Holy Cross Announces 2018 Athletics Hall of Fame Class

Saturday, February 17, 2018
GoLocalWorcester Sports Team

Holy Cross has announced the six members of the 2018 Athletic Hall of Fame Class.

The inductees are  Liz Abbott (Class of 1989, swimming and diving), Terrence Butt (Class of 1995, baseball, ice hockey), John Connors (Class of 1961, basketball), Katie O’Keefe (Class of 2003, basketball), Steve Silva (Class of 2006, football) and Josh Trott (Class of 2007, soccer).

The induction will take place on Saturday, April 28 at the Varsity Club’s annual dinner in the Hogan Campus Center.

Click here for tickets.

The New Members

Abbott was a star member of the Crusader women’s swimming and diving team from 1985-1989. At the time of her graduation, she was the school record holder in the 200-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle, 1,000-yard freestyle, 1,650-yard freestyle and 200-yard butterfly, in addition to being a part of teams which set school records in the 200-yard freestyle relay, the 400-yard freestyle relay and the 800-yard freestyle relay. Abbott’s mark of 17:16.26 in the 1,650-yard freestyle was a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference record, and remains a school record nearly 30 years after her graduation. The 1988 New England champion in the 1,650-yar freestyle and a four-time All-New England selection, she helped lead the team to an overall dual meet record of 34-10 over the course of her four years.

 

Butt was a two-sport standout on the Holy Cross baseball and men’s ice hockey teams from 1991-1995. He was named first team All-Patriot League in baseball as a senior, after being a second team selection during his sophomore and junior seasons. Butt posted a career batting average of .300, including a .333 mark as a senior, while totaling 44 runs scored, 17 doubles, six home runs and 64 runs batted in over the course of his four years. At the time of his graduation, he also held the school single-season record with 141 assists as a senior in 1995. In hockey, Butt earned second team All-ECAC East honors as a senior, after leading the team in scoring with 41 points on 24 goals and 17 assists. He finished his career on the ice with 50 goals and 57 assists for 107 points in 100 games played. Named to the Patriot League All-Decade Team for the 1990s in baseball, Butt went on to serve as an assistant coach for both the baseball and men’s ice hockey teams following his graduation.

 

Connors was the starting power forward for the Crusader men’s basketball team in the late 1950s and early 1960s. A top defensive player, he averaged 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds as a junior, while helping Holy Cross to an overall record of 20-6, a trip to the National Invitation Tournament and a national ranking as high as No. 13 in the Associated Press poll. Connors followed that up by averaging 7.8 points and 6.8 rebounds as a senior, with the Crusaders going 22-5 and placing third in the NIT. In 1961, Connors was named the Crusader of the Year by the Varsity Club, as the senior who excelled not only in varsity athletics, but also in the classroom and the community, and was prominent in campus activities.

 

O’Keefe was an outstanding player for the Holy Cross women’s basketball team from 1999-2003. She was named first team All-Patriot League in 2002 and 2003, while being a three-time selection to the All-Patriot League Tournament team. O’Keefe totaled 1,538 points, 698 rebounds, 213 assists, 150 steals and 68 blocked shots in 123 career games played, while hitting 52.3 percent of her field goal attempts (625 of 1196). She ranked sixth all-time at Holy Cross in field goals made, sixth in field goals attempted, seventh in field goal percentage and eighth in scoring at the time of her graduation, and still holds the school record with 123 consecutive games started. O’Keefe led the Crusaders to an overall record of 91-32 with the team winning four Patriot League regular season titles and three Patriot League Tournament crowns, while advancing the NCAA Tournament three times and the Women’s National Invitational Tournament once.

 

Silva was a standout running back and kick returner for the Crusader football team from 2001-2005. A two-time All-America and All-Patriot League selection, he was named the National Special Teams Player of the Year, Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and Patriot League Special Teams Player of the Year in 2005. Silva led the nation with 2,134 all-purpose yards as a senior, with 913 rushing yards, 364 receiving yards, 462 kickoff return yards and 395 punt return yards. He also finished his career ranked in the Holy Cross all-time top 10 in rushing touchdowns (34, second), all-purpose yards (5,153, second), rushing yards (2,646, third), total touchdowns scored (38, third), rushing carries (615, third), points scored (228, third) and receptions (154, fourth). Following graduation, Silva signed a tryout contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.

 

Trott was a star player for the Holy Cross men’s soccer team from 2003-2006. He was named the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year as a senior, after previously brining home Patriot League Rookie of the Year honors as a freshman. Trott was also named to the All-Patriot League team four times, including three selections to the first team, while bringing home All-Region honors three times. He finished his career ranked eighth all-time in Patriot League history in points (73) and sixth in goals (33), while standing fourth all-time at Holy Cross in points and third in goals. As a senior, Trott scored a school single-season record 15 goals, the fifth-most ever by a player in Patriot League history. He was also selected to the Patriot League 25th Anniversary Team in 2015.