When she came out of tiny Cambridge High School in 1987, Katy Hulin was regarded as a high level recruit but there were questions as to how she would fare in the competitive world of NCAA Division III women’s basketball. It didn’t take long for those questions to be answered as she graduated from Augustana in 1991 as one of the best players in the history of the program.
She was an undersized post player who had tremendous hands and a relentless approach around the basket. When the ball came her way she latched onto it and didn’t let go. She had a competitive fire that burned brightly but her demeanor on the floor was one of control and calm. Hulin had a blue collar approach to the game but she put up white collar numbers.
She led the team in rebounding all four of her years at Augustana and was the leading scorer twice. Her name is all over the school record book. During her sophomore season (1988-89) she pulled down a school record 292 rebounds and in her senior season of 1990-91 she set the mark for single season field goal percentage at .579 (190-328). Both of those records are still intact as is her career rebounding total of 927, over a 100 better than the second place figure.
Hulin has three of the top 10 single season scoring marks in school history. Her 506 points in 1988-89 is second while her 424 points in 1990-91 has her in seventh place and her 399 points in 1989-90 is 10th. Besides her school record in rebounding, her 1989-90 total of 224 is ninth and she is in the top 10 three times in single season field goal percentage. In her freshman year of 1987-88, she shot .561 (142-253) from the floor and that is the third best ever for the Vikings and her mark of .536 (216-403) in 1988-89 is currently ninth.
By the time she graduated, she was second on the career scoring list with 1,662 points and was third in field goal percentage at .533 (717-1346) in addition to her school rebounding record.
Winning was the by-product of her play and the Vikings compiled an overall record of 81-22 during her career, winning the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin three times (1988-89, 1989-90 and 1990-91) and finishing second during her freshman year (1987-88). In that three year run of titles, Hulin led Augustana to a 44-4 record in league play, culminating in a perfect 16-0 campaign during her senior season of 1990-91. She was named the CCIW’s “Most Valuable Player” during that year. She was a three time first team all-conference selection and was a second team pick her freshman year.
In the fall of 1990 she was honored by the state of Illinois as a Student Laureate Recipient from the Lincoln Academy and in 1991 the Augustana education department named her the “Outstanding Secondary Education Graduate”.
“I was very blessed to play on some talented Augie teams,” she said. “I share this recognition with my teammates.”
The honors have not stopped for Hulin as she was inducted into the inaugural class of the Cambridge High School’s “Athletic Hall of Fame” in 2000.
She received her Master’s degree in physical education/sports administration from Western Illinois in 1999 and picked up an M.S. in educational administration from WIU in 2002. She is currently the junior high school principal in the Rockridge Community Unit School District and in 2008 was named the Blackhawk Region “Middle School Principal of the Year” by the Illinois Principals Association.
Katy and her husband Tom have a daughter Devin (12) and they reside in Taylor Ridge, Illinois.
