieved continues to set the standard for our student-athletes and coaches."

Colin Whitney
Whitney, a four-year standout with the Nichols men's golf program, was a frequent name heard on the course for the Bison. Throughout his tenure, he was a two-time Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) First Team honoree, as well as two-time CCC Academic All-Conference honoree, and was the recipient of the Nichols College Major Charles T. Hopkins Award for Study, Sports and Spirit as a senior.
While on the course, Whitney finished the season as the program's season-low average scorer on two separate occasions, with his lowest average coming as a sophomore (78). Across all four seasons, Whitney shot over 24 rounds of play with an under-80 card, which included medalist performances at the Hampton Inn Collegiate Invitational and the CCC Championship.
 
Maria Balabanova
Balabanova spent four seasons as a member of the women's tennis program at Nichols, where she compiled a career record of 52-13 (singles) and 45-19 (doubles). She was a key piece in the programs all-time success, including their first ever Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship title and NCAA Tournament appearance during the 2010-11 campaign, the program's all-time winningest season (21).  
Balabanova holds the program all-time record for overall singles wins (52), as well as single-season doubles wins (19). She is also tied for the records in single-season doubles victories (21) and winning percentage (1.000, 19-0 record.) Balabanova was a four-time All-TCCC Honorable mention honoree between her freshman and junior seasons, and was named to the All-TCCC Second Team for both singles and doubles as a senior.

Chris Dubay
Dubay was a four-year mainstay with the Nichols football program, during which time he took the field for 37 career games. Throughout his four seasons with the team, he compiled a stat line of 69 unassisted tackles, 55 assisted tackles, 124 total tackles, 41 tackles for loss (total of 240 yards), 18 unassisted sacks, 6 assisted sacks and one returned interception of 18-yards.
 
Throughout his career, Dubay was a two-time honoree from the Worcester Area Football Association, earning both All-Star First and Second team accolades. He was additionally recognized with New England Football Conference First Team honors his senior season and was a one-time NEFC Weekly Honor Roll recipient the same year.

2010 Men's Soccer Team
The 2010 men's soccer team claimed a program-record 15 victories throughout the campaign, which led to their first ever Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Championship and trip to the NCAA Tournament in program history.
 
Following a season-opening loss to Alberts Magnus, Nichols won six consecutive matches, with five coming by way of a shutout over rivals like Endicott, New England College, and Anna Maria. The Bison then rebounded from a 1-1 tie at Salve Regina to blank Eastern Nazarene (5-0) and Roger Williams (3-0), before Gordon snapped the team's nine-match unbeaten streak. 
 
Nichols then posted four more TCCC shutouts down the stretch and entered the playoffs as the No.1 seed, courtesy of its 4-2 win over Western New England on Sept. 25. The Bison defeated Endicott in the quarterfinals behind goals from Mark Capitanio and David Johnson, and a nine save performance in goal from Brendan Hamilton. 

In the semifinals, the Bison and Salve Regina played to a scoreless tie after 110 minutes of action. Matthew Nash scored the GWG in penalty kicks to send the Bison to the conference championship contest against Gordon. Once again, the match went to a shootout, where Johnson, Capitanio, and Scott Coderre each scored to give NC its second-straight 3-1 win in PK's. 
 
Upon the completion of the season, a total of seven Bison received CCC honors, including First Team honorees Coderre, Johnson, and Hamilton, who were each named to the First Team. Capitanio earned a spot on the TCCC All-Conference Second Team, while Michael Schell, Pat Gaumond, and Ryan Wytrych garnered Honorable Mention accolades. Gaumond also took home Rookie of the Year honors while head coach Chris Traina was selected as the TCCC Coach of the Year. 
 
Coderre finished as the team leader in goals (13) and points (30) scored, followed by Brendan Whitson (11-1-23) and Capitanio (7-6-20). Hamilton, meanwhile, posted a 0.51 goals against average (GA), a .900 save percentage, and 11 shutouts. 

The Nichols College Division of Athletics invites guests to register for the Hall of Fame brunch and ceremony here.