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Eagle who put up high numbers gets hers put up high
UMW retires first basketball jersey
Date published: 11/20/2008 Deena Applebury had only an inkling of what she was getting when Liz Hickey enrolled at the University of Mary Washington in 2004. In four years, the Virginia Beach native helped make the women's basketball program a power, compiling a 111-15 on-court record and propelling the Eagles to their first Final Four appearance in 2007. Applebury's next idea was almost as brilliant as the first--having Hickey's No. 44 jersey retired. "I was the one who decided to retire her jersey. I knew probably by mid-summer at least," the veteran coach recalled following Tuesday's 74-43 victory over Washington and Lee. "Liz was phenomenal here at UMW. She came in as a freshman and didn't play all that much for us. And ended up being a three-time All-American." Alumni, family, friends and former teammates were on hand for the pre-game retirement ceremony. Hickey stuck around for the game, chatting with fans and former teammates Lisa Tracy and Sarah Flanagan and signing a few autographs, as well. Now a master's candidate and assistant basketball coach at the University of Rochester, Hickey expressed gratitude for the recognition and shock upon discovering she was the first UMW athlete to have her jersey retired in any sport. "It means a lot," she said before departing Goolrick Gymnasium. "In my four years I developed a lot, both on and off the court. The program helped me and my teammates were a big part of that--the friendships I developed and coach Applebury's leadership got us there." Besides setting an NCAA Division III women's record with 509 career blocked shots, Hickey did a lot of things that many pivot players have trouble mastering. She was adept at handing out assists, playing defense and rarely fouled out. As a senior, she demonstrated her shooting range, drilling a 3-pointer. In four seasons, Hickey scored 1,370 points and grabbed 930 rebounds. She won the UMW Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for athletic and academic success and was a nominee for the 2008 Jostens Trophy and the NCAA Woman of the Year award. "Liz deserved it. She was a phenomenal player here," Eagles' senior guard and former teammate Kaitie Clarkin said. "She deserves all the awards and credits she has. I'm just glad for the first [retired uniform], it got to be Liz." Initially, Hickey was not sure when the ceremony would take place, but coaches Applebury and Rochester's Jim Scheible found Tuesday convenient since the Yellowjackets don't open their season until Friday night. Hickey found it a bit ironic where she found her new home, serving as second varsity assistant, helping out the junior varsity and working on her master's degree in medical statistics. "It's Division III and [Rochester] actually [was] at the same Sweet 16 site that we were last year," she said. "I didn't even know the job was available and we lost on the same day." Having Hickey back on the home court for one last time was certainly a special time for the Eagles team and its supporters. "Her coming back meant a lot to the program, to the school, to the team," Applebury said. "It's great; it's exciting." Kurt Nicoll: 540/374-5441
Date published: 11/20/2008
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