Bridgewater State to Add Six Athletes to Hall of Fame

By Jim Fenton, The Enterprise (Brockton)

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Six new members will join the Bridgewater State University Athletics Hall of Fame this fall. The ceremony will take place Oct. 23 as part of Homecoming Weekend.

This is the 21st Hall of Fame class at BSU and will bring the number of members to 132.

The inductees will include Shannon Manning, a lacrosse player who graduated in 2010; Dan Maurer, a football player who graduated in 2000; and Tara (Dolan) Morano, a member of the swimming and diving team who graduated in 1992.

Also, Mike Quinn, a soccer player who graduated in 2006; Angela Vecchione, a softball player who graduated in 2009; and Leon Weinstein, a football player who graduated in 1970.

Manning was the New England Women’s Lacrosse Alliance player of the year in 2008 and 2010, a three-time All-ECAC Division 3 New England All-Star and a three-time All-NEWLA first-team selection.

Manning made the Women’sLacrosse.com All-America third team and finished with school records for career points (384) and assists (156).

Maurer, a quarterback who played from 1996-99, threw for 57 touchdowns and ran for 41.

He is the school record-holder for TD passes in a career and season (27 in 1999) and is third in rushing TDs.

Maurer threw for 4,628 yards (second at BSU) while rushing for 1,499 yards. As a senior, Maurer threw for 1,940 yards and ran for 622 yards as the Bears were undefeated in the regular season and went to the NCAA tournament.

Morano was on the swimming and diving team for four years and set records in the 1-meter diving event (11 dives, 347.50 points and 10 dives, 231.05 points). A team captain, she was an assistant coach after graduation and is now a teacher and trainer at Middleboro High School.

Quinn is second on BSU’s men’s soccer all-time list with 29 career goals and third with 71 points. A four-time All-Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference selection, Quinn was the player of the year in 2005.

Quinn, who was a two-time team captain, had 24 goals and 11 assists in his final two seasons.

Vecchione, a shortstop as a freshman who moved to catcher the final three seasons, was the MASCAC player of the year in softball in 1999 and 2001 and made the all-conference team four times.

A third team All-America in 1999, Vecchione was selected to the All-New England first team all four seasons. Vecchione hit .428 in her career and set school records with 253 hits, 193 runs, 41 triples and 182 games.

Weinstein started all 30 games in his football career and was an anchor for the offensive and defensive lines as a guard and tackle, respectively, from 1966-69. Weinstein became the first Bears player to earn All-New England Football Conference honors all four seasons.

For tickets, which are $35, to the Hall of Fame dinner, call Alumni Relations at 508-531-1287 or email shana.murrell@bridgew.edu or crystal.howard@bridgew.edu.