ENC Inducts Two Into Carroll F. Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday
QUINCY, Mass.- Eastern Nazarene College inducted the Carroll F. Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2013 Saturday morning at the Lahue Physical Education Center. Donna (Fandel) Wilfong ’78 and Robert Hutchinson ’95 were inducted into the Carroll F. Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame during Homecoming weekend.
Donna (Fandel) Wilfong '78 - Women's Basketball & Women's Volleyball
Wilfong was a three-year member of the women’s basketball and volleyball teams at Eastern Nazarene after transferring from Northeastern University.
She averaged 23 points and 17 rebounds in her career with the Crusaders on the basketball court. Wilfong helped lead Eastern Nazarene to the Women’s Christian College Tournament title in her junior year. That year, the Crusaders headed into the postseason ranked fourth in the state of Massachusetts. Eastern Nazarene defeated the University of Lowell in the opening round 51-50 before losing the next game to finish third.
A highlight of Wilfong’s senior season was a 20-point, 17-rebound performance in a victory over Harvard. Eastern Nazarene went on to finish the season with only one loss en route to capturing the Massachusetts State Tournament championship.
Prior to her arrival at Eastern Nazarene, Wilfong had never played volleyball but learned the game quickly. She played for current Eastern Nazarene Athletic Director Dr. Nancy Detwiler. Detwiler credits Wilfong for being “a dominant force at the net and a consistent, accurate server.”
In a closely-contested match against Wellesley, Wilfong rattled off seven consecutive points to secure the win.
In 1977, she helped the Crusaders claim wins over such schools as Boston College, Holy Cross, Northeastern and the University of Rhode Island. Wilfong led Eastern Nazarene to capturing the MAIAW Volleyball Championship in 1977. The Crusaders finished the 1977 campaign with an 18-4 record after winning 15 straight matches.
Wilfong was selected as the 1977-78 Eastern Nazarene Woman Athlete of the Year.
Robert "Hutch" Hutchinson '95 - Men's Soccer
Robert “Hutch” Hutchinson claimed a starting role on the Eastern Nazarene men’s soccer team as a freshman in 1991. Hutchinson tallied 16 goals in his first season with the Crusaders.
The following fall, he paced Eastern Nazarene with 22 goals and five assists. That season the Crusaders finished with a winning-record for the first time since 1980. Eastern Nazarene posted its second-straight winning record the next season, finishing with an 11-6-2 mark. Hutchinson scored a team-best 20 goals and added five assists in 1993 as a junior.
As a senior, Hutchinson played a vital role in helping the Crusaders post the program’s best-ever record en route to claiming the team’s only Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship. Eastern Nazarene topped Roger Williams in double-overtime to claim the league crown.
Hutchinson notched a career-high 23 goals as a senior to match the program’s career goals record. His 81 career tallies tied Steve Shoff (Carroll F. Bradley Hall of Fame ’09) for the most goals in a career at ENC. Hutchinson had played high school soccer under Shoff prior to attending Eastern Nazarene.
Hutchinson earned a spot on the All-Commonwealth Coast Conference first team as a senior.
One of his former teammates said, “He was always smiling, full of life and fun. He quickly became one of our brothers and a great teammate. He’s probably the most talented player I ever played with. As a midfielder, it was fun to look up and see Hutchie with one defender, knowing if I got him the ball or even got it close to him, that we would have a good scoring chance.”
After graduating from Eastern Nazarene in 1995, Hutchinson attained his Master’s Degree in Education and is currently teaching physical education in Brookline, Mass. Along with his teaching responsibilities, Hutchinson also coaches volleyball, soccer and basketball in Brookline.