Former Northern Illinois head coach Dee Abrahamson and ex-Kent State standout Pauline Maurice are among the inductees elected to the Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2019.
Abrahamson spent more than thirty years as a part of the Northern Illinois athletic department, including fourteen years as the Huskies’ head coach. Abrahamson posted a 416-286-5 record during her tenure as head coach, and led the Huskies to the Women’s College World Series in 1988.
During her tenure as head coach, Abrahamson was selected as the conference’s Coach of the Year three times and set the school’s single-season wins mark, surpassing the 40-win plateau in the 1988 season. After her coaching career concluded, Abrahamson spent seventeen years in athletic administration at NIU and was the NCAA Softball Secretary-Rules editor from 1996-2015.
Maurice starred for Kent State from 1988-91, setting records that still remain as program bests nearly three decades after her graduation. She stands as the Golden Flashes’ all-time leader in hits with 219 and batting average, with a .396 mark. At her career’s end, she held four other career records, including stolen bases; runs scored; on-base percentage; and triples.
As a junior in 1990, Maurice helped lead the Golden Flashes to the Women’s College World Series, the last time a Mid-American Conference team reached the sport’s biggest stage. Maurice earned all-American honors, also in 1990, and was named the MAC Freshman of the Year in 1988. She was a two-time all-conference and all-region selection, earning the honors in 1990 and ’91.
Joining Abrahamson and Maurice in the Class of 2019 are Bruno Pauletto (Central Michigan, men’s track & field) and Greg Wojciechowski (Toledo, wrestling). The quartet will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in a ceremony on May 29th.
