University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
Katree Hodgdon Fenster 1990 - Soccer, Track and Field
A standout soccer player and middle-distance runner on the indoor and outdoor track and field teams, Katree Hodgdon Fenster, inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000, won the Semans Trophy for leadership, loyalty and service to UVM athletics.
A tremendous all-around athlete with great individual skills and an unquenchable desire to win, Hodgdon was a four-time All-New England and All-Region selection for women's soccer coach John Carter. A dominant player who played mostly sweeperback, Carter recalled recently that he played Hodgdon "pretty much anywhere on the field except in goal. But her best position was sweeper."
A native of Keene, N.H., where she starred in soccer, basketball and track while winning six MVP awards, Hodgdon capped off a terrific career by being named a finalist for the Honda Sports Award, which was given annually to the best Division I women's soccer player in America.
As a freshman, Hodgdon played sweeper and immediately showed she was a formidable player at the collegiate level and was named to two different All-Region teams that year. In 1987, Hodgdon played a number of positions while helping the Catamounts to a 10-6-1 record. Again, she was named to the All-Region team as well as first-team All-New England while scoring two goals and adding one assist for five points.
By her junior year, Hodgdon was regarded as one of the top all-around players in New England. She scored one goal and recorded three assists in 1988 and was named first-team All-New England again by the New England Women's Intercollegiate Soccer Association (NEWISA). She played in all 16 games, helping the Cats to a 10-4-2 record.
As a senior, Hodgdon helped lead the Catamounts to the ECAC title. Playing in all 18 games, Hodgdon finished tied for second on the team in scoring with one goal and a team-best five assists. The team went 11-6-1 that year, and capped off the season by hosting and winning the ECAC title with a win over Boston College (2-0) in the semifinals and Rutgers (1-0) in the finals.
Following the season, Hodgdon was named team MVP, first-team All-New England, first-team All-Region and to the ISAA Senior Recognition team in addition to being a finalist for the Honda Sports Award. She also just missed being named an All-American, and was invited to try out for the national team. Carter commented that Hodgdon was "a definite Hall of Famer," and that she and current committee member Heidi Comeau Bruening, a 1995 HOF inductee, were two of the strongest players to ever play at Vermont. "Both were dominating players for us," he said.
