Courtesy: Bryant Athletics
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University Department of Athletics is pleased to announce the addition of nine new members to the prestigious Athletics Hall of Fame in 2019.
The nine-member Class of 2019 includes Darryl Buchanan ’85 (baseball), Nick Campbell ’10 (baseball), Cristian Balestrieri ’11 (men’s tennis), Jordan Brown ’13 (football), Jordan Harris ’14 (football), Casey Ostrander ’13 (women’s swimming), Bob Brown ’86 (men’s basketball), Nicole Radzik ’08 (cross country / track & field) and Aubrey Mable ’14 (softball). Each will be officially inducted the Hall of Fame Dinner on November 1, 2019 at the George E. Bello Center.
Darryl Buchanan ’85 graduated as the program’s all-time career hits leader with 129, as well as games played (114), runs scored (93), at bats (410), stolen bases (55) and doubles with 31 as well as the record for most at-bats in a season with 138 in 1985. A shortstop defensively during his career from 1982 to 1985 where he recorded 207 career assists, the Bristol, CT native tallied 50 base hits as a senior in 1985. That same year, he had 10 doubles and 18 stolen bases while driving in 28 runs. He batted .362 as a senior, striking out just five times in 138 at-bats. He currently ranks fifth all-time in program history with 55 career stolen bases. Perhaps the most memorable moment came in Bryant’s 4-3 victory over Providence College in the Rhode Island Collegiate Baseball Tournament at McCoy Stadium where he drove in the game-winning run.
A member of Bryant’s baseball team during its transition from Division II to Division I, Nick Campbell ’10 enters the hall of fame as Bryant’s all-time career hits leader with an incredible 341. Campbell wore the Black and Gold during Bryant’s final two Division II seasons in 2007 and 2008 and during the school’s first two seasons at Division I. As a freshman he led the Bulldogs with 76 hits earning Northeast-10 All-Conference recognition. An outstanding defensive center fielder, Campbell was the recipient of the 2008 Rawlings Gold Glove Award with just one error all season. He was selected to the New England Collegiate All-Star game and would earn Second Team All-New England honors as well as First Team All-Northeast Conference during his senior season. In addition to his career hits record, he holds the Bryant record for career games played with 223 while also ranking third in school history with 179 runs scored, second with 57 doubles, and second with 177 career RBIs.
One of Bryant’s most accomplished cross country and track & field athletes, standout Nicole Radzik ’08 enters the hall of fame after representing Bryant both at the conference and national level during her career. As a senior, Radzik captured the 2007 Northeast-10 Conference Cross Country Championship and would not only represent Bryant at the NCAA Regional Championships, the native of Sutton, Mass., won the regional title and advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships. She becomes only the third female cross country / track & field athlete selected to the Bryant Athletics Hall of Fame.
One of the most electrifying and talented running backs in not only Bryant history, but in the Northeast Conference, Jordan Brown’13 enters the Bryant Hall of Fame the holder of eight Bryant football school records during his career. Included in those nine records are 4,238 career rushing years and 48 career touchdowns. He is the only running back in school history to rush for more than 4,000 yards and just the sixth in Northeast Conference history to reach the mark. Other records include records for all-purpose yards in a season (2,500) and career (6,788), points in a season (134), points in a career (290), touchdowns in a season (22) and rushing touchdowns in a career (41). The NEC Offensive Player of the year as a junior in 2011, Brown led the country in rushing yards (1,815) and rushing yards per game (165.0) and finished ninth in the Walter Payton Award voting.
Considered the greatest wide receiver in both school history and all-time in the Northeast Conference, Jordan Harris ’14 joins former teammate and 2019 Hall of Famer Jordan Brown as the fourth and fifth former football players to enter the Bryant Hall of Fame and the first pair from the Division I era. Harris concluded his incredible career as the not only the school’s all-time career leading receiver, but the all-time Northeast Conference leader with 3,735 yards from 2010 to 2013. A three-time All-NEC First Team selection and the 2012 NEC Offensive Player of the Year, Harris caught a program record 61 passes for a record 1,243 yards and record 15 touchdowns as a junior in 2012. He is the only player in school history to record more than 1,000 yards receiving in a season and led the team in receiving in each of his four seasons.
Cristian Balestrieri ’11 becomes the seventh former tennis standout to enter the Bryant Athletics Hall of Fame. During his career, Balestrieri won 54 matches and helped Bryant successfully transition from Division II to Division I. He posted a 17-8 record at No. 2 singles and was 5-1 against NEC opponents as a senior. He was a Second Team All-NEC selection as a junior at No. 3 doubles with an undefeated record of 9-0. He competed for one season at the Division II level during Bryant’s transition where he was named the Northeast-10 Freshman and Player of the Year in 2008. Not only a standout on the courts, but also in the classroom as well where he served as Vice President of the Beta Gama Business Honor Society, served on the student senate and received the Intercultural Center’s Jim Thorpe Award as a senior in 2011.
Starting in all but four games during her career, Aubrey Mable ’14 becomes only the third softball player to be named to the Bryant Hall of Fame. Named All-Conference all four years, including three first team honors, Mable concluded her career as the program’s all-time leader in games played (182), RBIs (125), runs scored (141), doubles (56), total bases (363), slugging percentage (.671) and home runs (28). She batted .344 at the plate with 54 hits, 42 runs scored, 13 doubles, nine home runs and 33 RBIs during her senior season in leading the Bulldogs to the NEC Tournament Championship and their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament at the Division I level.
Casey Ostrander ’13 becomes the first Bryant University swimmer in the history of the program to enter the Bryant Athletics Hall of Fame. She enjoyed an incredible career from 2009 to 2013, becoming the only swimmer in Northeast Conference history to win four-straight NEC Swimmer of the Meet (MVP) honors. Ostrander was also named the Rookie of the Meet in 2010 and would go on and earn All-NEC honors in 22 different events. Her name is etched on the wall as part of four school records, including individual records in the 50 free, 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke. She is also a member of the 400 yard freestyle relay team that holds the school record.
One of Bryant’s most dedicated alumni, Bob Brown ’86 becomes the 19th men’s basketball player in school history to enter the Athletics Hall of Fame. A member of the men’s basketball team 1983-1986, Brown would achieve tremendous success in the business world at Fidelity Investments where he served in several distinguished leadership roles including President of the Global Bond Division and Head of Institutional Fixed Income. His support of the Bryant Capital Campaign and Bryant Athletics helped the University reach new heights and helped lay the foundation for future success. A native of Framingham, MA, Brown transferred to Bryant from Fairfield University and played basketball for three seasons from 1983 to 1986 under coach Leon Drury. A team captain as a senior, he averaged six points per game and five rebounds per game as a junior and grabbed 143 rebounds during his senior season.
Members of the Bryant Athletics Hall of Fame are elected every two years into five different categories: student-athletes, coaches and administrators, teams, contributors, and legacy. The Class of 2019 brings Hall of Fame membership to 158 since its inception in 1987. For a complete list of members of the Bryant Athletics Hall of Fame, please follow this link: Bryant Hall of Fame.