Fifteenth Anniversary of State Basketball Championship

(left to right) Kathleen Porter Garro, Nicole Norton Vermillion, Coach Mike Trotta, Katherine (Katie) Nickley Sever, Margaret Keaveny, Julianne McDonald Navin, Molly Griffiths, Coach John Depasquale, Caitlin Burchill, Jaclyn Hourihan, Meghan Lawrie Jaeger, Elizabeth Montgomery Jensen, and Kate Levesque (president)

URSULINE ACADEMY CELEBRATES FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY OF STATE BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

On February 18, ten players and two coaches from the 2005 state basketball championship team celebrated the 15th anniversary of their championship season during the final varsity game of the current season. With infants and toddlers in tow, the players gathered in the lobby of the Reynolds Family Athletic and Convocation Center on campus before the game, together for the first time since the team won the title 15 years ago.

In a half-time ceremony, the champions were called out onto center court by name, and after remarks by Ursuline President Kate Levesque, were presented with bouquets and gifts to commemorate the evening. Fans in the bleachers were treated to a big-screen viewing of Mike Lynch’s WCVB “High 5” segment that aired after they won their championship during a remarkable playoff run that capped a regular season record of 12 wins and eight losses. Although Ursuline’s campus has changed over the past decade and a half, team members savored their memories and the spirit of their team, which hasn’t changed since their big win at the then-called Fleet Center back on March 15, 2005. As icing on the cake of a perfect evening, Ursuline’s current varsity team won its game against Watertown, and qualified for the state tournament. (They went on to win their first-round game against Bourne, but were eliminated by a very strong Archbishop Williams team.)

The original team members are now accomplished young professionals, with a doctor, teacher, investment analyst, and two network reporters among them. But for this one night, these young women were simply teammates again.