Kelly Toole-Conte has been elected to the Northeastern Hall of Fame for her achievements in the sport of track.
Toole-Conte, Class of 1986, was the premier hurdler in New England during her era and a pioneer for a women's sport that was still struggling for recognition. She came to Northeastern from Shenendehowa High School in Clifton Park, N.Y., where she captained both the field hockey and track teams and became the New York state hurdle champion. NU Coach Tom Wittenhagen considered Toole-Conte his first major recruit outside the Greater Boston area. His hopes were immediately confirmed. In her first outing as a freshman, she equaled the Northeastern record in the 55-meter hurdles by winning with a time of 8.4 seconds in a meet against Boston College.
As a sophomore, Toole-Conte started her assault on the New England hurdle titles. She won the indoor 55-meter hurdles at the Greater Boston Collegiate and New England meets and became the first NU woman to compete in the NCAA Indoor Championships. Outdoors, she took a second in the 100-meter hurdles and established new NU records in the 100- and 400-meter hurdles.
As a junior, Toole-Conte won the GBC and New England indoor 55 hurdles again, plus the GBC and New England outdoor 100 hurdles. She reached the semifinals in a return trip to NCAA indoor meet, becoming the 11th-ranked hurdler in the nation.
It was more of the same in Toole-Conte's senior season of 1985. She won her third New England 55-meter hurdles title and also repeated as the New England 100-meter hurdle champ outdoors. Toole-Conte set NU marks in the indoor 50-meter dash and 55-meter hurdles. Outdoors, she held the 100- and 400-meter hurdle records. Toole-Conte also was a member of the 4x100 and 4x400 relay teams all four years - relay teams that won many New England championships and set Husky records. At the completion of her senior season, she was the owner of eight NU records and had served as team captain for two seasons.
Coach Wittenhagen took full advantage of Toole-Conte's knowledge and leadership abilities by appointing her as an assistant coach in her fifth year. Never neglecting her studies, she was a fixture on the Dean's List and graduated with a degree in Physical Therapy, cum laude.
