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Currence '18 - Courage On and Off the Court

Falmouth Academy Alumna and Northeastern senior guard and team captain Kendall Currence ’18 was named the 2022 Pat Summitt Most Courageous award winner by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. This annual award honors a player, coach, official, or administrator of amateur basketball who demonstrates extraordinary courage. Currence is the first member of the Colonial Athletic Association to receive this award, which will be conferred on Friday, April 1 in Minneapolis during the Women’s Final Four.

Known for her skill, sportsmanship, and leadership on the court, Currence is this year’s top scorer for the Huskies with an average of 16 points per game and a career-high of 31 points on January 28. While at Falmouth Academy, Currence netted 2,310 points making her the state's ninth all-time leading scorer. Currence is honored with this award not just for her athletic achievement but for her strength of character, courage, and perseverance in the face of adversity.

Kendall was born with a congenital condition requiring numerous surgeries for a cleft lip and palate and related cardiac anomalies. She underwent dozens of surgeries throughout childhood and high school. Any one of these conditions might deter a less determined person from pursuing a competitive baseball career, but not Currence. Despite undergoing a botched jaw surgery at the beginning of her senior year at Falmouth Academy, which left her in constant pain, Currence became the first player to score over 2,000 career points, setting the record for the most points scored by a player on Cape Cod.

Currence is eligible to play one more year of college ball due to an eligibility allowance made by the NCAA in light of the pandemic. She will graduate this spring with a psychology degree and is considering playing another year for Northeastern while pursuing a master’s degree. She has great respect for her coach, Bridgette Mitchell, who is equally fond of Currence. Mitchell describes her as a woman of character who has overcome great adversity, and who will continue to change the world. After college, Currence hopes to continue playing ball on the professional level.

Photos from Northeastern Athletics and the FA Archives.
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