The Thayer Sports Hall of Fame inducted three new members this past weekend as it welcomed its Class of 2025. The ceremonies took place Sept. 19 in Cahall Dining Hall as part of the Evening of Alumni Excellence, which was itself part of the Academy’s Reunion Celebration for classes ending in 0 and 5. (Click here to view photos from the evening)

Athletic Director Bobbi Moran welcomed guests that night and shared an important Thayer milestone with the crowd. 

“This is the very first all-female induction class,” said Moran, who praised the inductees for adding to the tremendous legacy of female sports at Thayer. 

The Thayer Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025 includes: Kelsey Johnson Abrahams ’09 (field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse); Karen Jodoin P ’22 , head coach of girls varsity basketball; and the 2002 girls varsity track and field team. 

Abrahams, the night's first inductee, earned 10 varsity letters at Thayer while playing field hockey, basketball, and lacrosse; she served as a captain in all three sports. She was named All-ISL in both field hockey and basketball but truly shone on the lacrosse field. There, in addition to All-ISL and All-NEPSAC recognition, she garnered US Lacrosse First Team All-American honors in 2008 and was selected as a 2009 Under Armour All-American — a designation reserved for the top high school players in the country. A two-time Team MVP in lacrosse, Abrahams’ all-around leadership and excellence were recognized with the Nancy DiNatale Taylor Prize during both her sophomore and senior years. She continued her athletic excellence as a four-year starter for the Dartmouth women’s lacrosse team. 

“I’m very proud and also humbled to be standing here,” said Abrahams that night. She directed attention not to herself but to her teammates, her coaches, and her teachers, all of whom, she said, pushed her to succeed. 

“It sounds cliche,” noted Abrahams, “but it really is all about the people.” 

Abrahams made sure to thank her family in general and her parents in particular. 

“Thank you both for everything,” she told them. “I’m so lucky to have you.” 

Jodoin arrived at Thayer in 1992 and during her 30-year tenure guided the girls varsity basketball team to three ISL championships, an undefeated 20-0 season in 1996, a NEPSAC Class B championship, and later a NEPSAC Class A championship after successfully petitioning to move the program up a division. A teacher in every sense of the word, Jodoin not only transformed Thayer girls basketball into a powerhouse but taught science at the Upper School and served as the first advisor to Thayer’s original Gay-Straight Alliance. 

In her remarks, Jodoin offered a handful of core principles which had served her well as both a coach and a teacher. One of them was as simple as it was profound: life isn’t fair. 

“Stop hoping and wishing it will be fair and get to work,” Jodoin said. 

Jodoin said she accepted induction on behalf of her players, emphasizing that she meant all of her players — the stars, the starters, the role players, and the practice players who were all necessary to build great teams. 

“In all those wins, I didn’t score a single basket or grab a single rebound,” she reminded listeners. A little later, she thanked her players for their hard work, sacrifice, and togetherness. 

“These young women had genuine affection and respect for one another,” she said. 

Last but by no means least, the 2002 girls varsity track & field team was recognized not only for winning the ISL and NEPSAC crowns that year but for setting the standard for a program which has earned literally dozens of such titles since. 

“The 2002 track team was truly exceptional,” said the team’s head coach, Jeff Browne P ’04, ’05, who still leads the program today and was himself inducted into the Thayer Sports Hall of Fame in 2015. 

Seeking to explain a little of the team’s dominance, Browne pointed out that at the 2002 ISL Track & Field Championships, which were hosted that year by Milton Academy, the Tigers — who were a relatively new program back then — delivered a historic performance, scoring 202 points, the highest total in league history. And that year’s runner-up? Well, that squad finished with 77 points. 

“They set enduring standards for our program,” said Browne, who was quick to thank his assistant coaches for their contributions to the team’s success. 

The 2002 girls track & field team includes: Johanna Black ’02; Kristin Hogan ’02; Therese Maloney ’02; Sara McSweeney ’02; Danielle Donahue Baker ’03; Elizabeth Berry ’03; Bradley Wray Cooke ’03; Lauren Davis ’03; Kate O'Brien ’03; Joeanna King McPherson ’03; Sarah Wilfred ’03; Sophie Browne Jones ’04; Sandra Pina ’04; Evonne Royston ’04; Chizoba Ezeigwe Gatlin ’05; Erin York Banning ’05; and Elizabeth Lawton ’07.

The 2025 Reunion celebration coincided with Homecoming, offering attendees a chance to cheer on Thayer sports teams and enjoy additional festivities, such as a TAPA (Thayer Academy Parent Association) bake sale and a variety of food trucks.

Established in 1991, the Thayer Sports Hall of Fame is dedicated to the thousands of Thayer students and coaches who have given their best, on the playing field and in the classroom, representing the school with determination, perseverance, cooperation, sportsmanship, and courage.