Skidmore College Athletics

Few Thoroughbreds have influenced Skidmore Field Hockey as powerfully as stand-out forward Kelly Blackhurst. Her relentless pursuit of excellence and scoring prowess catapulted her into the national spotlight.  

The three-time All-American capped a record-setting career as the 2013 National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III National Player of the Year. Along the way, she helped Skidmore to three Liberty League championships and four National Collegiate Athletic Association tournaments, including two Final Four appearances.  

Liberty League Rookie of the Year, she was a two-time North Atlantic Regional Player of the Year and Liberty League Offensive Player of the Year.  Blackhurst earned selection to the NFHCA Senior AllStar Team. She is still Skidmore’s all-time scoring leader with an astonishing 105 goals and 54 assists and remains fifth in all-time career points in Division III Field Hockey standings.  Equally committed to academic excellence, Blackhurst was a three-time Liberty League All-Academic Selection and NFHCA National Academic Squad member.  

A management and business major at Skidmore, she went on to earn an MBA with a concentration in sports management in 2019.