Kathleen Farrell Connolly '93

“No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings.”  

This William Blake quote, found on Kathleen’s senior yearbook page, truly illustrates her character and commitment to teamwork on the hockey and soccer fields, as well as on the basketball court.

Kathleen came to Moravian Academy in 9th grade from St. Thomas More School in Allentown. She was familiar with the campus, as older brother Sean ’91 and several cousins were students at the time.  Her love of sports began while at St. Thomas More, and blossomed while she was at the Upper School. Former soccer coach Kevin Vrabel said, “She had great talents as an athlete and through her positive attitude and commitment to team concepts, she made others around her better athletes and people. Kathleen is one who will be remembered always by her teammates, coaches and opponents.”

He continued, “Kathleen was the epitome of a Moravian Academy student athlete. She was the most gifted athlete in her class, known as a fierce competitor and the consummate teammate. She was a gifted basketball player who created scoring opportunities for herself and her team but played relentlessly on the defensive end of the court.  She led by example for our soccer program by contributing as a goal scorer and by playing the most challenging position on the field, goalkeeper. It was a tremendous boost to the soccer program during its infancy to have the top athlete in the school be a part of the building process.”

Kathleen’s success on the basketball court began during her sophomore year when she set a single-season scoring record with 355 points.  She broke that record the following year. During her senior year, with a 60-32 win over Warren Tech, Kathleen became the first basketball player in Moravian Academy history to score 1,000 points.  The 1992 team was also named Penn Jersey League Girls Basketball Champions. She ended her career with 1,327 career points, a record that stood for eight years until she was eclipsed by Hall of Famer Matt Stein ’01. The distinction of being the all-time highest female scorer still remains with Kathleen.

Of her time at Moravian, Kathleen said, “I thoroughly enjoyed my high school years.  Moravian provided small but dynamic classrooms and hands-on learning. Yes, teachers had their plans but the lessons evolved depending on what individuals brought into the class. That learning style encouraged you to think outside the box and also apply concepts into other areas as well.”

After earning 12 varsity letters at Moravian Academy, Kathleen received several Division III basketball scholarship offers and ultimately chose to continue her athletic career at Ursinus College, where she majored in communications. She was a four-year player on the varsity basketball team, and the team made it to the NCAA Tournament her sophomore year.  During her sophomore year, she helped to form what would become the school’s first women’s soccer team. The team was granted varsity status her senior year under her leadership as captain.

Kathleen has called New England home since 1999.  She works for Peppers Artful Events, a catering company in Northborough, MA.

Ten years ago, she transitioned from their Event Sales & Management team to a part-time position as Staffing & Training Manager.

She shares, “This allows me the time to volunteer at my children's school and also coach their soccer teams.  It is still a struggle to find the right work-life balance but that is a challenge for everyone, I imagine.”

She enjoys spending time with her husband, Terry, whom she met in a coed basketball program at the Boston Ski and Sport Club. They reside in Grafton, MA, with sons Joseph, 11; Jack, 9; and Jimmy, 2.  

“There are many benefits to playing sports: being competitive, teamwork, learning to deal with loss, dedication, determination and strong friendships,” she shared.  Later in life this translates into work and family life. I still play soccer now in an adult league - it is still fun to get the competitive juices flowing and also to socialize after with the team.  I enjoy coaching and playing sports with my sons.  They still haven't really gotten into basketball...but there is still time!”