GORHAM, Maine  – As part of a weekend long Homecoming and Family Weekend celebration, the University of Southern Maine Department of Athletics will honor and enshrine several former standout student-athletes and key athletic department figures as part of its 40^th Annual Husky Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony on Sunday, September 27 (5:00 pm) at the Italian Heritage Center in Portland, Maine.  The six Class of 2026 inductees will bring the number of Husky Hall of Fame members to 273.
 
Celebrating the outstanding legacies, achievements and historic performances of past University of Southern Maine student-athletes, coaches and administrators, the Husky Hall of Fame ceremony is one of the highlights of each academic year, and brings some of the Huskies' best and brightest back to campus each fall.  The Class of 2026 Husky Hall of Fame roster includes standouts from baseball, track & field, softball, field hockey, basketball, and wrestling.
 

• Adam Lemieux, Class of 2004, Baseball
• Zach Miller, Class of 2016, Men's Track & Field
• Caterina (Riitano) Murphy, Class of 2007, Field Hockey, Softball, Track & Field
• Nicole (Garland) Poulin, Class of 2013, Women's Basketball
• Stephen Valastro, Class of 2009, Wrestling
• Dan Webb, Class of 2016, Men's Track & Field

 
In addition to its Hall of Fame inductees, the University of Southern Maine Department of Athletics will present three special awards during the ceremony: the Richard A. Costello Special Achievement Award, the Clifford O.T. Weiden Award, the David F. Drew III Service Award.   Long-time public address announcer, and benefactor Jon Paradise will be presented with the Drew Service Award, while Channel 13 WGME Sports Anchor Dave Eid will receive the Weiden Award.  Husky alumna and former women's basketball and lacrosse student-athlete Shannon (Kynoch) Bollhardt '08 will be honored with the Costello Award. More information on these individuals will be released as a later date.
 
Established in 1985 by former Husky Director of Athletics and alum Al Bean, the initial Husky Hall of Fame ceremony was hosted in 1986.  The Husky Hall of Fame was created to recognize the outstanding athletic achievements of graduates of the University of Southern Maine and its predecessor institutions: Western Maine Normal School, Gorham Normal School, Gorham State Teachers' College, the University of Maine Portland, and the University of Maine Portland-Gorham.  The first Hall of Fame class included seven men and women chosen out of nearly 50 nominees.  Each of the 2026 inductees were selected on the basis of superior athletic and academic achievement, and continued good character.
 

2026 Husky Hall of Fame Inductees

 
Adam Lemieux, Class of 2004, Baseball
A two-time New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA) All-New England selection for the Huskies' baseball team, Adam Lemieux was a pitcher and an outfielder for Southern Maine from 2001 through the 2004 season, helping the Huskies capture the 2001 NCAA Division III Regional Title and advance to the College World Series as a rookie. Playing in 173 career games, Lemieux hit .367 with 47 doubles, four triples, 10 home runs, and 125 RBI, hitting a career-best .403 in 2004.   On the mound, Lemieux made 15 appearances firing 63.1 innings. 
 
Named to the NCAA Regional All-Tournament team in 2001, Lemieux earned back-to-back first team All-Little East Conference honors as an outfielder in 2003 and 2004.  Lemieux remains in the Huskies' career record books in several categories, and is tied for 21st in games played (173), 33rd in at bats (581), tied for 35th in runs scored (137), 26th in hits (213), tied for 14th in doubles (47), 31st in RBI (125), 29th in total bases (298), and tied for 17th in sacrifice flies (12).
 
Zach Miller, Class of 2017, Men's Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field
 
A powerful sprinter, Zach Miller earned NCAA Division III All-American honors as part of the Huskies' 4x400 meter relay squad during the 2014-2015 indoor track & field season. One of the top in his field over his career, Miller earned 21 All-Little East Conference citations over his indoor and outdoor career with the Huskies, earning the top podium spot as indoor champion of the Little East Conference in the 60m dash (2015), 200 meters (2015), 4x400 relay (2015, 2016). Miller finished atop his field during the outdoor season in the 4x400 relay (2016, 2017). 
 
Miller also earned United States Track & Field, Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCA) All-Region honors during his indoor career in the 60m dash, and 4x400 relay. In his outdoor career, Miller earned USTFCCAA All-Region honors in the 4x100 relay and 4x400 relay. 
 
Owning two of the fastest 10 times in the 55-meter dash in Huskies' men's indoor track & field history, Miller ranks third in the 55m (6.48), third in the 60m (6.97) and fourth in 200m (22.21). In outdoor record books, Miller ranks second in the 100-meter dash (10.84), fifth in the 200m (22.13) and third in the 400m (48.96).
 
Caterina (Riitano) Murphy, Class of 2007, Field Hockey, Softball, Track & Field
 
A three-sport standout student-athlete, Caterina (Riitano) Murphy earned All-Little East Conference honors as a member of the Huskies' field hockey and track & field teams, and was a two-way player for the softball pitching and playing first base.  Murphy earned All-Little East Conference first team honors at defense for the Huskies in 2006, and went on to earn both National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) and ECAC Division III All-Star second team honors.  She finished her career with 31 defensive saves in 56 career games, including a career best 17 in 2006.
 
As a member of the indoor track & field team, Murphy earned both All-New England Alliance and All-Little East Conference honors in the weight throw, helping the Huskies to conference titles in 2005 and 2006.  Claiming the individual Little East Conference championship in the same event in 2007, Murphy also earned NCAA Division III All-New England honors.
 
A four-year member of the softball team, Murphy played in 149 career games, hitting a career .292 with 31 doubles, three triples, 11 home runs and 84 RBI.  In her final season, Murphy hit a career-best .321 (117-for-401) with 11 doubles, and three home runs.  She is presently tied for 17^th in career games played, 21^st in at-bats (401), 26^th in hits (117), 12^th in doubles (31), tied for fourth in home runs (11).
 
Nicole (Garland) Poulin, Class of 2013, Women's Basketball
 
The school-record holder for career three-point field goals made (224), career three-point field goal percentage (.432), and single-season three-point field goals made (88, 2012-2013), Nicole (Garland) Poulin was a four-year member of the Huskies' women's basketball team, and helped lead Southern Maine to the 2013 Little East Conference title. 
 
A two-time All-Little East Conference and Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association (MWBCA) guard, Poulin had a prolific senior season earning D3hoops.com All-Northeast Region, ECAC Division III New England, New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA), and MWBCA All-State honors in 2013 after averaging 13.0 points, 3.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game while shooting a remarkable 45.4 percent (88-for-194) from three-point range.
 
Helping Southern Maine to its 20^th Little East Conference title in 2013 with a 90-66 win over UMass Dartmouth, Poulin had 18 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals in the championship game and was named co-Most Outstanding Player of the 2013 tournament. In the Huskies' semifinal win over Rhode Island College (73-62), Poulin had 19 points, including five threes, surpassing her previous single-season record of 78 threes.
 
Poulin finished her career 25th in points scored (985), 1st in three-point field goals (224), 4th in three-point field goals attempted (518) and 1st in three-point field goal percentage (.432).  During her career, Southern Maine was a remarkable 88-27 winning conference titles in 2009 and 2013. 
 
 
 
 
 
Stephen Valastro, Class of 2009, Wrestling
 
One of the early standout wrestlers in the Huskies' wrestling program history, Stephen Valastro was just the second Southern Maine wrestler to qualify for the NCAA Division III National Championship tournament, earning his spot in 2007 with a NCAA New England title at 133 lbs.
 
A four-year member of the Huskies' squad, Valastro finished his outstanding career with a record of 87-24 including a dominant 40 wins by fall. Competing primarily at 125 and 133 pounds throughout his career, Valastro was a two-time All-Region wrestler. Earning national rankings during his final season (2008-2009), Valastro finished third at the NCAA Division III Regional and was chosen as an alternate for the NCAA Division III National Championship. He was twice named an Pilgrim League All-Star First Team selection.
 
In addition to his NCAA regional and national success, Valastro claimed tournament champion status four times over his career, including the 141-pound title at the Oneonta Invitational and was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler of the Tourney.
 
Dan Webb, Class of 2016, Men's Track & Field
 
A 2015 NCAA Division III All-American (indoor track), 2015 Little East Conference Indoor Track Athlete of the Year and 2015, 2016 Little East Conference Outdoor Track Athlete of the Year, Dan Webb was a four-year standout for both the men's indoor and outdoor track & field team from 2013-2016.
 
Earning 17 All-Little East Conference citations during his time as a Husky, Webb claimed individual championships five times, competing in the 4x800m relay, 400m and 600m. Owning some of the top times in program history in a variety of distances, Webb ranks second in 600m (1:21.18), third in 400, (48.91), third in 800m (1:51.79), and is a member of the school-record holding 4x 200 meter relay (1:30.01) and 4x400 meter relay (3:14.56)  teams in indoor track & field competition. In outdoor competition, Webb is second in the 400m (48.71), fourth in the 800m (1:52.24) and seventh in the 200m (22.21), and is a member of the Huskies' record holding 4x 400 meter relay team (3:12.94). 
 
A four-time NCAA qualifier, Webb earned Division III All-New England honors seven times as a competitor in the 800m, 600m, 400m, and 4 x 400 team.  During the 2015-2016 indoor season, Web was a USTFCCCA, and NEICAAA All-Region athlete in the 800m.
 
 
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