Hall of Fame
Quite simply, Kathy Darling ranks among the greatest female athletes in school history as she left her mark on the Johns Hopkins track and field and women's basketball programs; imagine if she'd have been at Homewood for four years. Darling transferred to Johns Hopkins as a junior, yet her accomplishments in just two years stand out even among the outstanding female athletes that have represented both programs.
Darling won the 2003 national championship in the discus and had four top two finishes at the NCAAs in the discus and javelin. In addition to winning the national championship in the discus as a senior, she was the runner-up in the event as a junior and the national runner-up in the javelin as a junior and senior.
More than 15 years after her career end, Darling still holds the school record in both events with marks that haven't been threatened since she graduated.
Darling's efforts in track came after she put together equally exceptional efforts in basketball. In just the two seasons, she scored 906 points and added 417 rebounds. She ranked 11th in school history in points and 12th in rebounds when she graduated and still ranks among the top 20 in both categories. She also holds the top two single-season field goal percentage marks (.640 and .607) and her career field goal percentage (.624) is 10 percent better than the next best mark (.524).
To solidify her place in the annals of the all-time greats at Johns Hopkins, Darling excelled in the classroom. She earned First Team CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in track as a senior, when she was named the Women's Track Academic All-American of the Year. She was the first Johns Hopkins athlete - in any sport - earn Academic All-America of the Year honors and she added Second Team Academic All-America honors in basketball.
