Bright Green

The 1985-'86 Harvard women's hockey team had a modest season in statistical terms: fourth place in the Ivy League, an opening-round shellacking by powerhouse Brown in the Ivy tournament, and a 12-10-1 overall record.

But the numbers don't tell reveal that the squad boasted just a single junior and two seniors.

One of those upperclassmen was Co-Captain Genie Simmons, who emerged as a goal-scoring threat at second-line center while providing the leadership-by-example down the stretch that the youthful Crimson so desperately needed.

The multi-talented Simmons, offensive-minded on the ice, concerned herself with defense on the Harvard women's lacrosse team.

She says she didn't play defense in hockey "because I can't skate backwards."

She went forward just fine, though. Simmons knocked in 13 goals and notched 11 assists for the icewomen this winter.

With the Crimson, Simmons steadily improved in all aspects of her hockey game: including skating backwards. Her point total rose each year, from six as a freshman to 15 as a sophomore, 17 as a junior and 24 last season.