University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Libby Smith excelled in two sports at UVM, serving as a captain in both. The only woman in the country playing Division I men’s golf, Smith was one of the team’s top players for four years. As a senior she finished 38th in the New England Championships and posted the best scoring average on the team while serving as a captain. The New England Intercollegiate Golf Association presented Smith with an award honoring her as the first woman to compete all four years.
As a freshman she became the first woman to break 80. At the 2002 America East Championships Smith shot an 83-79-162 to finish 10th overall and was named all-conference as she helped lead Vermont to its best-ever finish at conferences with a third place showing.
In basketball Smith started every game of her career, 122 straight, and finished as the all-time leader in games played. Made an instant impact when the Essex native scored 23-points, including the game-winner in overtime versus Rhode Island in her collegiate debut. She was named the America East Rookie of the Year, a first for UVM, and was second-team all-conference as a junior while serving as a co-captain before finally earning a well deserved spot on the all-conference first team as a senior.
Smith led Vermont to two conference regular season titles, an America East title, an NCAA Tournament appearance and an invitation to the WNIT. She led the Cats to their first-ever national postseason wins over Holy Cross and St. Joseph’s in the first two rounds of the WNIT. The 12th player to top 1,000 career points, Smith finished her career as the only player to score more than 1,000 career points, grab at least 500 rebounds and hand out more than 400 assists.
Smith went on to win the J. Edward Donnelly Award at Vermont following her senior year, which goes to the most outstanding male and female senior athletes.
