One of the Largest Inductions in Husson Sports Hall of Fame History

December 2, 2022 was an historic evening for Husson University athletics, not only was it the first time in two years that the Husson Sports Hall of Fame hosted a banquet, but it was one of the largest induction classes in University history.

Nine former student-athletes, one coach and members of the 1973 men's soccer team not previously included in the Sports Hall of Fame, all became the newest inductees. The list included Nate Adams ’12, Lance Bernier ’13, Coach Keith Bosley, Kevin Hansley ’90, Annie McIntosh Hodgdon ’07, Laurie Melen ’08, DPT ’12, Roy Peary ’98, Lona Sargent ’13, Tim Smith ’15, Ernest “Ray Ray” Wiggins ’13 and the remaining members of the 1973 men’s soccer team. They included Mike Bell ’73, Steve Noyes ’77, Gil Neves, Rick Sylvain ’74, Nick Civitillo ’75, Jack Poyer ’75, Leslie Farr, Bill Finney, Gary Powers, Art Bartholomew ’74, Rudi Cabral, Jim Kinney ’77 and student manager Ed Oliver ’76. The team was coached by Milan Kesar.

For many of these inductees, Husson gave them an avenue to both showcase their talents and shape who they would become down the road. For Tim Smith, his decision to come to Husson wasn’t immediate. After attending the University of Maine for two years and suffering an injury, Smith decided that he wanted to expedite his college experience and Husson gave him that opportunity.

“It was a great opportunity. I always knew I wanted to go into business and as far as I could with my education,” Smith said. “It was difficult to leave the University of Maine, but it was not difficult to make the decision to attend Husson. It was the best professional career move for me.”

Smith’s intuition paid off. He excelled in both the classroom and on the diving board for the Eagles, winning two New England Diving Championships and graduating with a 3 9 GPA. Additionally, Smith applied his education into a successful real estate career in both Maine and now Florida.

Like Smith, Husson opened doors for softball alumna Lona Sargent. Her four years at Husson and on the softball team gave Sargent the avenue needed to hone her skills both professionally and athletically. One of the top outfielders in program history, following graduation, Sargent became a No. 1 best-selling author on Amazon and works as both a personal trainer and life coach in Florida and online.

“I started my own personal training business, in-person and online,” Sargent stated. “Then, I wrote a book and it became a No. 1 bestseller on Amazon. Teachers like Dr. Lee Speronis helped me believe that I could do anything that I wanted to do. It’s such a good program and a good school.”

It was this same confidence that brought Sargent back to Husson prior to COVID to speak to the entire Husson athletics department about her journey and inspire the next generation of studentathletes to reach for the stars.