By Katherine Morrison

Joy filled the air in Given Auditorium Saturday, Sept. 21, as alumni, family, students, friends, and supporters gathered to celebrate and reminisce at the 121st C Club Awards. The celebration began with Casie Runksmeier, interim athletics director, speaking about what it means to be a Mule and applauding the dedication of those who continue to fuel the spirit through supporting organizations like C Club.

C Club brings current students, alumni, friends, and family together to connect, exchange memories, and support Colby athletics. Runksmeier introduced the awards by introducing Charlie Anderson ’25, a current men’s crew team athlete, who shared how Colby impacted his life.

“I row because there is no better feeling than being part of an eight-man crew in perfect swing, gracefully propelling the hull through the water,” Anderson shared. “I row for the smiles on my teammates’ faces after a good piece or their hoots and hollers when the rowing feels good. As I reflect on these moments, I remember how lucky I am to share them with my teammates somewhere as special as the Hume Center. I’m pumped to be part of this team and will do everything I can to leave my mark on this program as a student athlete and, soon, as a member of our strong alumni network. ”

After hearing from current and past Colby athletes, volleyball alumna Reagan Carey ’01 stepped up to the stage, along with other volleyball alumni, to award the Carl E. Nelson Sports Achievement Award to the late Candice Parent, who spent 26 years as a coach and administrator at Colby, inspiring athletes to reach for greatness on and off the court.

As head coach of volleyball, Parent helped the Mules to four straight 20-plus win seasons from 2002 to 2005, including a 37-4 record and a trip to the NCAA Division lll Tournament Final Eight in 2005.

In 2002 and 2005, Parent was named NESCAC Coach of the Year, and she reached her 300th career victory at Colby during the 2012-13 season. Additionally, she was an assistant coach for women’s basketball and softball at Colby. Parent inspired athletes of all ages at Colby and in the greater Waterville community.

Outside of her accomplishments, Carey, recently appointed to Colby’s Board of Trustees, spoke about Parent’s impact on her team, on and off the court.

“Candice made all of us feel valued, which gave us the confidence to often excel past our own expectations for ourselves,” said Carey, who also played ice hockey while at Colby. “But let’s be clear, she didn’t have some elaborate PowerPoint presentation to promote her brand of coaching. She didn’t have a rigid code of conduct. She didn’t sit down and give you some big speech about her philosophies of life. She just did it.”

Stew Stokes, head crew coach, discussed the impact of the late Dr. H. Alan and Dorothy Hume, who were honored with the 2024 C Club Persons of the Year Award.

This award recognizes the Humes’ generous support and dedication to Colby athletics and the entire Colby community. Their generosity led to the establishment of the Colby-Hume Center after the pair donated a 10-acre parcel of land on Messalonskee Lake in Sidney, Maine.

Since 1991 Colby’s crew teams have been based at the Hume Center, where they practice. The Humes acted as “godparents” to the teams and were significant to the crew teams achieving varsity status in 1993. This well-loved location is also enjoyed by Colby students, alumni, and staff, especially in the warmer months.

Stokes shared how the couple created a place for others to enjoy, learn, and succeed.

“Dottie and Alan knew very little about rowing when Colby crew started calling the Hume Center home. But their passion for Colby, their passion for education, for supporting people, has made for a beautiful partnership. It helped the Colby administration realize that those rowers deserved to become varsity athletes.” Stokes said.

The Humes’ legacy will continue to provide students, staff, alumni, and families with opportunities to try new things, grow their personal and athletic skills, and enjoy the property on Messalonskee Lake.

The C Club added a new tradition to the annual awards by recognizing one team with the Mules Team of the Year Award. The club set the bar high by recognizing a national championship team as the first to be honored.

The 2003 women’s crew team was the most successful in Colby’s history, earning the 2003 NCAA Division Ill Rowing Championship, Colby’s only national championship in school history. The year before winning the national championship, the team finished ranked No. 2 in the country.

To commemorate the successful championship win, one of the shells used in the race, Jean’s Grace, has been suspended in the Richard R. Schmaltz Welcome Pavilion in the Harold Alfond Athletics and Recreation Center. Leah Robertson ’03 and Emily Allen Tyler ’03, captains during the 2003 season, shared how the boat’s name is significant to the team. The shell was named after a parent of a Colby women’s crew team member, who died on Flight 93 on Sept. 11, 2001.

Through heartfelt stories, both Robertson and Tyler shared how significant it was to be part of the women’s crew team.

The 2003 women’s crew team included Eleanor Boyce ’03, Emily Allen Tyler ’03, Leah Robertson ’03, Vivienne Ho ’03, Andrea Piekarski ’04, Cameron Fisher ’04, Kathryn O’Neill ’04, Laura Mistretta Kirk ’04, Leah Hagamen ’05, Anne Szender ’05, Caitlin Chamberlin ’05, Caroline Andresen ’05, Elizabeth Curran ’05, Elizabeth Johnson ’05, Megan Loosigian ’05, Sarah Dunham Gray ’05, Elizabeth Shepherd Christensen ’06, Margaret Duggan ’06, Rebecca Reisman Torrisi ’06, and Sarah Hoskinson ’06.

C Club Award ceremony concluded in true Colby fashion by cheering, “Go Mules.”