February 2, 2005
Katie McCabe was asked as a high school senior about her favorite sports fantasy. Her answer was neither outlandish nor unreasonable.
"I want to have a successful college career," said McCabe, a Watertown resident and at the time a Taft School student.
Well, so far, so good.
Playing even one sport in college -- while maintaining some sense of academic discipline -- is not an easy task, but McCabe is finding a nice balance between school and sports during her first year at Colby College in Waterville, Me.
She takes pride in being a true scholar-athlete, earning Dean's List honors by posting a 3.43 grade-point average as a mathematics major, and has managed to play both soccer and basketball, two sports she excelled in at Taft.
A three-sport athlete in high school, McCabe, 18, felt she could handle the rigors of playing two sports. During the recruiting process, she refused to pass up both endeavors, although some schools recruiting her were not so keen on the idea. Colby, however, was not one of them, which made McCabe's decision easy.
"It was something that I just decided I wanted to do," McCabe said. "I plan on playing as hard for as long as I can until my time is up. But I don't want to think about that day."
For a fleeting moment recently, McCabe found out what it was like to be unable to play a single game after separating her right shoulder against Bowdoin College, the top-ranked women's basketball team in Division III. Sitting on the bench was not easy.
"I never missed a game since I've been playing (competitive) sports," McCabe noted. "Not since first grade have I been hurt. I've been very lucky. I was talking to the trainer the other day who said that is the chance I take for playing two sports."
But Colby women's basketball coach Patricia O'Brien has no problem with McCabe playing soccer in the fall, where she started all but one game at halfback for the White Mules.
"Katie loves to play and should be allowed to play both," O'Brien said. "I was not going to discourage it."
Two months into the season, O'Brien is certainly glad to have McCabe on the basketball team, where she also made an immediate impact. The 5-foot-11 power forward is second on the team in scoring (11.1 points per game) and rebounds and leads the Mules in field-goal percentage. Even more noteworthy was McCabe's two-time selection as the Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association Rookie of the Week.
"I knew Katie was a very good player at Taft and dominated in the paint and was able to be intimidating," O'Brien said. "But on the college level, the game is more physical and she is adjusting. There is definitely a transition period and there is definitely a lot of room for growth."
Time is on McCabe's side, and O'Brien can't wait to see her overall development.
"Katie works so hard in practice and is easy going and has a lot of fun on the court," O'Brien said.
McCabe admits that Colby has become the ideal spot for her to live out her ultimate sports fantasy, saying that Taft prepared her well both athletically and in the classroom. And she also appreciates the opportunity to share the college experience with her older sister, Kara, a junior and starting center halfback on the Colby soccer team.
"Kara is definitely my best friend," Katie McCabe said. "It was a great opportunity to join Kara. You only live once. Playing on the same college team makes it quite unique and special."
Kara said Katie's transition to college was smooth.
"It was a good fit for Katie from the very start," said Kara. "I think we complement each other well in soccer. She came in being a basketball recruit but started all but one game in soccer. She showed a lot of composure and what type of athlete she is. The other players saw the commitment Katie has and saw it as an asset, not a threat for playing time."
Kara described Katie's role as a teammate as "exemplary."
"Our parents (Stephen and Susan) taught us humility in sports," said Kara. "Katie is not a self-promoter. She lets her hard work and effort speak for itself."