https://gomonks.com/news/2025/6/17/baseball-2025-sjc-athletics-hall-of-fame-class-announced.aspx
STANDISH, Maine – The 22nd Saint Joseph’s College Athletics Hall of Fame Class has been announced. Jim Cilley ’03, Charlie Furbush (2005–06), Madylan Kluna ’12, Chad Pulkkinen ’07, and Felicia Wachowiak ’16 will be inducted during a ceremony at the Stone Barn on the SJC campus on Friday, October 17, 2025.
The 2025 Saint Joseph’s College Athletics Hall of Fame reception and ceremony will take place at the Stone Barn on campus, beginning with a social hour at 5:00 PM followed by the induction ceremony at 6:00 PM. To register for the Monks’ annual keystone event, CLICK HERE
Jim Cilley ’03, a Belmont, New Hampshire native and former senior captain of the Saint Joseph’s College golf program, earned All-Conference honors in 2000 and ranks among the program’s all-time leaders in scoring averages, top-10 finishes, and sub-80 rounds. A highly accomplished amateur golfer, Cilley was named New Hampshire Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022 and has won multiple major titles, including the NH State Amateur (2011), NH Mid-Amateur (2008), NH Stroke Play (2021), State 4-Ball (2010, 2023), and Mid-Amateur Team Championships (2019, 2022, 2024). He has represented New Hampshire in the USGA State Team Championship and has been a consistent member of the NH Tri-State Team since 2006, competing annually against Maine and Vermont’s top players.
Charlie Furbush (2005–06), of South Portland, Maine, was a dominant pitcher who led the Monks to back-to-back North Atlantic Conference (NAC) championships in 2005 and 2006, an ECAC Tournament berth in 2005, and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2006. He earned the win in the program’s first-ever NCAA victory, striking out 10 in a complete-game 9–7 triumph over Bowdoin. A two-time NAC Player of the Year and 2006 NAC Pitcher of the Year, Furbush also earned ABCA Second Team All-America honors, was named New England Pitcher of the Year, and twice made the NEIBA All-New England Team. He ranks first in program history in WHIP (0.95), opponent batting average (.196), and strikeouts per nine innings (12.21), third in ERA (2.38), and sixth in wins (17) and strikeouts (185)—all in just two seasons. His 2006 campaign remains one of the best in team history: a 10–1 record with four saves, 115 strikeouts in 74.2 innings, a 0.94 WHIP, and a .185 opponent batting average. After transferring to Division I powerhouse LSU, Furbush was selected in the fourth round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers and went on to pitch five seasons in the Major Leagues with Detroit and the Seattle Mariners.
Standish native and Bonny Eagle High School graduate Madylan Kluna ’12 played a key role in one of the most successful eras in Saint Joseph’s softball history, helping lead the Monks to the 2009 ECAC Tournament and back-to-back GNAC Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in 2011 and 2012. A three-time All-Conference honoree and the 2011 GNAC Tournament MVP, Kluna was a dominant force in the circle. She ranks second in program history in shutouts (14), third in strikeouts (358), fourth in innings pitched (395), sixth in wins (41) and WHIP (1.06), and first in career saves (7). She also posted a 2.02 ERA, a .231 opponent batting average, and issued just 75 walks. Her best season came in 2012, when she went 11–5 with a 1.87 ERA, eight shutouts, 109 strikeouts in 101 innings, and held opponents to a .212 average with a 0.99 WHIP.
Chad Pulkkinen ’07, a Windham, Maine native, was a key contributor to the Monks’ men’s basketball program, helping lead Saint Joseph’s to the 2007 NCAA Division III Northeast Region Independent Championship and a berth in the ECAC Tournament title game. A two-time NCAA DIII All-Independent selection and 2007 Second Team All-State honoree, Pulkkinen overcame two season-ending injuries during his career to finish with 1,123 points, 288 rebounds, 220 assists, and 109 steals. A consistent scoring threat, he shot 35.0% (192-548) from three-point range and 78.0% (191-245) from the free throw line. His senior season was his best, averaging 16.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 40.1% (163-406) from the field, 38.2% (83-217) from deep, and 85.7% (96-112) from the line. Upon graduation, he ranked second in career three-pointers made (192), third in single-season threes (83, 2006–07), tenth in three-point percentage (35.0%), second in single-season free throw percentage (85.7%), and sixth in career free throw percentage (75.9%). Pulkkinen has since built Windham High School into a perennial Class A contender, leading the Eagles to back-to-back state championships in 2024 and 2025 and earning multiple Coach of the Year honors.
Milton, New Hampshire native Felicia Wachowiak ’16 concluded her exceptional volleyball career as Saint Joseph’s all-time leader in kills (1,353), kills per set (3.07), total attacks (3,176), attack percentage (.277), block solos (294), block assists (174), total blocks (468), blocks per set (1.06), sets played (440), and matches played (125), while also breaking the GNAC career record for total blocks. A three-time First Team All-GNAC selection, the 2015 GNAC Offensive Player of the Year, and an ECAC Division III New England First Team honoree, she capped her senior season by setting SJC single-season records for kills (416), kills per set (3.61), and attack percentage (.337). That year, she led the GNAC in seven statistical categories and earned five GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors, four Defensive Player of the Week nods, and two ECAC weekly awards. Wachowiak also played a pivotal role in the Monks’ first-ever GNAC Tournament victory, registering 15 kills, 15 digs, and six blocks in a five-set comeback win over Simmons to earn GNAC All-Tournament Team honors.
With the addition of the 2025 honorees, the list of accomplished athletes, teams, coaches, administrators, and philanthropists inducted into the SJC Athletics Hall of Fame grows to 116.
The Windham Eagle: WHS basketball coach Pulkkinen to be enshrined in SJC Athletics Hall of Fame
By Matt Pascarella
Over the last few years, Windham High varsity boys’ basketball coach Chad Pulkkinen and his team have made quite a bit of news. Pulkkinen’s team won back-to-back State Championships in 2024 and 2025, and he achieved his 100th career win. If that wasn’t enough, Pulkkinen was notified on June 10 by his former Saint Joseph’s College basketball coach Rob Sanicola that he will be inducted into the 2025 Saint Joseph’s College Athletics Hall of Fame at the Stone Barn at Saint Joseph’s College on Oct. 17.
“To be able to deliver the news to someone who gave so much to the program and the college, was truly special,” said Sanicola. “He poured his heart into Saint Joseph’s College; to be the one to tell him he was getting this well-deserved recognition was an honor. He embodied what it meant to represent Saint Joseph’s College, and it wasn’t about just how he played, but how he carried himself every day. What made Chad special was the impact he had on the people around him. From day one, Chad cared deeply about leaving the program better than he found it, and he absolutely did that; he made it better for everyone who came after him.”
After suffering possible season-ending injuries twice while playing for the Monks, Pulkkinen battled back and was a three-season captain. He set records and achieved major accomplishments including becoming a member of the 1,000-point club, he helped lead the Monks to the 2007 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III Northeast Region Independent Championship and a slot in the Eastern College Athletic Conference playoffs, as well as a 2007 All-State honoree.
“I grew up about three miles away from Saint Joseph’s College, so I lived in the gym there; watching, playing and dreaming about one day playing there,” said Pulkkinen. “My parents Bruce and Denise would take me, my brother and sister to the Chamber of Horrors to watch games in a packed gym. I was hooked. I idolized John Wassenbergh, Carl Howell, Steve Schuler, Rob Sanicola, Erbie Mitchell, and all the great teams that I was fortunate to follow. As a kid I wanted to be a Monk, to wear the jersey of the players I looked up to back then. To be inducted into the Hall of Fame just validates the work and the unseen hours, the long days and the tough times where I was able to persevere. To me the honor is shared with my family, teammates, and coaches who helped put me in the best position for success.”
To truly understand Pulkkinen’s success at Saint Joseph’s College, you only need to look at his determination. He tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament during a Christmas break tournament in his freshman year. He tore the same ACL again less than a year later; and was devastated as the rehabilitation process was physically and mentally challenging. It would be extremely difficult to return to the player he once was. A lot of people questioned whether he would be able to continue to play.
Pulkkinen took that skepticism and used it to motivate himself; he told himself he would return better than he was when he was healthy. He was granted a fifth year and a medical redshirt because of the lack of games he played in after his second injury. He returned a year later and had his strongest season in his graduate year.
“Through my injuries I really started to understand the game from a coach’s perspective as I was able to participate more with the coaches on that side of things since I was not able to play,” said Pulkkinen. I learned a ton in my freshman year about the game through (coach) Rick Simonds. My sophomore season I found myself studying film and scouting opponents, something that I became really interested in and felt I brought value to the team and eventually helped me as a player when I returned. I became a more intelligent player and more aware on the court. Off the court my friendships with my teammates and the small knit community of Saint Joseph’s College was memorable and something that has carried over to today, with connections and mentors to reach out to. I was also able to meet my wife Ramsey at school which made my decision to go there even more special.”
During his high school career playing for Windham, he thought playing professionally overseas would be a realistic goal because someone he knew, John Wassenberg, was playing over there. It motivated Pulkkinen to try to get to that point. He became friends with Wassenberg who would send him gear from overseas. Once healthy, Pulkkinen’s dream seemed attainable again.
“Overcoming two serious knee injuries during one’s college career is almost unheard of and coming back from one is impressive,” said Saint Joseph’s College Hall of Fame Committee Chairman Corey McCarthy. “Having it happen again and battling through the rehab again is incredibly difficult and certainly speaks to Chad’s character. His time at Saint Joseph’s College coincided with a time frame during which Saint Joseph’s College competed as an NCAA DIII Independent meaning conference championships and/or accolades were not available for him to attain. His play helped the Monks go about as far as they could, NCAA Independent Tournament and ECAC Tournament championship game appearances, achievements that absolutely played a major role in the program’s success as a new member of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference the following year.”
In 2007, having obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in business, Pulkkinen played in the European Basketball League for the Northampton Neptunes, where he, along with his team helped mentor and coach 400 kids within the community, teaching them the fundamentals of the game.
Since leaving Saint Joseph’s College, Pulkkinen has continued to give back to the school. His family company, Windham Millworks, has been involved in several campus projects, including the redesign of the Hall of Fame Room and the finishing work for Baggot Street, their student union.
“I think there is no better role model,” said Windham assistant coach George McCrillis, who’s coached alongside him for 11 years. “He took the lessons he learned at Saint Joe’s and converted them into running a super successful business. There’s his commitment to his community; he would not be coaching someplace else. He has a basketball intellect where he could easily coach at the collegiate level, but this is his community, he’s tied to Windham, he loves Windham. He wants the best for Windham.”
Pulkkinen says he would like to thank his mom, Denise, his agent, trainer and coach. She took him to every gym possible as a kid and fostered his love of the game. He would also like to thank his dad, Bruce, as well as his wife, Ramsey, who has shown him all the love and support in the world. He also thanks his family, teammates, his friend John Wassenbergh, Coaches Kevin Millington, Simonds and Sanicola and past Monks players who inspired an 8-year-old kid to dream big and chase it with everything he had. <
