2020 was the strangest and most unusual year we've all experienced, but that doesn't mean there weren't a number of significant moments for Bentley University athletics. Here's a rundown of some of those events, in chronological order.

Men's Swimming & Diving Repeats as Northeast-10 Champions

Last February, the Bentley men's swimming and diving teams captured its second straight Northeast-10 championship with the Falcons outscoring runner-up Southern Connecticut State by more than 200 points, 815.5-584.5.

During the championship weekend, Bentley earned 24 medals, including nine golds. Leading the way was sophomore Mark Zoda, who repeated as champion in the 100 yard freestyle, the 200 free and three relays.

Hudson Selected NE10 Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year

In March, senior forward Chris Hudson was voted the Men's Basketball Defensive Player of the Year in the Northeast-10 as well as first-team All-NE10 following a standout year in which he averaged 19.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals a game.

It was only the fourth time in the last 20 years that an NE10 men's basketball player has been selected as the top defensive player while also receiving first-team accolades,

Stevens Elected to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

On April 4, it was announced that Bentley' Barbara Stevens, the fourth winningest women's basketball coach in NCAA history, had received the ultimate honor with election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. Enshrinement ceremonies were expected to be held in August 2020, but due to COVID-19, have been delayed until May 2021.

The 2020 Hall of Fame class, called by some as the "most epic ever",  also includes NBA legends Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan, former NBA player and coach Rudy Tomjanovich, longtime NCAA men's coach Eddie Sutton, Baylor women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey, former WNBA star Tamika Catchings and the late Patrick Baumann, a former Secretary General of FIBA.

Recognition of Bentley's Top Senior Athletes

In May, Bentley's top senior athletes from the Class of 2020 were recognized. Baseball's Max Troiani, now playing at the University of North Carolina, received the Edward J. Powers Scholar-Athlete award after excelling both on the diamond and in the classroom throughout his Falcon career.

Women's lacrosse All-America Eliza Brezler, who has returned this year for her final year of eligibility, was the choice as the Outstanding Female Senior Athlete. The Outstanding Male Senior-Athlete Award was shared by the afore-mention Hudson and football defensive back Pete Thorbahn.

Stevens Retires Following Amazing Career That Includes 1,000+ Wins

Following a remarkable 44-year coaching career that included 1,058 wins and the 2014 NCAA Division II national championship and culminated with the announcement of her selection into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in April, Barbara Stevens announced her retirement as Bentley's head women's basketball coach in late June.

Stevens spent the last 34 years at Bentley, with her tenure on the Falcon bench including a 901-200 record, 31 NCAA Division II tournament appearances and 14 regional championships. The fourth winningest coach in NCAA women's basketball history and one of only six with at least 1,000 wins, concluded her legendary career with a 1058-291 record. It was Jan. 17, 2018 when she became the first non-Division I women's basketball coach, and the fifth overall, to reach the 1,000-win milestone, with a 78-66 home court victory over Adelphi.

DeFelice & Scott Retire After Long Careers in Bentley Athletic Administration

Director of Athletics Bob DeFelice and Assistant Director of Athletics Cindy Scott, two individuals who played major roles in the success of Bentley athletics over a long period of time, both retired from their administrative roles during the third quarter.

DeFelice, who will continue as the only baseball coach in the program's history, directed the fortunes of Bentley athletes for nearly 30 years. His tenure included the construction of the Bentley Arena, the expansion of the Dana Center, renovations of the outside playing fields, 120 Northeast-10 championships and two NCAA Division II national championships.

Scott arrived at Bentley in 1998 and positively impacted each coach and student-athlete that she worked with. Among her many responsibilities during her two-plus decades with the Falcons were serving as the NCAA compliance coordinator, academic liaison, Senior Women's Administrator and Title IX Coordinator. She also served an advisor to Bentley's Student-Athletic Advisory Committee (SAAC) and coordinated recruiting efforts with the Office of Admissions.

Williams Named 3rd Director of Athletics in Bentley History

Vaughn Williams, after serving Boston College as senior associate director of athletics, was named the Director of Athletics at Bentley University in mid-August, becoming only the third person to hold that title. Williams came to Bentley with more than a quarter-century of extensive administration leadership experience, including six years as the director of athletics at Kennesaw State.

When announced, Williams said, "This is a tremendous opportunity in an unprecedented time to build on the university's commitment to providing student-athletes with an experience that leads them to life-long success. I'm looking forward to serving Bentley student-athletes and helping them to be a force in everything they do, on and off the playing fields."

Bentley Student-Athlete, Coaches and Staff Step Up During Fall Trimester

Other than a handful of hockey games, there was no athletic competition during a fall trimester unlike any of us had ever seen. Despite that, Bentley student-athletes, coaches and staff put in a tremendous amount of work to help keep the Bentley campus community safe. From following the health and safety protocols, to staffing the testing site, everyone stepped up and played a role.

From the onset of the pandemic, the teams and coaches were able to stay connected through countless zoom calls and virtual team activities to make it through the summer. The department worked together to create team "social distance, staying connected" videos, a thank you video to Bentley's front line workers and a return to campus guideline video, encouraging everyone to follow the new rules on campus.

Make It 4 in a Row! Bentley Student-Athletes Again Have Highest Graduation Rate in Division II

In November, it was announced that Bentley was ranked number one nationally in the NCAA Division II Academic Success Rate report, an honor it achieved for the fourth consecutive year. Bentley was the only institution to record an ASR of 99 for the third straight year. It also marked the seventh straight year that Bentley has achieved an ASR of 97 or better and the tenth straight it was been above 90

"Being ranked number one in Division II in academic success rate is a tremendous tribute to Bentley University, our student-athletes and their dedication to succeeding in the classroom," said Director of Athletics Vaughn Williams. "Accomplishing this feat for the fourth straight year is truly remarkable!"

In addition, Bentley's federal graduation rate was 92 percent, best nationally among Division II institutions and tied with Northwestern University and the University of Notre Dame for eighth among all institutions.

Hockey Hosts Holy Cross on Dec. 1 in 1st Athletic Competition in 264 Days

Our final top moment of 2020 came Dec. 1 when Bentley hockey took on Holy Cross at the Bentley Arena.

The Falcons became the first Bentley team to return to active competition since so much of the sports world shut down in March 2020.

While the outcome wasn't as desired (a 2-1 overtime loss), it was still great to see the Falcons going up and down the ice again.