Jessica McFadden made the most of her situation coming out of high school.

McFadden says she ended up at Barton thanks to “self-recruiting” and mutual friends she played with in high school and travel ball.

From there, McFadden became one of the best softball players in Barton College history. In addition, McFadden also ran three seasons of women’s cross country (2007-09).

McFadden was a four-time All-Conference Carolinas First-Team honoree (2008-11) and was named the league’s softball player of the year as a senior in 2011.

McFadden was also a three-time All-Southeast Region pick and earned NCAA Division II Second-Team All-American honors as a senior after batting .484 with 44 runs scored and 44 stolen bases that season.

McFadden considers her time at Barton a well-rounded experience. “My fondest memories of college were the opportunity to meet other people and build new and positive relationships as an adult. I would say my closest and most meaningful relationships gained are from my former teammates.”

“This is one of the biggest and most positive milestones in my life,” said McFadden, on finding out about her induction. “I appreciate myself for putting in the hard work and time to receive such an honor. Honestly, it still hasn’t hit me yet.”

McFadden, a native of Olongapo City, Philippines, graduated from Barton in 2011 with a Bachelor of Social Work degree. McFadden received her Master of Arts in Human Services Counseling at Liberty University and is working toward a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling.

McFadden currently resides in Wilmington, N.C., and works online as an ESL teacher.