The 38th annual Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place on Saturday, Nov. 12. Eight individuals and two teams will be honored, bringing the total number of inductees to 253. Every day leading up to the induction, a different member of the Class of 2016 will be profiled on GoJaspers.com.
Jillian Medea '06 (Softball)
Sponsored by Richard Lawrence '68
If you were to glance at the Manhattan College softball record book, you'll see Jillian Medea's name all across the pitching categories. One of the most prolific hurlers ever to don a Jaspers uniform, she's still the program's all-time leader in strikeouts, shutouts, appearances and complete games.
The true definition of a staff “ace,” Medea left her mark from the moment she arrived on campus, leading the team in ERA, innings pitched and strikeouts as a freshman. The next season, she pitched in 32 of the Jaspers' 49 contests—starting 30 of them—and tossed 27 complete games. Medea recorded 187 strikeouts to shatter the school record, while also posting a team-best 1.87 ERA in 209 innings pitched. She also tallied 11 wins and had a streak of 24 consecutive scoreless innings from April 17-22.
On the strength of Medea's arm, Manhattan went 9-7 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play that season and qualified for the MAAC Tournament. It was the team's first winning record in conference play since 1995, and Medea started and completed all but one of those contests to earn Second Team All-MAAC honors.
She continued to be a workhorse in 2005, as the Jaspers again qualified for the MAAC Tournament with a 9-7 conference record. Medea appeared in 37 of Manhattan's 49 games, starting 29 and completing 23. She went 16-13 as a junior while also notching 174 strikeouts and eight shutouts to go along with a 2.24 ERA. Medea pitched the Jaspers to doubleheader sweeps over Fairfield, Rider and Saint Peter's and had two 10-strikeout games to become Manhattan's all-time leader in that category.
As a senior, she again anchored the Manhattan pitching staff, leading the Jaspers to a 26-24 record, their most victories since 1994 and their first winning season since 1995. Medea was credited with 16 of those wins, bringing her career total to 43. She struck out 111 opposing hitters in 2006, giving her 514 for her career. In addition, her 13 career shutouts are a MAAC record.
Medea also put the “student” in student-athlete. She was named to the Dean's List every semester and earned three MAAC All-Academic Team selections. A cum laude graduate of the School of Business, Medea was Next in Merit for the Professor William P. Cain Medal for Computer Information Systems.
A dominant performer on the softball field whose work was just as stellar in the classroom, Jillian Medea, Class of 1996, is the model Manhattan College student-athlete. It's only fitting that she takes her rightful place in the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame.
