BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Bridgewater State standout athletes Conor Murtagh and Molly Rouillard, and heralded coaches Joe Farroba and Erika (Smith) Shinney are among the members of the 2026 Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Hall of Fame induction class which was announced today by the MASCAC office.
The MASCAC created the Hall of Fame in 2018 to provide the recognition of those individuals who have made a significant contribution to the conference and to help preserve the storied history of the MASCAC and its member institutions. This year marks the MASCAC Hall of Fame's ninth induction class.
There are seven categories for nomination: student-athlete from a male team, student-athlete from a female team, overall team, coach of a male team, coach of a female team, administrator and legends. The inductees are selected through a vote of the MASCAC Hall of Fame Committee.
Conor Murtaugh, Bridgewater State University - Student-Athletes from a Male Team
An outstanding soccer player and All-American hurdler, Conor Murtagh excelled on the men's soccer and men's track & field teams from 2012 to 2016.
In the sport of soccer, Conor tallied 32 goals and ten assists for 74 points in 60 career games as he ranks second all-time in program history in both goals and third in scoring. He helped lead the Bears to a pair of MASCAC Tournament titles and NCAA Division III Tournament appearances in 2013 and 2015. The men's soccer team also went 23-4-4 against MASCAC opponents over Murtagh's final three seasons and won the MASCAC regular season title in 2014. Conor garnered MASCAC Player of the Year honors and was selected to the All-MASCAC First team in both his junior and senior Year. He was also a two-time MASCAC Tournament MVP (2013, 2015), was named to the 2015 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-New England First Team, and was selected to play in the New England Intercollegiate Soccer League (NEISL) Division III Senior All-Star Game. In 2015, Conor set the program record for points in a season with 44 and tied the school single-season mark for goals with 18.
In the sport of track & field, Conor was a five-time national qualifier and five-time All-American hurdler. He captured All-American honors in the 60-meter hurdles at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships in 2015 and 2016, and the 110-meter hurdles at the DIII Outdoor Track & Field Championships in 2014, 2015 and 2016. Conor was also a four-time MASCAC and New England Alliance champion in the hurdles (two indoor, two outdoor), and earned MASCAC Track Athlete of the Week honors an impressive 23 times. He also garnered Division III All-New England honors on four separate occasions, and captured both the Division III New England and ECAC titles in the 110 hurdles during the 2016 outdoor campaign.
Conor graduated from Bridgewater State in 2017 as he double majored in finance and economics. He also earned a Masters in Finance in 2018 from University College Cork in Cork, Ireland.
A 2023 BSU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Conor presently resides in Holbrook, Massachusetts with his wife, Ashley Murtagh ’16 and their daughter Delaney. He currently works in banking.
Molly Rouilliard, Bridgewater State University - Student-Athlete from a Female Team
A three-sport athlete in cross country, indoor track & field and outdoor track & field, Molly Rouillard graduated from Bridgewater State in 2013 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education with a concentration in Exercise Science and Health Fitness. She posted an impressive 3.70 grade point average, was named to the Dean's List in each of her ten semesters at BSU and was a nine-time MASCAC All-Academic Team selection.
Molly was also chosen as both the Bridgewater State and Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2013 and was selected to the 2013 Capital One NCAA Division III Academic All-District One Women's Track and Field/Cross Country Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
In the sport of cross country, Molly won the MASCAC individual title and captured MASCAC Runner of the Year honors in each of her three seasons (2010, 2011, 2012). She also earned All-New England accolades and qualified for the NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships in 2012 where she finished 50th at the national meet.
In track & field, Molly earned All-American honors on two separate occasions. She placed seventh in the mile at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships in 2013, and finished seventh in the 1,500-meter run at the 2013 NCAA Division III Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Rouillard also qualified in the 5,000-meter run and the 10,000-meter run at the 2013 outdoor national championship meet, and placed 12th in the 10,000-meter run at the 2012 NCAA DIII outdoor championships. For her performance on the track in 2013, Molly was selected as the United State Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Division III New England Track Athlete of the Year. During the 2012-2013 track season, Rouillard set BSU indoor records in the 3,000 (10:19.00), mile (4:53.49) and 5,000 (17:22.23) as well as outdoor marks in the 1,500 (4:27.18), 5,000 (16:55.72) and 10,000 (35:49.99). The indoor mile mark and the outdoor 1,500 record were both eclipsed at their respective national championship meets. All told, Molly left Bridgewater as the school record holder in seven indoor (four individual, three relay) and five outdoor (three individual, two relay) events.
Since graduation, Molly has competed in a number of marathons and half-marathons including the California International Marathon in December 2019 where she qualified for the Olympic Trials (2:44.50). A 2021 BSU Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Molly currently works for Dartmouth Public Schools in an inclusion preschool classroom.
Joe Farroba, Bridgewater State University - Coach from a Male Team
The all-time winningest coach in Bridgewater State University men’s basketball history, Joe Farroba skippered the program for 30 years after being named the head coach in 1992. Farroba amassed an overall record of 402-365 (.524) since taking the reins of the program in '92 after serving as an assistant to Mark Champagne beginning in 1986. His win total of 402 significantly dwarfs the next highest program mark of 145 (Tom Knudson). Joe earned the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honor Award for his 300th and 400th wins.
Under Farroba’s tutelage, the BSU men’s basketball team reached postseason play 11 times including NCAA Division III Tournament qualifications in 1999, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2018 as well as four ECAC Tournament appearances. The 2009 squad advanced to the NCAA Tournament “Sweet Sixteen” with a dramatic 78-76 upset win over nationally ranked Middlebury College on Middlebury’s home court.
Farroba was selected by his colleagues as the MASCAC Coach of the Year on four separate occasions (1998, 2009, 2010, 2012). Under his guidance, the Bears were two-time regional recipients of the Schoenfeld Award, presented by the Collegiate Basketball Officials Association (CBOA), as well as the national award winner in 2008. The Schoenfeld Award is the highest honor that the CBOA bestows on any collegiate institution. Fellow BSU Hall of Famers Joe O’Connor (Class of ‘99), Mark Gonsalves (Class of ‘05), Bruce Higgins (Class of ‘05) and Michael Morris (Class of ‘23) all played under Farroba’s guidance.
Joe is a 1975 graduate of Boston State College where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education. He also has a Masters of Science degree in Continuing Education from McGill University as well as a Masters degree in Integrated Studies from Cambridge College. Joe was inducted into the BSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013, the McGill University Basketball Wall of Honour in 2014 and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.
Joe established the Joe Farroba Basketball Camp in Anguilla of the British West Indies. The youth camp has been run annually since 2012.
Joe and his wife, Linda, presently reside in North Attleboro , Massachusetts. They have two children, Justine and John, who are both Bridgewater State grads.
Erika (Smith) Shinney, Bridgewater State University - Coach from a Female Team
Erika Smith excelled on both the field hockey and women’s lacrosse fields for Bridgewater State for four seasons from 2000 to 2004. She also skippered the field hockey team from 2006 to 2013, and the lacrosse squad from 2006 to 2011 and again in 2013.
Smith, who captained the field hockey team for three seasons, was a Little East Conference First Team All-Star in 2003 and Second Team All-Star in 2001 and 2002. She was also a three-time All-MASCAC Field Hockey First Team selection and finished her career with 13 goals and 16 assists for 42 points in 66 games.
In the sport of women’s lacrosse, Erika was a four-time New England Women’s Lacrosse Alliance (NEWLA) All-Star, capturing first team honors in 2002 and 2004. In 2002, she was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year and was chosen as an ECAC Division III New England Second Team All-Star. Smith captained the team during her senior season of 2004 when she led all of Division III with 95 ground balls. In 63 career lacrosse games, she amassed 88 goals and 43 assists for 131 points.
In eight seasons as the Bears’ field hockey coach, Smith produced an overall record of 99-61 (.619) as she is the all-time winningest coach in program history. Erika was named the MASCAC Field Hockey Coach of the Year in 2007 when her squad set the program mark with 16 wins and captured the ECAC Division III New England Tournament championship.
In a seven-year stint as the BSU women’s lacrosse coach, Erika guided her teams to an overall record of 91-35 (.722), averaging 13 wins a season during that span. The Bears captured conference regular season and tournament titles in each of her last five seasons and made NCAA Division III Tournament appearances in 2010, 2011 and 2013. Erika was named the NEWLA Coach of the Year in 2011 after guiding her team to a program record 17 wins.
Erika earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education from Bridgewater State in 2004 and completed her Masters in Physical Education in 2008. In 2010, she earned a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Educational Leadership from BSU.
A 2011 Bridgewater State Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, Erika presently resides in Hingham, Massachusetts with husband, Matthew, and their two children, Ella and Colman. She is a physical education at Hingham High School and continues to coach at the club and high school level.
Joining Murtagh, Rouillard, Farroba and Smith on the 2026 MASCAC Hall of Fame induction class are Bernard Alexander of MCLA (Student-Athlete from a Male Team), Ann Clark Woodard of Worcester State University (Student-Athlete from a Female Team), the 1989-90 MCLA Men's Basketball Team, the 1989-90 Fitchburg State Men's Ice Hockey Team, Bernie Gilmetti of Massachusetts Maritime Academy (Administrator) and Robert “Bob” Devlin of Worcester State University (Legends).
