NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--The Smith College Department of Athletics and Recreation inducted its first ever class into the Smith College Pioneers Hall of Fame on Saturday evening at a ceremony held at the Alumnae House.  12 individuals and one team, representing some of the greatest achievements in women's physical education, sport, and athletics made up the inaugural class. 

President Carol T. Christ, making the opening remarks, quoted inductee Senda Berenson who said "the great evil… is that we lose sight of all things except the desire to win – to win by fair means or foul – to beat the other side.”  Christ added that in response to that, "women's athletics grew as a way to foster teamwork, self sacrifice, the awareness in each woman of a world broader than her own, and an ideal that guides us at Smith even today - that women helping each other gain greatness is a victory we all share."

Lynn Oberbillig, Smith's Director of Athletics and Recreation and Chair of the Hall of Fame Committee, expanded on the process used to select the inductees.  "We had two goals in mind as we selected candidates this year…spread the inductions over the history of Smith sports keeping in mind that we had several categories to consider:  contributors, coaches/administrators, pre-1971 alumnae, post-1971, or the intercollegiate era, and then teams.  We were hoping for inductees by the nature of their accomplishments to highlight those who careers not only impacted Smith while they were here but those inductees who by virtue of their achievements received national, international, or regional acclaim." 

The comittee, made up of the Director of Athletics, the Assistant Director of Athletics, the Sports Information Director, two coaches, two faculty members, two alumnae, and a member of the College Relations and Alumnae Association Staff, met several times to winnow down the nominations to the inaugural class. 

"We received 76 nominations, employed student researchers to find information on each nominee, and then began the selection process last February," said Oberbillig.  "These are women who represent all the selection categories…women who have achieved international fame, national acclaim, and regional prominence.  By doing so, they have honored themselves, their families, and their College.  Smith College couldn't be prouder!"

Sara Haines '00, who played volleyball at Smith and is a web correspondent for the Today Show on NBC, served as Mistress of Ceremonies and recalled her search for a college that met her academic and athletic ideals. " My parents repeated numerous times that a good school will far out live my athletic career, which was clear to me even then, but I didn't want to lose the competitive drive that had always been a part of wearing a team jersey.  Then, I found Smith College." 


Added Haines, "when you attend Smith College, it is most definitely for the academics.  When I stepped into Ainsworth, however, I felt an energy and fight that raised the bar for me.  I had grown up playing basketball,l and the first women's game was played here.  In fact, the sport as a whole was created in neighboring Springfield.  I loved volleyball and, after meeting Bonnie May, I realized that playing for the Smith College pioneers would not only be a recreational release, but another outlet to channel drive and excellence."

 
























Contributors

Often known as the woman who brought the game of basketball to women, Senda Berenson made numerous other contributions to the development of physical education at Smith.  As the Head of Physical Education at Smith, she focused on the health benefits of physical education and exercise, which had helped her conquer her hatred for sports as well as her persistent illness as a young woman. When she heard of the development of basketball in nearby Springfield, she saw its potential for health benefits and went on to initiate a female version of the game at Smith. This led her to write the official guide for women's basketball and to become the first female inducted into the National Basketball Hall of Fame.  

Coaches and Administrators

Dorothy Ainsworth '16 worked both nationally and internationally in the name of female health and physical education. During her time as a physical education instructor and eventually physical education director at Smith, she significantly expanded sports, facilities, and the overall enthusiasm and student participation within the physical education realm. Working at Smith from 1926-1960, Ainsworth increased the number of sports offered from six to 14, while helping to make additions to facilities. Field hockey and soccer fields, new riding stables, 26 tennis courts, and crew shells were just some of the new additions to Smith's athletic offerings.  Ainsworth also initiated a graduate course for the training of physical education instructors.  So great were her contributions, that when the college expanded the Scott facility in 1977, the new addition was named in her honor.


Athletes 1971-2002


Barbara King Briggs '83 was a five time All-American in the 1-meter and 3-meter dive.  As a first year in 1980, Briggs won both 1-meter and 3-meter dives at the New England Championships, which encompassed all three divisions. At the same meet in her sophomore season, she placed sixth in the 1-meter and third in the 3-meter, remaining the highest scorer of all Division III competitors. Briggs recorded 40 first place finishes in her three years at Smith, and won both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives at the 1983 NCAA Championships, becoming Smith's first ever national champion.  As the NCAA Division III champion, who had also hit the Division I qualifying scores, Briggs was allowed to compete at the Division I championships at the University of Nebraska.

Maureen McMahon '84 was a 14-time All-American over the course of her Smith career. An outstanding swimmer in the freestyle, butterfly, and medley relays, McMahon set a new meet record at the 1982 New England Championships by winning the 50 fly with a time of 27.23.  In her senior season of 1984, McMahon wrote her name into Smith College history, capturing the NCAA championship in the 100 fly with a time of 58.36, setting a new national record at that time.  McMahon holds the Smith College record in the 100 fly, as well as being part of the record holding teams in the 400 and 800 freestyle relays.

Monique Fischer '86 was a 14-time All-American who excelled in the backstroke, butterfly, and individual medley. Fischer made an instant impact as a first year, winning the NCAA championship in the 200 backstroke.  Her time of 2:10.88 still stands as the Smith College record.  A two year captain of the team, Fischer received the Kay Fromer award in 1986, which is given to the swimmer that accumulates the most points at the New England Championships over the course of their career.  

Smith's fourth national champion was also Smith's first Olympian - Gwyn Hardesty-Coogan '87 captured the NCAA Championship in the 3000 meter run in 1986.  It was the second consecutive year that Hardesty-Coogan had won the event, but the first time winning it for Smith, after spending a year as an exchange student at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. At Smith, her name is all over the record books, where she holds the indoor and outdoor marks in the 1,500 and 3,000 meters, as well as the indoor mark in the 1-mile.  Post-graduation, she trained for and competed in the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, where she finished 13th in the 10,000 meter race.  She also was an alternate for the women's marathon in the 1996 Games in Atlanta, Ga.  

On the field hockey field, Paola Prins '86 set records that still rank among the highest in NCAA Division III history.  A sophomore on the first field hockey team at Smith to compete in the NCAA tournament, Prins is Smith's all-time leader in goals (89) and points (187), and holds the two highest single season goal totals at 33 and 31, respectively.  Twice a Field Hockey Coaches Association All-American, her career goal totals rank in the top-15 in the record books of NCAA Division III, while her career point totals rank in the top 25.  


A four year member of the Smith College basketball team, as well as a member of the varsity crew and squash squads, Victoria Murden McClure '85 was a standout on the court.  As a sophomore, McClure's team finished 16-9, setting what was at the time, a record for wins in a season.  That year, McClure went on to set what were Smith College records for average rebounds per game (11.3) and field goal percentage (44.6%). Even more impressive are her post graduate accomplishments. In 1989, she became the first American and first woman to ski to the South Pole. She received national acclaim in 1999, becoming the first woman to complete a solo row across the Atlantic Ocean, making the 2,962 mile trek in 81 days.

An outstanding member of both the field hockey and lacrosse teams at Smith, Cheryl Plummer '92 was twice named as NEW8 Player of the Year in Field Hockey.  Her career points total ranks in the top seven in Smith College history, while her career assist total is in the top five.  Plummer received All-Conference honors four times in field hockey and three times in lacrosse (missing out on a fourth only because the league did not sponsor the sport in her first year).  Her sophomore team earned the field hockey program's second ECAC tournament berth, while as a junior in 1990, she led the Pioneers to a NEW 8 tournament championship.  Plummer was named as an IWLCA All-American three times in lacrosse, and a New England Division III Field Hockey Coaches Association All-American twice in field hockey.


Athletes 1896-1971


An alumna who has truly dedicated her life to the advancement of women's athletics, Agnes “Aggie” Bixler Kurtz '62 began her lacrosse, squash, and field hockey careers at Smith participating in various class and all-Smith teams and joining the Athletic Association as a representative her senior year.  Post graduation, she taught and coached in the women's athletic programs at Vassar College, the University of Delaware, and Dartmouth College, serving as the first Director of Women's Athletics at Dartmouth from 1972-1989. She also was a member of the National Touring Teams for lacrosse and squash, playing abroad for several years. Kurtz is already a member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the National Squash Hall of Fame, as well as the New England chapter of the Lacrosse Hall of Fame.  

An outstanding squash player, Jane Slocum Deland '69 also played field hockey, tennis, and lacrosse at Smith.  In 1969, she won the National Intercollegiate Women's Squash tournament, now known as the Ramsay Cup, and was the youngest member of the United States Women's Squash team that played against Great Britain in the Wolfe Noel Cup her junior year.  Beginning play at the age of eight, she received special training from Ed Serues of Amherst College and Jack Barnaby of Harvard, and after graduation, won the 1973 New England Squash Championship and was ranked as high as fourth nationally.


Gloria Heath '43 was a competitive and dedicated 3-sport athlete at Smith College, going on to compete nationally and internationally in women's lacrosse. Playing basketball, hockey, and lacrosse as an undergraduate at Smith, she was a member of the US Reserve Lacrosse team, as well as a member of the touring team that went to Great Britain in 1951.  She also served as the President of the U.S. Women's Lacrosse Association, and was elected to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2006.  Away from the fields at Smith, Heath also founded the Smith College Flying Club, and was one of the 1,803 women accepted to the Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II, and flew a B-26 Bomber for pilot gunnery practice.


Team


The 1988 volleyball team set a record for wins that may never be touched.  The Pioneers went 41-4, advancing to the NCAA tournament. A smaller roster saw seven players take part in 90% of the 45 matches.  On offense, Nancy Satchwill '89 and Kelly Bates '90 were particularly prolific, with the former averaging 6.1 kills per game, and the latter registering 4.0.  A defensive wunderkind, the Pioneers averaged 38.2 digs as a team, and Reggie Ossolinski '89 topped the stat sheet with 8.1 digs per game, while Satchwill added 6.9 and Bates at 6.5.  Smith often employed a 6-2 setup, with two setters allowing the Pioneers to control long rallies.  

Smith's only losses were to eventual national third place team Juniata (twice), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Williams College.  Smith also beat Williams and MIT that season, stringing together 21 straight wins from September 17 to October 14.  Smith also won 15 straight matches from October 15-29.  The Pioneers' win over MIT on November 5 sealed the programs' first NEW 8 Championship, and Smith also captured their own Smith Invitational, the Eastern Connecticut State University Invitational, and the Seven Sisters Championship.

Head coach Bonnie May was named the NEW8 Coach of the Year and the New England Women's Volleyball (NEWVA) Division III Coach of the Year.  Katie Henderson was a NEWVA All-New England Honorable Mention, while Bates and Satchwill were both named to the NEW 8 All-Conference Team and the NEWVA All-New England First Team.  Satchwill was also named NEW 8 Player of the Year for the team, which finished ranked first in New England and third in the Eastern Region.  Bates received GTE District I Division III College Academic All American Honors, and was named to the CoSIDA Academic All American 2nd team.