Image

Former baseball second baseman Muchie Dagliere, diving coach Mandy Hixon, women’s soccer midfielder Rebecca Myers and softball pitcher Sara Plourde make up the George "Trigger" Burke UMass Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023. The hall of fame showcases UMass Amherst's rich athletic history and proudly honors former student-athletes, coaches and administrators who have made a significant impact on the program through their commitment to excellence.

The four will be honored at an enshrinement ceremony on Friday, Sept. 29 at 6 p.m. at the Campus Center Auditorium. Massachusetts Athletics will also bestow three special recognition awards: the Martin Jacobson ’68 Distinguished Alumni Award, the John Francis Kennedy ’76G Maroon Leadership Award and the Elaine Sortino Alumna Award for Achievement. UMass alums Jim and Ellen Hunt (both class of ’77) will receive the 2023 Jacobson Award, Susan Pearson will receive the Kennedy Award and Gloria Nevarez ’93 will receive the Sortino Award.

Muchie Dagliere, Baseball, Second Base, 1995-98

One of the most decorated baseball players in program history, Muchie Dagliere guided the Minutemen to four A-10 Division Championships and two A-10 Tournament Championships.

A four-year starting second baseman, Dagliere is the only player in program history to earn three All-America honors. He also holds program records for longest hitting streak (31 games), hits (257), RBI (176), runs (184) and batting average (.381).

As a freshman in 1995, he batted .343 while totaling 62 hits and eight home runs to go along with 50 runs. Then as a sophomore in 1996, he had a .415 batting average, 81 hits, 60 runs, 53 RBI and 13 doubles. The 81 hits set the UMass record for hits in a season en route to earning First-Team All-Atlantic 10 honors, First-Team All-New England honors and Second-Team All-Northeast Region honors. As a junior in 1997, he posted a .318 batting average, 47 hits, 36 runs and 36 RBIs and was a Second Team All-Atlantic 10 selection and a Third Team NCBWA All-America honoree.

Then as a senior in 1998, he posted the seventh-best batting average in the country at .444, added 67 hits, scored 39 runs and totaled 49 RBI. He closed out his career by being a First Team Atlantic-10 and All-New England selection and earned First-Team All-Northeast Region honors. He also was a Third-Team ABCA All-American honoree and a Second-Team NCBWA All-American. The .444 batting average remains the top single-season mark in program history.

Mandy Hixon, Diving Coach, 2002-17 & 2019

Mandy Hixon transformed Massachusetts diving during her 17-year career leading the program. She was named Atlantic 10 Diving Coach of the Year a combined 16 times including 2009, 2010-11 and 2014-16 on the men’s side and 2006, 2008-15 and 2017 for the women.

Hixon coached 11 UMass women’s divers to Atlantic 10 Most Outstanding Diver honors while guiding the men’s divers to six Most Outstanding awards at the league’s annual championship meets.

In 2009, she helped Jason Cook become the first diver in UMass history to qualify for the NCAA meet. Then in 2013 and 2014 Michaela Butler became a three-time All-American at the NCAA Championships meet as she finished fourth on the one-meter board in 2013 and in 2014 she took fifth on both the one-meter and three-meter.

Prior to Massachusetts, Hixon coached at Amherst and Williams. As a diver at Ohio State, Hixon was an All-American selection, a two-time Carrie Irish Finneran Award Recipient (school's MVP) and a four-year scholar athlete. She was a member of the United States International diving team between 1980-1984 and placed sixth at the 1984 Olympic Diving Trials.

Rebecca Myers, Women’s Soccer, Midfield, 1993-96

Rebecca Myers helped guide Massachusetts to a NCAA Final Four appearance (1993), three NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearances (1994-96) and three conference championships (1993-95) during her time leading the Minutewomen midfield.

A four-year letter winner, Myers ranks third in the UMass record books for career points (101), second in career goals (38) and sixth in career assists (25). She also ranks tied for fourth all-time with 12 game-winning goals.

Myers was a three time All-American, four-time All-Region honoree, was named to the 1993 NCAA All- Tournament Team and earned A-10 Tournament MVP honors in 1994. A three-time All-New England selection, Myers earned Conference Rookie of the Year honors and was a four-time First Team All- Conference selection.

After UMass, she played semiprofessional for the Chicago Cobras and won a National Championship in 2001. She later served as an assistant coach at UMass from 2001-2004 and earned a master's degree in educational administration.

Sara Plourde, Softball, Pitcher, 2009-12

A dominant pitcher for the Minutewomen, Sara Plourde led Massachusetts to three NCAA Regional appearances and three Atlantic 10 Championships in her career while compiling a 109-35 career record in the circle with a 1.47 ERA in 965.2 innings pitched.

Plourde was a two-time NFCA All-American (2010, 2011) and two-time Easton All-American (2011, 2012) while also being a three-time NFCA All-Region selection. A three-time Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Year, she was also the 2012 A-10 Player of the Year and totaled three All-Conference honors.

Plourde threw 16 solo no-hitters and a pair of perfect games and holds UMass strikeout record with 1,662. She ranks second all-time in career wins (109), holds the top UMass mark in strikeouts per seven innings (12.05) and is the single-season record holder for wins with 40 in 2010. She also boasts the top three single-season strikeout marks at UMass, including the record with 556 in the 2010 season.

Plourde’s 12.05 strikeouts per seven innings for her career ranks third among NCAA career leaders, while her 1,662 strikeouts rank eighth. She went on to play for the Canadian National Team from 2013-19.

Registration information for the enshrinement ceremony is available at www.umassalumni.com/hof2023. Questions regarding the event can be addressed to Director of Special Events & Constituent Relations Jason Germain at jag@umass.edu.