Northern Essex announces three individuals, one team for Hall of Fame Class of 2026

Haverhill, MA (January 12, 2026) – The Knights Athletic Department is proud to announce the inductees for the sixth class of the Northern Essex Athletic Hall of Fame. This year's induction ceremony is scheduled Thursday March 5^th in the Hartleb Technology Center and will feature Nathan Proulx '03 (Men's Basketball), Shana Blaney '09 (Track & Field), Olivia Mullins '19 (Track & Field/Cross Country) and the 2016 national runner-up baseball team.

Tickets for the March 5^th Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony are on sale now and can be purchased through the NECCKnights.com website for $35 and will be available through February 27^th.

Meet the NECC Hall of Fame Class of 2026:

Nathan Proulx, a 2003 graduate from Lowell, MA starred as a two-time all-region selection and 1,000-point scorer under head coach Darren Stratton. His on the court consistency, leadership and all-around skill made him a force on the basketball court, while also have a presence throughout the campus with his involvement. During both season he was among the nations leaders in both free throw and shooting percentage.

After his two years on the court in the Knights uniform, Proulx transferred to UMass-Boston where he continued his playing career for the Beacons where he completed both his Bachelors and Master's Degrees in education. He currently teaches both physical and special education and serves as a mentor in the Boston Public Schools.

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Shana Blaney, a 2009 graduate from Salisbury, MA earned her accolades competing on the Knights track team under coach Dawn Caputo while also being a member of the both the volleyball and basketball teams during her time at NECC. She currently still holds both the school record in the shot put and discus.

She earned both NJCAA and USTFCAA All-American honors in both throwing events at the national competition in 2006 and 2009. In 2006 she placed 5^th in the discuss and 8^th in the shot put and improved upon both in 2009, place 4^th in the discuss and 3^rd in the shot put.

Following her graduation from NECC she went onto the Marywood University where she would compete as a member of the swimming and diving team and earn her bachelor degree in Health and Physical Education. She currently manages her family business, David's Fish Market in Salisbury.

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Olivia Mullins, a 2019 graduate from Plaistow, NH competed in a pair of NJCAA national competitions in both cross country under coach Suzanne Dunn and track and field coach Nelson Desilvestre where she set a pair school records that in both the 1,500- and 3,000-meter events.

She earned USTFCAA All-American honors in track and field at the 2019 national meet by placing 6^th in the 1,500 and 5^th in the 5,000 events. She also competed in the cross-country national meet in both 2017 and 2018 placing among the top 50 competitors.

After her graduation from NECC, she went onto Fitchburg State University where she was a top distance runner for the Falcons in cross country and both indoor and outdoor track and field before earning her bachelors degree in educational studies.

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The 2016 baseball was the sixth baseball team all-time to qualify for the NJCAA World Series and only team to date that advanced to the national championship game before falling to Tyler (TX) Junior College 4-3.

Before falling to Tyler, NECC went on a magical World Series run under coach Jeff Mejia with wins against Montgomery County, Niagara County and Rowan Gloucester and concluded the season with an overall record of 24-16 with a team batting average of 3.28

The team featured three All-Americans and 11 players who went on to play at the four-year level including four that earned scholarship to play at the Division I level. Including among the transfers to play at the Division I level were national player of the year Colby Maiola and Gold Glove catcher Keith Linane.

Team members included; Brahiam Ortega, Jordan Roper, Traverse Briana, Keith Linnane, Dave Brindamour, John Sirois, Evan Glew, Christian Balbuena, Colby Maiola, James Foley, Nicholas Bruno, Robert Barry, Mark Sicard, Argeny Villa, Matthew Marquez, John Sanchez, Gianni Esposito, Ellido Reyes, Xavier Nunez and Anthony Dally.

For questions about the NECC Athletic Hall of Fame please contact Director of Athletics, Dan Blair dblair@necc.mass.edu.