BOSTON – Jess Ferreira '09 became the third Suffolk University student-athlete to be inducted into the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Hall of Fame as the Rams' softball standout was a part of the 10-member Class of 2023 that was enshrined Thursday, August 10 at the Hilton Garden Inn Logan Airport in Boston.
The 2023 inductees include:
ALBERTUS MAGNUS: Stephen Zapata, Men's Soccer '13
EMERSON: Michael Huddleston, Men's Tennis '06
EMMANUEL: Chris Curtis, Men's Lacrosse '16
JOHNSON & WALES: Quarry Greenaway, Men's Basketball '16
LASELL: Bridget Lynch, Women's Soccer '15
NORWICH: Aliah Curry, Women's Basketball '15
RIVIER: Craig Kolek, Men's/Women's Volleyball head coach
SAINT JOSEPH (CONN.): Kaneen Gomez-Hixson '17
SAINT JOSEPH'S (MAINE): Emily Leverone, Softball '12
SUFFOLK: Jess Ferreira, Softball '09
Over the course of her athletic career at Suffolk, which spanned 2006-09, Ferreira hit .471 with 37 dingers, 45 doubles, 26 triples and a .902 slugging percentage. She commanded the circle with a 3.60 career ERA over 44 appearances with 34 complete games and 260 punchouts in 283.2 innings twirled. Her numbers translated into a hefty award haul that features a pair of All-America honors, three GNAC Player of the Year titles, four All-GNAC First-Team selections and the 2005 GNAC Rookie of the Year nod. As a junior in 2008, she led the nation in slugging at a 1.073 clip.
As impressive as she was on the diamond, Ferreira's athletic accomplishments complimented her work in the classroom as well. Enrolled in the demanding Criminology & Law program, the two-year President of Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) gained a spot on the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District team in 2007, an honor that recognizes a student-athlete for combined excellence in athletics and academics.
On top of her place in the GNAC Hall of Fame, Ferreira was the fifth softball player to be inducted into Suffolk's Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 2015 Class.
Ferreira is the third individual to wear blue-and-gold to receive the recognition following behind Michael Maguire, who picked up the feat in 2019, and Kathleen Norton, the first-ever Ram to be inducted as part of the inaugural GNAC Hall of Fame Class in 2010.
The trio of GNAC Hall of Famers have come from the diamond, with Maguire representing Suffolk's baseball team and Ferreira and Norton both lacing up their spikes for Suffolk softball.
2023 GNAC Hall of Fame
