STANDISH, Maine - The 18th Saint Joseph's College Athletics Hall of Fame Class was inducted with a ceremony at the Saint Joseph's Dining Hall on the evening of Saturday, September 11th. Abbie Rice '04 (Basketball), Hannah Gajewski '12 (Swimming), and Meaghan Johnson '12 (Field Hockey) are the latest individuals to be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame, which grows to 96 members with the addition of the 2021 class.
The evening began with an outdoor reception on the Alfond Center Patio and, after the inductees' plaques were unveiled, continued with a short walk to the Dining Hall, where the ceremony commenced after a sit-down dinner was served by the Pearson's Café staff.
Once the crowd arrived at the Dining Hall and before food was served, Interim Director of Athletics Bob Chaddock welcomed the crowd and Director of Alumni & Development Services Stephanie Feyler provided the Invocation. Master of Ceremonies Brett O'Kelly '16 set the agenda for the evening. Current student-athletes Hannah Kibbin '22, Cassandra Stapelfeld '22, and Emma Rutledge '22 served as student presenters and coaches Rick Hayes, Mike McDevitt '83, and Rupert Lewis introduced the 2021 Hall of Fame inductees.
A standout post player in four seasons at Saint Joseph's College, Abbie Rice '04 tallied 1,192 points, 498 rebounds and 146 blocked shots and averaged 11.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 103 career games. Rice was named to the 2001 Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association All-Rookie Team and claimed All-Conference accolades following her sophomore season.
Rice graduated as the Monks' career blocked shots leader and heads into the Hall of Fame ranked third in blocks and blocks average, seventh in free throws attempted (441), and eighth in free throws made (263). As a freshman she helped Saint Joseph's win a Maine Athletic Conference Championship and advance to the 2001 NAIA National Tournament for the eighth time in team history.
Perhaps the best goalkeeper in the history of the Monks' field hockey program, Meaghan Johnson '12 posted a 1.23 goals against average with an .829 save percentage after allowing 91 goals and posting 442 saves in 5,166 minutes across 74 career games in net.
Johnson became the first All-American in SJC field hockey history in 2011 after recording the second-best save percentage (.882) and ninth-lowest goals against average (0.95) in the country. That year, she claimed NFHCA Third Team All-America, NFHCA First Team All-New England, North Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and First Team All-Conference honors and also became the first St. Joe's player to play in the NFHCA Senior Game.
Johnson capped her career as the program's all-time leader in shutouts (17), victories (52), minutes, goalkeeper games, and goals against average and goes into the Hall of Fame nearly 10 years later ranked second in team history in save percentage, saves, wins, shutouts and games and fourth in goals against average.
Considered to be the best swimmer in Saint Joseph's history to this day, Hannah Gajewski '12 competed in 116 individual events during her career with 61 victories and 22 runner-up performances. The first swimmer to enter the SJC Athletics Hall of Fame, Gajewski owned 10 of the Monks' 18 individual records and took part in four of the SJC team-record setting relay quartets at the time of her graduation. She goes into the hall of fame holding seven program records despite graduating nearly 10 years ago.
Having won at least one event in each of her four years at the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship, Gajewski is the only Saint Joseph's swimmer to earn four All-Conference honors. Overall, she won seven individual events and set the GNAC Championship record in the 200-IM her senior year. A highly decorated student-athlete, Gajewski claimed 25 individual honors during her college career, which culminated with being chosen as the 2012 GNAC Woman of the Year. She was also named as the 2009 GNAC Rookie of the Year and claimed GNAC All-Academic accolades on three occasions.
