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By Ron P. Coderre
The Liberty League is a 12-team conference composed of NCAA Division III colleges located primarily in New York State. Reviewing the list of schools it’s obvious from the membership, which consists of institutions such as Clarkson, St. Lawrence, Rensselaer and the like, the primary focus of the schools is academics.
Like most Division III schools, the athletes involved compete for the love and enjoyment of the competition, not for the glamour and headlines of their big brothers and sisters in Division I.
Recently, two individuals from northeastern Connecticut involved in quite different aspects of the Liberty League passed each other like two ships in the night. Former Tourtellotte Memorial High School student-athlete Hillary McKinley, a member of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute women’s basketball team, and ex-Killingly High School student-athlete Tracy King, Commissioner of the Liberty League had occasion to share a spotlight.
Although the two never shared the same physical space, King had the honor and pleasure of announcing McKinley as the league’s 2011-2012 Player of the Year.
McKinley Receives Top Liberty League Honor
In 2008 as a senior on the Tourtellotte women’s basketball team, Hillary McKinley was selected as a Putnam Town Crier first team all star based primarily on her defensive play and ability. In four years, since moving on to RPI things have changed in an offensive way for the 6’4” center.
Recently, McKinley was selected as the Liberty League Player of the Year and All League first team all star because of the great season she experienced in leading the Engineers to a 16-10 overall record and 10-6 in the league. She was her team’s leading scorer and rebounder at 14.6 points per game and 10.4 caroms per contest. She was the only player in the entire league to post a double-double average. She also led the team and league in blocked shots with 70, giving her 162 for her career the most in school history.
During her career at Rensselaer McKinley raised her offensive performance significantly. As a freshman she averaged 1.3 points per game, lifting her average to 5.7 as a sophomore and 9.1 as a junior. All of her impressive stats were achieved while majoring in biochemistry and biophysics, on her way to someday becoming a neurosurgeon pediatrician.
In addition to this very impressive resume, McKinley found time in January to spend a week in Honduras as part of RPI’s Global Medical Brigade. In Honduras she worked with physicians and nurses in tending to kids and adults in some of Honduras’ backwoods villages.
In accomplishing all she has this year and during her time at Rensselaer, McKinley definitely is a model for what a Liberty League student-athlete is really all about, dedication to academics and athletics.
The King of the Liberty League
Much like McKinley, Tracy King, Commissioner of the Liberty League, is person who combined a solid academic background with athletics, leading him to a position he enjoys and cherishes.
King graduated from Killingly in 1988, where he played soccer and golf, prior to moving on to a business/marketing degree at the University of Connecticut in 1992. While at UConn, King connected with the Huskies Sports Information Director Tim Tolokan, a lifelong friend of his father, Buzz King.
An admitted “sports Junkie,” King made the best of his time under the tutorial of Tolokan. Since moving on from the Mansfield campus, King has had stops as an intern in the Patriot League and assistant sports information director at Holy Cross, before moving on to Jersey City State College.
King then moved on to the big time with a two-year stint at Division I Seton Hall University, which was followed by a move to Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey as assistant athletic director. King then left the world of sports for business but found that his true passion was college athletics.
When the Liberty League came calling in August of 2011, he was ready.
“I enjoy the world of Division III athletics. It’s pure and non-commercial. My goal now is to make this league as successful as I can,” said Commissioner King.
In his role, King oversees 23 championship events throughout the league, handles scheduling and compliance matters. He’s also the chief communicator for the league, which involves public relations and promoting the league as it continues to gain recognition.
He and his wife Ann of 11 years, who is sports Information Director for Sage Colleges, reside in Clifton Park, New York with their six year old son Robert.
Crowning Moment
In an article by RPI sports information assistant Annie Canfield, she queried McKinley asking, who in history she’d like to meet. Her answer was Abraham Lincoln. Obviously that will never happen.
In the future though, McKinley can tell her friends and family that although she never met the 16th president, she can say that as a senior at RPI she connected with a king. Although McKinley and King have never formally met, the pair, McKinley from Tourtellotte and King from Killingly achieved something in common. The announcement of McKinley, the Player of the Year, was made by King, the Commissioner of the Liberty League.