Photo courtesy of the Mount Holyoke athletics department
A memorial service was held in Abbey Chapel on Sunday after former field hockey captain Laura Murphy '15 was killed in a car accident. The team's annual Alumnae Game was renamed the Laura Murphy '15 Alumnae Game in remembrance of her.
BY MARYA JUCEWICZ '17
Former field hockey captain Laura Murphy ’15 was honored with a memorial service in Abbey Chapel on Sunday after having been killed in a car accident this summer. Murphy’s life was also celebrated with a reception at Kendall Sports and Dance Complex after the service, and with the field hockey team’s annual Alumnae Game. The game was permanently renamed the Laura Murphy ’15 Alumnae Game in her memory.
According to the athletics department, Murphy played in 44 field hockey games during her four-year career and helped the team reach four consecutive appearances at the NEWMAC Tournament and two straight showings in the conference championship. Murphy was elected tri-captain at the end of her junior season and aided the team in reaching the NCAA Tournament during her junior and senior seasons.
Murphy graduated cum laude with honors, earning a B.A. in biology with a minor in Spanish, according to the athletics department. She was admitted to the doctoral program in microbiology at the University of California, Berkeley and was planning to start working to- wards her Ph.D. there this semester.
Murphy’s impact within the Mount Holyoke community was great, said Director of Athletics Lori Hendricks. “It was not a surprise that Abbey Chapel was filled to celebrate the life of Laura Murphy. She was a remarkable member of our Lyons family, and she will be missed.”