Four Former Basketball Standouts to be Inducted into New England Basketball Hall of Fame

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – Four former Bridgewater State basketball standouts will be inducted into the New England  Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday (June 22) evening at the DCU Center in Worcester. The dinner and ceremony will begin at 6:00 PM. BSU Hall of Famers Carolyn Parsley, Cathy Baker and JoAnn Runge as well as men’s basketball star Mark Dias will be inducted in the Division III category.

Parsley, Baker and Runge were teammates during an impressive era of women’s basketball at Bridgewater State as the Bears made four straight NCAA Tournament appearances from 1982 to 1986.  The ‘84-‘85 squad set the school record for wins in a season with 26 (26-2).  Parsley played from 1982 to 1986, Baker from 1982 to 1985, and Runge from 1983 to 1987.

Parsley is the second leading scorer in Bridgewater State women’s basketball history as she amassed 1,262 points in her four seasons including 453 (third all-time) during the ‘85-‘86 campaign.  The Bears’ all-time leader in career made field goals (453), Parsley was named to the MASCAC All-Conference Team in 1985 and 1986 and was selected to the ECAC All Star team in 1986.

Parsley, who was inducted into the Bridgewater State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991, also made her mark in track and field being a two-time NCAA Division III All-American (1983, 1986) in the heptathlon. She also played one year in the outfield for the Bridgewater State softball team that competed in the NCAA Regional Championships.

Baker ended her playing career with 1,152 career points (good for fifth all-time in program history) and was the team's first 1,000-point scorer.  A two-time ECAC All Star and All-MASCAC selection (1984, 1985), Baker was chosen as the ECAC Division III Player of the Year in 1985.  At the time of her induction into the Bridgewater State Hall of Fame in 1992, Baker held school records for career rebounding average (9.4 rpg), career field goal percentage (51.2%) and rebounds in a season (331). She currently still holds the Bears’ all-time mark for field goal percentage.

Runge was a dominant point guard for the Bears as she holds the single-game (15), single-season (204) and career (615) records for assists.  She also holds the career mark for steals with 326 and is 12th all-time in scoring with 1,023 points.  Runge was named the ECAC Rookie of the Year in 1984 and an ECAC First Team All Star from 1985 to 87. She was also a MASCAC All-Conference First Team selection from 1984 to 1987.

Runge, who also played on the Bears’ softball team as a senior in 1987, was inducted into the Bridgewater State Hall of Fame in 1995.

Dias was a four-year starter on the men’s basketball team at Bridgewater State from 1982 to 1986.  He was named an ECAC Division III New England All-Star in 1985 after averaging 21 points and six assists per game as a junior. Dias ranks 13th all-time in program history with 1,282 points and still holds the Bears’ record for career assists with 418.  During his rookie season of 1982-1983, the Bears went 21-6 and advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the first time in program history.

Saturday's event will include a series of afternoon panel discussions featuring basketball personalities such as former WNBA and Olympic star, Carolyn Jones-Young, former NBA stars, Togo Palazzi and Chris Dudley, Boston Globe acclaimed sports writer, Bob Ryan, and former high school and college basketball standout and motivation speaker, Chris Herren.

For further information, visit www.nebasketballhalloffame.com.