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Crowley, Carey Enshrined in H.O.F.
September 22, 2012
Jessica Trainer Carey (far left) and Jim Crowley (far right) were enshrined into Keuka College's Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday. Also pictured are Carey's synchronized swimming coach, Nancy Wightman, and Crowley's basketball coach, David Sweet (photo by John Boccacino, Keuka College Sports Information Director).
By John Boccacino/Sports Information Director
The Keuka College Athletics Hall of Fame honors the outstanding accomplishments and achievements of deserving student-athletes, coaches and administrators.
Founded in 2006, the Hall of Fame is the highest honor a Storm student-athlete can achieve, and membership in the Hall of Fame grew to 17 with the induction of basketball standout Jim Crowley (class of 1993) and synchronized swimming standout Jessica Trainer Carey (2002) Saturday afternoon during a ceremony inside the Weed Physical Arts Center.
Crowley was a four-year letterman and three-time captain of Keuka’s men’s basketball team who also coached the Storm’s women’s basketball program for three years and both the men’s and women’s cross country squads for two seasons while in Keuka Park. He has since transformed the St. Bonaventure University women’s basketball program from bottom-feeder to perennial power, with four-straight seasons with 20-plus victories and the school’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I tournament.
He was honored by ESPN.com as its Division I Coach of the Year.
Carey was part of a deep and talented synchronized swimming program that routinely competed with and fared well against the nation’s best squads. Carey and her Storm teammates earned top-7 finishes at the U.S. Collegiate Synchronized Swimming Championships all four years, led by sixth-place finishes in both 1999-2000 and 2000-2001.
Together, and surrounded by 60 friends, family members and classmates, the two were enshrined into Keuka’s Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday afternoon in an often emotional ceremony in the lobby area of the Weed, outside of the basketball court.
In 12 years leading St. Bonaventure's women's basketball program, Jim Crowley has transformed the Bonnies from doormats to perennial powers. He was inducted into Keuka's Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday.
The Storm’s men’s basketball team compiled a 62-40 mark during Crowley’s tenure, which saw him serve as captain three of four seasons, including for the 1990-91 squad that went 20-6, the best mark in school history. He often served as a player-coach under then-head men’s basketball coach David Sweet.
In Crowley’s three-year stint leading women’s basketball, the Storm posted a 39-37 overall record. Following a 14-11 record in his inaugural campaign, Crowley’s best season at Keuka came during his second year, when the Storm recorded an 18-10 record and advanced into the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Upstate New York tournament before falling to Elmira College in the championship.
Crowley has worked his coaching magic at the Division I level, too. Since taking over the coaching reigns at Division I St. Bonaventure University, Crowley has compiled a 185-178 record in 12 seasons, highlighted by a 31-4 mark, the school’s fourth-straight 20-win season.
The often outspoken Crowley led Bonaventure to its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I tournament during the 2011-12 season. He received national attention as the ESPN.com Division I Coach of the Year after orchestrating the Bona’s transformation from Division I doormats into perennial contenders by advancing into the Sweet 16 of this year’s March Madness.
Midway through the 2006-07 season, Crowley had a 57-119 record at Bonaventure (62 games below .500). Since then, he has gone 128-59 (69 games over .500), the best turnaround in the nation of any coach who has remained at the same institution.
Crowley, a four-year letterman and three-time captain on Keuka’s men’s basketball team, was also named the Atlantic 10 (A-10) Coach of the Year as well as the Basketball Coaches Association of New York (BCANY) Women’s Division I Coach of the Year,
Crowley, the second-longest tenured women’s basketball coach in Bonaventure history, accomplished national history during the storybook 2011-12 season, when his Bonnies became the smallest active Division I school to ever advance to the Sweet 16.
“I think I’ve stayed pretty true to the lessons learned at Keuka and I’ve been loyal and very positive to this place, as should anyone who has a positive college experience,” said Crowley, who graduated with his bachelor’s degree in secondary English education in 1993 before being named the Storm’s women’s basketball coach a few months later.
“I was shocked when I got the call and it seems like there are people that did more than I did, but this is a huge honor, as big as anything I’ve ever done professionally. Receiving this at a place that means so much to me is still a shocking and humbling experience.”
Crowley lives in Olean with his wife, Monti. The two were married on Jan. 1, 2012, and the Bonnies went on an 18-game winning streak in the aftermath of the wedding.
Jessica Trainer Carey (left) helped the Keuka College synchronized swimming team earn four straight top-10 finishes at nationals during her tenure. Carey was inducted into Keuka College's Athletics Hall of Fame Saturday.
During her time with the synchronized swimming program, Carey was a four-time captain who made an instant impact on the team. In her freshman season, Carey was named All-American after placing in the top 8 in the nation for her solo routine.
In 2001, Carey qualified for the Jantzen National Synchronized Swimming Championships (one meet away from the Olympic qualifier), and during her senior season, she earned Team Most Valuable Player honors for the second straight year after placing eighth in the nation in the duet.
In 2002, among all the synchronized swimming programs in the country, only Division I powers Ohio State, Stanford, Alabama-Birmingham, Canisius, Richmond and Division III Wheaton College placed ahead of the Storm. Keuka’s performance at nationals saw the Green and Gold place above Division I powers Florida, Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan.
“I am so honored to receive this award,” said Carey, a graduate of Keuka’s nursing program who has worked in nursing since graduation, recently moved back to Canandaigua and currently works at the F.F. Thompson Hospital in Canandaigua.
“I loved my synchronized swimming years at Keuka. Being a part of a sport helped me stay more focused on my education. (Head coach) Nancy Wightman was big on us getting our school work done during away meets. It kept me balanced, focused, and with a sense of belonging among a group of young women who became as close as family to me.”
Carey and her husband, Matt Carey (’01), have a three-year-old daughter and a two-year-old son.
