Laura Hurd ’01,who was posthumously inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame during a ceremony at Reunion May 13, was born in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and attended Williston Northampton for two years. A two-year starter in soccer, ice hockey, and track, Hurd was known for her tenacious determination, competitive spirit, and unfailing love of life. Her mother, Jennifer, accepted the award on her daughter’s behalf, and Rachel Rockwell ’16 presented the award.
After graduation, Hurd attended Elmira College, which was just starting a women’s ice hockey program. Over the course of the next four years, she rewrote the record books for Division III Women’s Ice Hockey in leading Elmira to two National Division III titles. A four-time First Team All-American forward, Hurd still holds the NCAA Division III record for career scoring with 237 points, leading the nation in scoring her senior year and being named ECAC Player of the Year. She also holds NCAA Division III records for points in a season (77), points in a career (120 goals, 117 assists), points per game in a season (2.75), points per game in a career (2.15), goals in a season (40), goals in a career (120), assists in a career (117) and assists per game (1.06).
“For me, I had never seen a kid who could finish like that. She had such a gift around the net,” former Elmira coach Jamie Wood said. “She wasn’t the fastest skater, but she was fast enough. She wasn’t the biggest kid, but she was big enough. She knew exactly where to be and when to be there. It was uncanny.”
“I think for her the stats didn’t really matter,” Wood added. “She was focused on winning and what the team was doing. We wouldn’t have won without her on the ice. She played her best in the big moments.”
Upon graduating from Elmira with a B.A. in Economics, Hurd went to work for Corning. In the summer of 2006, Hurd was tragically killed in a car accident. In January 2007, the American Hockey Coaches Association voted to rename the Division III Women’s Ice Hockey Player of the Year award after her.
