KSC Announces 2006 Hall of Fame Inductees
Keene, N.H., 12/19/2006 - Scott Jensen ‘00, a four-time All-America runner; Carrah Fisk Hennessey ‘99, a record-setting softball and soccer player; men’s and women’s basketball standouts Paul Bushey ‘56 and Renee Bender-Bernier ‘90; and longtime administrator and supporter Don Carle ‘52 comprise the list of the 2006 inductees to the Keene State College Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame. The 1999 and 2000 men’s cross country teams, both NCAA Division III runners- up, will also be inducted in their year’s class.
The hall of fame ceremony will take place Saturday, February 3, at the Lloyd P. Young Student Center at 6:30 p.m. Call the alumni office at 603-358-2369 for tickets ($30).
Originally from Casper, Wyoming, Jensen helped the Owls explode upon the Division III cross country and track scene. He earned consecutive cross country All-America honors as a junior and senior, including a fifth-place performance in 1999 as the Owls raced to second at the NCAA championships. On the track, he earned All-America honors in the 5,000-meter and DMR races. Equally successful in the classroom, Jensen, a computer science major, was the first Keene State athlete to receive national academic All-America honors.
Staying home to play at Keene State, Carrah Fisk Hennessey not only earned accolades in softball as a pitcher and power-hitting third baseman, but also as a goalie on the Owls’ soccer team. A talented two-sport athlete, Fisk- Hennessey clouted a school record 16 homeruns and knocked in 41 runs as a senior helping to lead the Owls to the 1999 LEC championship and a berth in the NCAA northeast regional finals. A three-year member of the KSC soccer squad, Fisk-Hennessey earned All-Little East honors as a senior.
A native of Groveton, New Hampshire, Bushey was a standout on the KSC basketball team during his four-year (1953-56) career. Bushey, who led the team in scoring as a sophomore and junior, was noted for his shooting accuracy and the leaping ability that allowed him to rebound the ball. Playing in the New England Teacher’s Conference, Bushey completed his career with 1,247 points, the 10th best on Keene State’s all-time scoring list.
A three-year member of the KSC women’s basketball team (1987-90), Bender- Bernier was a scoring sparkplug on an Owl team that captured consecutive ECAC championships (1988 and 1989) and made the program’s only NCAA tournament appearance in 1990. An all-around player originally from Londonderry, New Hampshire, the fiercely competitive Bender-Bernier was a two-time All-NECC guard. She is currently third in scoring (1,325 points), second in steals (209), and sixth in assists (304) on KSC’s career list.
A longtime supporter of Owl athletics and the College’s former alumni director, Carle and Keene State go back a long way. Born in Elliot Hall, Carle grew up on the KSC campus. An education major who also played ice hockey at Keene Teacher’s College, Carle taught and served as an administrator at schools throughout New England. Since retiring as the College’s alumni director in 1988, Carle has been an avid fan of Owl athletics. An academic team award bearing his named is presented each year.
The 1999 and 2000 Owls are the third and fourth KSC men’s cross country teams to race into the Alumni Aathletic Hall of Fame. Both teams established themselves as elite Division III squads by capturing the New England regional title and placing second at the NCAA championships. The 1999 team returned to Keene with three All-Americans: Scott Jensen (5th), Wilson Perez (12th), and Matt St. Germaine (29th). Mark Miller (34th) and Joe Dunham (8th) joined Perez (4th) and St. Germaine (18th) as All-Americans in 2000.
