The 1990 recipient of the Barbara Barnes Hauptfuhrer '49 Scholar-Athlete Award, JJ (Janet Jodi) Hanousek Larson '90 was a four-year member of the basketball and lacrosse teams before joining the soccer team during her senior year. "JJ" excelled in basketball and lacrosse and still ranks 11th all-time in Blue basketball program history with 1,022 points scored from 1986-1990. In addition, Larson is the Blue lacrosse programs all-time leader in save percentage as a goalkeeper (.659). In 1989-90, she was selected to the NEWMAC Basketball All-Conference team. The same year in lacrosse, she was named a 1990 Honorable Mention Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association National All-America (IWLCA) after earning IWLCA All-Region and NEWMAC All-Conference selections following a season during which she posted a save percentage of .658, still the best mark in a season in program history.
My first experience in organized sports was softball when I was 8 years old, mostly because it was theonly option for girls in upstate NY in the mid-1970s. In high school, I was able to play soccer, basketball,and softball and I always dreaded the few weeks between seasons when I had nothing to do after school.
When it came time to pick a college, I wanted to be a serious student but also play sports year-round.Wellesley College was the perfect fit, where I could go from geek to jock without fear of judgment (though my friends didn’t totally let me off the hook for my "studious" tendencies).
I was fortunate to join the basketball team and to be offered the chance join the lacrosse team without ever picking up a lacrosse stick before. I was told that basketball players make good lacrosse players due to the similar footwork and offense/defensive tactics. A stress fracture threatened to derail my lacrosse dreams in my first year, relegating me to the sidelines as a glorified warm-up partner for our senior
goalie. And then sophomore year, I was back on the field, this time as the starting goalie, thanks to a fortuitous lack of competition for the position. And by senior year we were heading to the NCAA tournament with me as its most experienced goalie.
My first year on the basketball team I often was stuck guarding our standout senior center and 1000+ point scorer, Del Akins, who is 6’3”. I was not even close to being next tallest on the team at a mere 5’7” so I never understood that pairing. But I did understand that I was going to have to figure out how to guard her and shoot around her or it was going to be a very long season. I recall many times when she would be in the middle of fixing her hair and I’d put up an optimistic shot and she would simply swat it away without any hesitation. By the end of the season, I had developed an effective hook shot that had a much better chance of getting over her. Over my years at Wellesley, that left-handed hook shot was my signature move and a big contributor to my scoring success. Thank you Del!
Those first-year experiences were what set me up for a great athletic career at Wellesley. As a senior I decided to go back to playing soccer. Again, Wellesley allowed me this opportunity and I joined the team, and I was voted the “most improved player” as a senior! I know it is silly, but that award is more cherished than any of my other basketball or lacrosse awards until this Hall of Fame honor.
Since my time at Wellesley, I have continued to participate in sports including soccer, basketball, ultimate frisbee, running, boot camps, and most recently pickleball. In addition, I spent many years coaching girls’ sports. I had life changing coaches at Wellesley including Roxanne Dale (basketball), Susan Ford (lacrosse), and Doug Williamson (soccer), and Connie Bauman in the athletic training room, so I have strived to have a similar positive impact and influence on young girls who will be much better players than I ever was due to the chances to play competitive sports at much younger ages. I am delighted that my three daughters are continuing in their own athletic journeys.
Sports has taught me discipline, time-management, teamwork, and most importantly, how to thrive outside my comfort zone. Being inducted into the Wellesley Hall of Fame is an incredible honor, capping off all the fun, hard work, and memories from my time at Wellesley.
