When Hilary Howard agreed to play basketball
for Julie van Beek's infantile women's basketball program at Trevecca, she set
the tone in many ways for the young coach and program. Howard had continued to
hone her basketball skills for two years at VolunteerStateCommunity College and
became an instant go-to scorer for the Trojans. The soon-to-be first
all-conference player in program history also provided a level of credibility
that helped coach Van Beek recruit other talented players to the program.
Howard produced numerous highlights in her
brief TNU career. One statistical highlight that stands out is her 169 made
three-point baskets is impressive. Especially when one considers that she made
169 in only two seasons and only 61 games. She is tied with Mariska Reed and
only three behind Jennifer Wilson, both of which were four- year starters for
the Trojans.
Howard, now Hilary Howard Montgomery, is
still ranked in several career categories, including second in made three-point
baskets (169), second in three-point field goal percentage (40.2%), fourth in
scoring average (13.87), and ninth in field goal percentage (44.8%).
In her first season (1997-1998) the junior
was named the TranSouth Newcomer of the Year and was All-TranSouth. She
averaged 14.8 points per game and scored 430 points. As a senior she
continued the pace with by averaging 13 points per game. She set the school
record with a 34-point performance in a single game while compiling 416 points
during the season. Howard was selected as an All-TranSouth and a TranSouth
Scholar Athlete.
The two-time all-conference performer still
holds three Trevecca records: made field goals in a game (13), made three-point
field goals in a season (88), and attempted three-point field goals in a season
(225). Upon graduation she held five game, nine season, and eight career
records.
For her career she averaged 13.9 point per
game while shooting 44.8% from the field, 40.2% from three-point range, and
87.9% from the foul line. She scored 846 career points and had 126 career
assists.
Hilary
lives with her husband of nine years, Greg, and their three-year-old son,
Conner, in Thompson Station, Tenn.
Her sister, Lindsey, was a All-Region XI performer on the Trevecca softball
team.
After Graduation
Trojan Hall of Fame
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Trevecca Nazarene
University is pleased to announce its 2011 Athletic Hall of Fame Class.
Michelle Arend Plummer, Lindsey Fly Strickland, Jami Toomey Warren, and
Mauricio Azevedo Dos Santos will be inducted during Trevecca's annual Homecoming
weekend on Saturday, November 5.
This year's class has a multi-sport
flair, with volleyball (Plummer), basketball (Strickland), softball (Warren),
and soccer (Dos Santos) represented. The selection of Dos Santos marks
the first time a soccer player has been inducted into the Trevecca Athletic Hall of Fame.
Plummer is the fourth volleyball
player to be introduced and the first since 1999 when Brenda Steen Gray was
chosen for the Hall of Fame. Others selected in the sport of volleyball are
Allison Hendershot Stark and Carol Ernest Schneidmiller.
Fly is the fifth to be chosen in women's basketball. She joins fellow women's basketball honorees Carol
Ernest Schneidmiller, Hilary Howard Montgomery, Molly Schoenberg Harned, and
Jennifer Wilson in the Hall of Fame.
Warren is the third softball player
to be selected for the Hall of Fame. She joins Brandy Barnett Brown and Wendy
Allen Apanco as softball players in the TNU Athletic Hall of Fame.
With these inductions, 51
individuals are now members of the Trevecca Athletic Hall of Fame. Begun in
1993, the Athletic Hall of Fame honors individuals who have made outstanding
contributions within the Trevecca intercollegiate athletic program, which
started in 1969.
All four of the 2011 members have
agreed to be on hand for induction into the Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday,
November 5, 2011. The official presentation and induction will take place
during halftime of the women's Homecoming basketball game in Moore Gym.
Both Trojan basketball teams will
open regular season play at Homecoming. The women's team will host Point Loma
Nazarene at 3:00, and the men will host Michigan-Dearborn at 5:00 p.m. The Hall
of Fame Induction will occur Saturday shortly after the first half of the
women's basketball game.