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Katie King wins prestigious NCAA honor

Feb. 6—Salem High Hall of Famer Katie King Crowley received quite an honor when she won the Silver Award, one of the NCAAs most prestigious awards.

She was honored on Jan. 19 at a ceremony as part of the NCAA Convention in Indianapolis. The award is for athletes who graduated 25 years ago (class of 1997).

To illustrate how prestigious the honor is, the other winners were basketball legend Tim Duncan of Wake Forest, Florida State football All-American Warrick Dunn, USC All-American and No. 1 overall WNBA pick Tina Thompson, NCAA swim champion and US Naval commander Matthew Humphreys, and 12-time NCAA swim All-American Maiya Anderson of Air Force.

King was a brilliant softball-hockey player at Brown who won three Olympic hockey medals: one gold, one silver and one bronze. She's tied for first in USA women's hockey history with 14 career Olympic goals.

She was three-time Ivy League MVP in hockey and still holds Brown's records for goals (123) and points (123-83—206).

In softball, King Crowley has appeared in more games as a pitcher (120) and tossed more innings (709.0) than any other player in program history. She ranks second all-time in career wins with 54, and third with 264 career strikeouts.

She was a two-time hockey captain and three-time softball captain at Brown.

She's in her 15th-year as head women's hockey coach at Boston College, owning a 350-130-51 record including 232-74-29 in Hockey East. She's guided the Eagles to six Frozen Fours.

Last year's BC captain Maegan Beres tweeted: "She has had such a positive impact on my hockey career, as well as so many others. I can't think of anyone more deserving to be honoured with this year's Silver Anniversary Award. Thank you Kinger, for everything you do for your athletes and the game!"

CAKES ARE BAKING

Central Catholic gymnast Haley Stewart (18 Sunday), Central wrestling coach Jamie Durkin (Tuesday), Methuen hockey's Owen Kneeland (Wednesday), Timberlane football's Dom Coppeta (Thursday) and Methuen track's Freddy Coleman (Saturday). ... Indiana women's basketball standout Ali Patberg is a seventh-year senior: injury redshirt, transfer redshirt and bonus COVID season and then the four traditional seasons.

TWEET, TWEET

Holderness School had a humorous tweet after Brooks School beat the Bulls in a boys basketball game. It was about Brooks coach John McVeigh, who will become Holderness' head of school next school year.

The tweet: "While @BrooksSchool may have won the game, we won their coach!"

NATIONAL POWERHOUSE

Andover High Hall of Famer John Perry was hired as offensive coordinator at Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Texas. The Bearkats won the 2020 Division 1-AA national title. Perry was with the NFL's Houston Texans for seven years then last fall was an assistant at Rutgers. He was formerly head coach at Merrimack.

Sam Houston head coach K.C. Keeler said, ""I have known John for years and he is one of the brightest football minds I have ever been around."

DEMPSEY, FRANZEN ON FIRE

Pretty cool to see University of New England's Jordyn Franzen (Salem High) and Endicott's Sarah Dempsey (Windham High) regularly win Commonwealth Coast Conference Rookie of the Week honors. Dempsey has been honored three times and Franzen twice.

Franzen, a 5-10 sophomore, is averaging 17.3 points (2nd in CCC), 8.1 rebounds (9th CCC), 1.8 steals (8th CCC) and 2.3 assists.

Dempsey, a 5-10 freshman, is averaging 16.8 points (4th CCC), 11.1 rebounds (leads CCC), 1.6 blocks (3rd CCC) and 1.3 steals. Her last outing Dempsey had 37 points.

FAZIO EYES ALL-TIME MARK

In 33 seasons at Andover High, Dave Fazio has a brilliant 497-229 record. That ties him for the all-time area (boys and girls) basketball wins record with the great North Andover High coach Mike McVeigh, who went 497-176 in 31 seasons. We don't have Fazio's record from two admittedly very lean years as a 24-25 year-old at Dracut. But a win Saturday vs. fellow power Newton North at the Garden would make him No. 1, no questions asked.

It can get tricky with non-local school results, but here are our other 400-win hoop coaches: Andover's Wil Hixon (464-146, including 6 seasons in N.H.), North Andover's Bob Licare (448 wins, including 4 seasons in Maine), Central's Dick Licare (447-154), Methuen girls Mimi Hyde (417-120) and Haverhill girls Kevin Woelfel (402-154).

FELGER, MAZZ AND CHASE

Merrimack College junior Harrison Chase of Methuen recently accepted a remote internship with the "Felger and Mazz" sports show on 98.5, the Sports Hub. Chase is a sports communication major who hosts "The Sports Talk with Harrison Chase." ... There are 15 tennis players at Franklin Pierce (N.H.) University (8 men, 7 women) but only two are Americans.

HOCKEY EAST HONORS

Two local stars made the Hockey East honor roll last week. BU freshman forward Brian Carrabes of North Andover has two goals and four assists on the season. Northeastern's senior defenseman Jordan Harris of Haverhill has four goals, 10 assists and 38 blocks in 25 games. ... Brooks girls hoop star Kendall Eddy of Haverhill was just offered by Providence.

MORALES MILESTONE

Congrats to UNH recruit Vicky Morales from Lawrence and Proctor Academy. On Feb. 2, the senior point guard scored her 1,000th career point. ... RIP to Andover/Punchard High Hall of Famer Bucky Dalton, 82, of Windham and former longtime Central Catholic assistant track coach Oscar Lemieux, 90, of Methuen.

E-MAIL: mmuldoon@eagletribune.com