Saturday night at the Metcalf Trustees Ballroom at the School of Management, current and former members of the Boston University athletic program were honored at the 50th BU Athletic Hall of Fame induction banquet for their performances both on and off the field. Six former Terriers – John Curry, Bob Speight, Jay Hillman, Pam Spuehler, Katie Terhune and Alyssa Trudel – were inducted into the prestigious group as part of the Class of 2014. Also receiving awards were BU softball senior outfielder Jayme Mask, cross country coach Bruce Lehane, women’s soccer senior midfielder Emma Clark and men’s tennis senior Jesse Frieder.
During his time at BU, Curry excelled as a goaltender for the men’s hockey team. Despite being a walk-on and not getting a single start during his freshman year, the Minnesota native became one of the greatest goalies to ever don the scarlet and white. His save percentage of .923 and 2.07 goals-against average are tops on the all-time list for the men’s hockey program.
When it came to coming up in big spots, Curry seemed to answer the bell each time. He posted a perfect 5-0 record in the Beanpot Tournament, which translated to three consecutive titles for the Terriers. In 2007, he was named the Hockey East Player of the Year, was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and was named a First Team All-American. He has since competed professionally after graduating from BU, playing with both the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild of the NHL.
Though football does not exist at the varsity level anymore at BU, Speight compiled a tremendous career while playing offensive tackle for the Terriers. He was a member of the First Team All-Yankee Conference every year he played at BU, the only player in the history of the conference to ever accomplish that feat. His play on the offensive line helped the Terriers become co-champions of the conference in 1979 and sole winners in 1980, the first time that BU had ever done so.
Not only was he recognized by his conference, but Speight also received national notoriety during his playing days. He was twice a member of the AP All-America Third Team, and was part of the Kodak All-America First Team during his senior year. After his time at Nickerson Field with the Terriers, Speight played in the United States Football League with the Oklahoma Outlaws.
Hillman, another member of the former BU football team, excelled as a running back. He was the only player in the history of the program to be the leader in rushing yards for four consecutive seasons. His 2,889 total rushing yards and 26 touchdowns rank third all-time for BU.
Playing for the field hockey team, Spuehler was one of the top players to ever play for the program. She had a team-leading 37 points, which included 11 goals, during her senior campaign, helping the Terriers make it to the NCAA quarterfinal round. That year, she was also a finalist the Honda Award, an accolade given to the top performer in college field hockey. She was an America East Conference All-Conference team member all four years of her career, the first time that ever happened for BU field hockey. She was also member of a Terrier squad that won three straight America East titles.
Terhune of the women’s basketball team was one of the most prolific players ever to compete at Case Gymnasium. The 1,971 points that she scored still remain a record for the program. Her 489 free-throw makes and 83.0 percentage from the charity stripe are also tops at BU.
Her MVP play at the 2003 America East Tournament was a key factor in BU reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the history of the program.
Sitting at fifth all-time with 238 career points, Trudel helped the women’s lacrosse team reach a level of excellence during her four years. She was part of the reason BU won three consecutive league titles. In 2003, she was named the America East Player of the Year for the 86 points that she accumulated. Two seasons later, she and the Terriers won the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament game with a victory over Colgate University.
For the current Terriers, Lehane received the William French Award for his distinguished coaching over the past year. His leadership led the women’s cross country team to the Patriot League championship, the first team at BU to win a title in the conference.
Clark and Frieder both received the ldo “Buff” Donelli Memorial Leadership Award, which is given to a senior athlete that displayed leadership both on and off of the field.
At the midfield position, Clark played in 23 games in her final year. Her 2,023 minutes were second-best on the Terriers, a team that won the Patriot League Championship in 2013. Frieder won seven games at the top doubles spot for the men’s tennis team that reached the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament.
After leading her in batting average (.402), hits (76) and stolen bases (34) this season, Mask was awarded the Irv Heller Hall of Fame Scholarship. Earlier this month, the recent graduate was also named a Capital One All-American.
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