(Feb. 6, 2013) - In 1977, Karen Hill was named the head coach at North Central College for both the women's basketball and women's volleyball teams, or half of the varsity women's athletic programs on campus. Although she remained at North Central for just six years, the impact she had on the college's female athletic programs can't be understated.
Hill will be honored as the college's eighth Cleo Tanner Award Winner for Outstanding Contributions to North Central College Women's Athletics on Tuesday, Feb. 5, as part of the 27th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day Celebration. The Cleo Tanner Award was first awarded in 2006, to honor the contributions of an individual or individuals who have positively influenced women's athletics at the College.
“I wanted to help women's athletics at North Central grow and improve so I supported them, and did anything they needed me to do,” said Hill. “I was just lucky that the group of girls I worked with trusted me and gave North Central a chance.”
Hill also worked part-time in admissions when she first came to North Central while juggling her duties with the basketball and volleyball teams. She remained the basketball coach for two seasons, and was the volleyball coach for four years. In her final season as the head volleyball coach, she led the Cardinals to a second-place finish in the Illinois Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (IAIAW) Tournament. Prior to 1982, the NCAA did not sponsor women's athletics.
The women's track and field team earned varsity status in 1978, with Hill being named the first head coach in program history. Under Hill's direction, Lisa DuChene '81 qualified for the IAIAW Track Meet and finished third in the 1,500 meters in the program's inaugural season.
Hill's success continued on the softball diamond from 1978-82, as she is second all-time in coaching victories with 74. In her final three years at the helm, Hill's teams qualified for the AIAW National Tournament, placing fifth in 1980 and third in 1981.
Despite all her accomplishments in developing women's varsity athletics at North Central, Hill has remained humble.
“I was dumbfounded and surprised when I got the e-mail that I was going to receive the Cleo Tanner Award,” she said. “I feel honored and very appreciative that people saw that the work I have done in the past is worth something. Women's sports have come a long way and I am just happy that I have been able to be a part of it all.”
Hill is currently in her 27th year teaching physical education at Henry Winkelman Elementary School in Glenview, Ill. and will be retiring at the end of the 2012-13 school year.
