DANBURY, Conn. – Western Connecticut State University women's soccer alum and WestConn Athletics Hall of Famer Jenna Cappallieri has been announced as a member of the Little East Conference (LEC) Hall of Fame Class of 2024. This year's class consists of 10 former student-athletes and the 1988-89 University of Southern Maine men's basketball team. Induction ceremonies will take place on each inductee's respective campus during the upcoming academic year. The ceremony to celebrate Cappallieri's induction and her outstanding career will take place at WestConn at a date and time to be determined soon.
First established in 2012, the LEC Hall of Fame now includes 125 individuals (64 men, 61 women) and five teams. The LEC's 10th Hall of Fame class includes:
1988-89 Southern Maine Men's Basketball Team
Joe Serfass, Eastern Connecticut (Baseball)
Rich Vega, Eastern Connecticut (Men's Basketball)
Judy Izzo, Keene State (Women's Basketball)
Krista (Ledin) Gambill, UMass Boston (Women's Soccer)
Dan Holbrook, UMass Dartmouth (Men's Basketball)
Tony Martinez, Plymouth State (Men's Basketball)
Ed Cummins, Rhode Island College (Men's Track & Field)
Sam Dexter, Southern Maine (Baseball)
Peyton Dostie Collins, Southern Maine (Field Hockey, Women's Track & Field)
Jenna Cappellieri, Western Connecticut (Women's Soccer)
Cappellieri, a 2009 graduate of WestConn with a bachelor's degree in psychology, backstopped the Western Connecticut State University women's soccer team to a pair of LEC regular season and tournament championships and three NCAA Division III Championship Tournament berths during her three seasons in Danbury, which included one run to the NCAA Division III Final Four.
Cappellieri assumed the starting role after starting in six of her eight games as a sophomore, her first at WestConn, which saw her post a record of 4-1-1 with 18 saves to just four goals against in 2005. She would start in all but one of her 48 games played the following two seasons, posting a record of 41-5-2 with 16 shutouts, a 0.67 goals against average and a .863 save percentage, totaling 177 saves to 28 goals against average.
Cappellieri was named the 2006 LEC Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-LEC selection while posting a record of 20-2-1 with a 0.73 goals against average and a .854 save percentage, leading WestConn to the LEC regular season and tournament championships and a berth in the Second Round of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.
Cappellieri repeated as the LEC Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2007 on her way to being named a Third Team All-America selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (now United Soccer Coaches). She went 21-3-1 with 11 shutouts, a 0.63 goals against average and .871 save percentage while leading WestConn to another set of LEC regular season and tournament titles, and an appearance in the national semifinals.
Western Connecticut won the 2007 NCAA Regional title on its home field following wins over Rowan University (2-0) and Endicott College (3-1) before mailing the 2007 NCAA Sectional championship at Williams College by defeating Worcester State University (2-1) and Hamilton College (1-0). WestConn fell to Wheaton (Ill.) College the program's first, and to-date only College Cup appearance.
Cappellieri, who also garnered NSCAA All-Region honors her junior and senior seasons, is the only goalkeeper in program history to record 20 wins in a season, a feat she accomplished twice. Her 101 saves, 11 shutouts and 0.63 goals against average from 2007 still rank among the program's best single-season marks to this day. She still owns the best career winning percentage in program history and was inducted into the WestConn Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.
