FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR RUNNER-UP: Olympian Closes Out Crimson Career

ECAC Rookie of the Year. Three-time First Team All-ECAC selection. Two-time Olympic medalist.

This is just a glimpse into the loaded résumé that Harvard women’s hockey co-captain Julie Chu brought with her into the 2006-07 season. With such a complete body of work in her tenure with the Crimson, there didn’t seem to be a whole lot left for the senior to accomplish as she returned to the Bright Hockey Center after missing a season playing for Team USA at the Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy.

But Chu raised the bar once again, turning in her finest campaign at Harvard and setting the standard for women’s hockey players across the nation. She led the NCAA with 2.20 points per game and 48 assists. Chu’s outstanding farewell tour led her to be honored with the Patty Kazmaier Award as the top women’s college hockey player in the country.

“Every year [the competition] gets stronger and stronger,” Chu said of the Kazmaier field. “It’s a great honor to be able to be distinguished in that sense.”

As the Crimson’s leader, Chu proved to be unrivaled at managing an offense.

“She’s one of those rare kids with tremendous talent who is truly selfless,” Harvard coach Katey Stone said. “She was a great captain and leader on and off the ice.”

Stone also noted that as proud as Chu was of winning the Patty Kazmaier Award, she would happily trade it for the national championship that has eluded her in her time with the Crimson. Harvard took an early bow out of the NCAA Tournament with a first-round loss to Wisconsin.

But while her college career might have ended on a bittersweet note, nothing can dampen the highlights of one of the greatest careers in Crimson history.

Chu will look to add Olympic gold to the silver and bronze that she already owns when she plays in the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver in 2010. She then plans to pursue a coaching career at the college level, a career that may begin sooner than expected.

With assistant Claudia Asano leaving Harvard to take over Union’s women’s hockey program, there is an open spot on the Crimson bench—a spot that Chu would undoubtedly fit in to quite comfortably.

Both Chu and Stone declined to say whether Chu would join Harvard’s coaching staff next season, but neither ruled out the possibility.

“I’m not sure right now,” Chu said. “I’m trying to work out my options for next year and see what’s available for my career and also balance my personal life as well.”

Stone took a more mystical approach.

“You never know…to be continued.”

—Staff writer Loren Amor can be reached at lamor@fas.harvard.edu.