Cristen Barry Nichols, of Solvay, was one of four athletes inducted into Onondaga Community College’s Hall of Fame during the College’s annual Athletics Awards Banquet on June 6.
Nichols pitched for OCC’s softball team from 1985 to 1986, racking up a number of honors during her career. To this day, Nichols holds six of the college’s softball records — 57 complete games, 52 career wins, 324 strikeouts, 15 strikeouts in a single game, nine no-hitters, and one save.
She made the All-Region First Team in both of her years and earned the Region III Tournament Most Valuable Pitcher award as well. To top it all off, the NJCAA saved her a spot on the All-American second team in both of her years with OCC.
In addition to breaking records, Nichols led OCC to back-to-back championships in 1985 and 1986. She boasts a 52-5 overall pitching record along with a .348 batting average. Furthermore, she stands second all-time in school history with 26 career shutouts and third all-time with a 91 percent winning percentage.
Nichols continued with softball after OCC, receiving a full scholarship from the University of Iowa and playing in NCAA Division I from 1986 to 1988. In her two seasons with the team, Nichols posted a 15-9 record and 1.97 earned run average. The Big Ten Conference honored her with its Pitcher of the Week award in 1987.
Nichols is currently employed with Rosewood Heights Health Center in Syracuse, serving as the center’s senior therapeutic recreation specialist on Alzheimer’s/dementia for the past 14 years. She’s also an avid runner and recently completed the New York City and Steamtown (N.J.) marathons.