Local Heroes!
Sometimes you don't have to look very far to find you heroes. Katherine Quackenbush, for one, didn't have to leave the family house.
"My mom is the strongest woman I know," says the basketball star, who just completed a successful career at Memorial and will graduate with kinesiology and business degrees. "And my dad, Doug, although he passed away when I was 12… The lessons I learned from him while he was physically present have had a huge impact on my life and have stayed with me throughout the years ever since."
"My dad was a great athlete. He played both hockey and football at Dalhousie, and was drafted to the CFL. Thankfully for me, he decided to go to Law School instead!"
The Quackenbush athletic genes go beyond Katherine's immediate family. Her second cousin Ross has been head coach of the Saint Mary's University men's basketball program for 19 seasons, while her great uncle Bill enjoyed a 14-year NHL career with Detroit and Boston.
Quackenbush made good use of these genes in her three seasons with the Sea-Hawks after transferring from the University of Maine. In her first campaign in St. John's, in 2005-06, she was named AUS defensive player of the year and a first-team all-star. She followed up that impressive debut with back-to-back AUS MVP and first-team all-Canadian nods, while leading the Sea-Hawks to a pair of conference titles and a CIS bronze medal in 2006-07, the team's best-ever result at the national championship.
"Katherine has been the backbone of our women's basketball program for the past three seasons. She joined the Sea-Hawks when the team was in transition and building towards the next phase of success," commented Memorial director of athletics, Michelle Healey.
"It's difficult to summarize the impact athletics have had on my life," says Quackenbush. "Some of the most important things I have learned through sports will stay with me long after I put away my basketball shoes."
Quackenbush’s Accomplishments: |
