For junior Cassie Catlow, ice hockey is more than a sport – it’s a way of life. “I started skating when I was 9 years old. I basically grew up at URI’s Boss Arena,” she said. And when she couldn’t find opportunities to be on a girls’ team, she improvised. “I played on boys’ hockey teams for a while,” she said. “That was intense.”
As the women’s ice hockey team captain at her high school in Pomfret, Conn., the North Kingstown resident had her pick of varsity college teams come decision time. Instead, she chose URI for our nationally ranked club team. Cassie has excelled with the Rams, who were ranked first in the country among Division 1 club teams at one point during the 2012-2103 season. Cassie has recently been named the 2013 American Collegiate Hockey Association Zoe Harris Player of the Year, which is the top individual award among 48 women’s teams. “That’s definitely the most prestigious award I’ve ever won,” she said. “Without a doubt.” She’s also a 2013 All-American player, URI most valuable player, URI leading scorer, and a member of the 2013 Eastern Collegiate Women’s Hockey League All League Team. Her team has also named her assistant captain. And most recently, Cassie and one of her teammates have been invited to play on Team USA at the 2013 Winter World University Games in Trentino, Italy.
But she’s not just great at hockey. The kinesiology major has maintained a 3.85 grade point average at URI, and recently completed an internship at South County Orthopedics in South Kingstown. “After I tore my meniscus and anterior cruciate ligament playing hockey sophomore year, I had to go through physical therapy. It helped me to recover and get back onto the ice,” she said. “After that experience, I knew that physical therapy was the profession I wanted to get into.”
Cassie plans to attend graduate school for physical therapy after her graduation in 2015, and would like to work as a travelling physical therapist for a pro-team. But right now, she’s enjoying her time at URI as a student and athlete, which she says has been great. “Both my parents are alumni, and the team has been awesome,” she said. “URI is like home to me.”