Ira R. Herr Athletic Hall of Fame
Many female athletes to pass through Elizabethtown College during the Julia Risser era excelled in multiple sports and Kathryn Barron was no exception.
Barron transferred to E-town as a sophomore latching on with the field hockey and women's basketball teams. Up until she arrived on campus, Barron had never competed in varsity athletics.
Barron's careers between the two sports was directly opposite that of former teammate and fellow 2016 Ira R. Herr Hall of Fame inductee Frances Hoover. Hoover was the dynamic scorer in field hockey and Barron held defensive responsibilities as a halfback, but on the hardwood it was the forward, Barron, serving as one of E-town's go-to scorers and guard, Hoover, the defensive stalwart.
Barron finished her first season of women's basketball as the team's third leading scorer with 51 field goals and 43 foul shots for 145 points. The Mansfield, Pa., native ended up topping 100 field goals on her way to 250 points and a 25.0 points per game average in 1956-57.
Barron's 25.0 ppg average during the 1956-57 season and her career 18.8 ppg average both rank second in Elizabethtown women's basketball history. Coach Julia Risser tabbed Barron with introducing the jump shot to Blue Jay women's basketball and labeled her, "a natural."
Barron, who passed away at age 35 in 1972, scored a career-high 35 points in a loss at East Stroudsburg during the 1956-67 season.
