University of New England Varsity Club Athletics Hall of Fame
Photos
Jeff Scher Photo Gallery
Video Replay

BIDDEFORD, Maine -- The University of New England Varsity Club Athletics Hall of Fame held its 15th induction ceremony on Friday evening (Sep. 20) at the Harold Alfond Forum, welcoming in four former student-athletes and one former coach into the distinguished group.

The Class of 2019 includes field hockey player Michaela Franey UNE '11, basketball player Bill Lyons SFC '74, field hockey and lacrosse player Hannah Tavella UNE '14, lacrosse player Tyler Thomas UNE '13, and SFC men's ice hockey coach Bob Riley SFC '78.

Franey (York, Maine) transferred back to her home state after one year of immediate impact at a Division I institution in New Jersey, and graduated from UNE in 2011. In 54 games for the Nor'easters' field hockey team, she totaled 36 goals and 21 assists (93 points), and twice received first team Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) status. Franey also garnered all-region honors during her senior season, when she led the squad with 22 goals and 10 assists for 54 total points. That production (goals and points) marks the second-best season in program history, and contributed to Franey's current standing in UNE's all-time per-game ranks (points-second, goals-third, assists-second). She maintains sole possession of the single-game records for goals (6) and points (15) set during 2010 -- both figures are among the top-10 performances in NCAA Division III history (points-third, goals-sixth). Franey helped the Nor'easters to the program's first winning league record in 2008 (5-3 CCC) and a share of the regular-season title in 2009 (7-1 CCC), before the squad claimed an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) New England Championship in 2009 and then the first CCC crown with an NCAA postseason appearance in 2010.

Lyons (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) graduated from St. Francis College in 1974 and played three seasons of basketball for the Red Knights. He finished with 1,178 points, split around four years when he did not play or was not even in school. Lyons led the squad with 18.6 points per game as a sophomore in 1968-69, and averaged upwards of 20 points when he returned for his senior campaign in 1973-74. In both years, he received all-conference, all-state, and all-region accolades. Lyons was the second to eclipse the 1,000-point plateau and his career total stands as the fourth-best in SFC history.

Tavella (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) starred in both field hockey and lacrosse during her time at UNE, which concluded with graduation in 2014. With the field hockey program, she logged 86 games and finished with 34 goals, while her 30 assists include 13 from 2013 that remains as a school single-season record. Tavella was a three-time first team all-conference pick and collected three major awards from the CCC in her time -- 2010 Rookie of the Year, 2011 Defensive Player of the Year, and 2013 Senior Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She was also twice named as a first team all-region selection (and one second team). Tavella paired with Franey to help UNE to its first conference title in field hockey, and the 2013 team took home the second ECAC championship after securing the program's first unbeaten ledger (12-0) in CCC games. In lacrosse, Tavella played 67 contests to end with program-records of 231 goals and 280 points. She was an all-conference honoree in each of her four seasons, with three times on the first team (and one all-region selection). Tavella still holds the top three single-season goals per game marks in program history (3.9, 3.8, and 3.6). The Nor'easters matched their high of 12 victories during her sophomore year.

Thomas (Mount Pleasant, N.Y.) ended his four-year career with the UNE lacrosse program in 2013 as the career-leader in every scoring category except goals per game (second). Over 73 games, he amassed 232 points on 137 goals and 95 assists. His initial season of 40 goals and 25 assists was good for the 2010 CCC Rookie of the Year honor, as well as honorable mention all-conference recognition. Thomas was honorable mention again in 2011, and landed a first team nod as a senior. The Nor'easters matched the program record of six wins at the start of his time in Biddeford, and proceeded to post eight, 10, and 14 during the next three campaigns. UNE went 6-2 in league action in 2013 and reached the semifinal round for the first time, prior to capturing the ECAC New England Championship.

Riley (Waltham, Mass.) graduated from St. Francis College in 1978 and led the SFC men's ice hockey program for five seasons (1974-79) [part of the three seasons worth of teams inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005]. He led the Red Knights to a record of 68-30 and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) District 5 championships in 1976-77, 1977-78, and 1978-79. Each of those squads reached the final eight in the NAIA national tournament.