Hall of Fame
Katherine Knudsen Bellon '99 was a United Soccer Coaches, formerly National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Regional All-American in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Knudsen Bellon was also a three-time NEW-8 All-Conference First Team member, and was the NEW-8 Player of the Year in 1996 and 1997. Knudsen Bellon was later on the first NEWMAC All-Conference First Team for women's soccer. Knudsen Bellon was part of a Wellesley soccer team that was a NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Tournament regional finalist in 1998. She is Wellesley's all-time leader in goals (44), assists (44) and points (130). In 1996, she recorded 18 goals and 48 points, still the Wellesley record for the most in a season. From 1995 to 1999, the soccer program had a record of 61-17-6 - the most successful four-run in program history. Knudsen Bellon was named to the 25-Year All-NEWMAC Soccer Team.
I grew up on Wellesley’s campus, and, in many ways, the college was my “Giving Tree.” My father, Jonathan Knudsen, spent his entire academic career at Wellesley, teaching in the History Department from 1976 until his death in 1999. Like the boy in Shel Silverstein’s story, my sister, Eden, and I climbed the college’s branches and played in its shade. We learned to swim at Lake Waban, played frisbee on Severence Green, and raced our sleds down the best sledding hill in town. One winter, a sharp drop in temperature caused the lake to freeze almost overnight, and the accompanying lack of wind or snow meant the ice was as clear and smooth as glass. We skated all the way across the lake, gliding and looping back around until the blisters on our feet forced us to stop.
Still, I never imagined going to college in the town where I grew up. But Wellesley was a generous employer at the time of my father’s tenure, offering free tuition to the children of their faculty—a “fruit” from its branches that was difficult to turn down. I entered in September 1995 as a member of the Class of 1999, graduating debt-free from one of the most prestigious and academically rigorous undergraduate institutions in the country.
The Wellesley Blue soccer team had had losing records the two previous seasons, but Andy Nelson was a talented coach and recruiter, and we went from a 12-7-1 record my first season, to a 17-2-2 record by my junior year and the top-ranked defense in the country for any Division III team. My senior season, we secured the program’s first-ever NCAA tournament berth, though a conspiracy between my cleats and a muddy field resulted in a spiral fracture of my left fibula that left me sidelined for the final weeks of this historic season. Nonetheless, soccer at Wellesley was transformational for me. During an otherwise difficult and uncertain time in my life, I experienced an instant sense of belonging. I grew as a player, a leader, and a young woman. Though I lacked self-possession in other parts of my life, I felt a sense of competence and confidence on the field—that beautiful “putting green,” surrounded by trees crowned with the red, orange, and golden leaves of the New England fall.
In the years since, I have traveled far from the tree. I relocated to Colorado and traded in my soccer cleats for snowboards, skis, and mountain bikes. I’ve also experienced the typical ravages of middle age, including injuries, surgeries, and many hours spent in physical therapy, all of which have caused me to feel a sense of loss over my identity as an athlete. But with this selection to the Athletics Hall of Fame, Wellesley has given to me again. Like the stump of the tree at the end of the story, this honor serves as a point of reflection. In addition to allowing me to remember and celebrate this formative part of my life, I feel re-rooted to this special place. For these many gifts, and for the chance to come home and sit in the shade of Wellesley’s branches again, I remain deeply grateful.
