31st Annual University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame Dinner, October 9, 1999Catherine Golden ‘88
Another in a long line of outstanding UVM track and field athletes, Catherine Golden was one of the school’s most versatile performers and one of the all-time great female athletes of her generation. Also an excellent student, she was the winner of the 1988 Wasson Athletic Prize, given for excellence in academics and athletics.
When she graduated in 1988, Golden held four indoor and one outdoor records at UVM: high jump – indoor (5-10), 50-meter indoor high hurdles (7.6 seconds), 55-meter indoor high hurdles (8.24 seconds), the indoor pentathlon (3,807 points) and outdoors, the 100-meter high hurdles (14.49 seconds). In 1988, her 5-10 high jump was the best by a Catamount indoor or outdoor.
An All-American high school athlete from Marcellus, NY, Golden set six high school track and field records at Marcellus High and was chosen Syracuse Female Athlete of the Year.
Most of all, Golden was also one of the top track and field athletes in New England during her four years at Vermont winning five New England individual titles. As a freshman, she scored points for UVM in three events in each meet and her best finish was second in the long jump in the outdoor championship. As a sophomore (while jumping on a sprained ankle) she won the New England outdoor high jump title at 5-7 to set a A.T. Post Field record and came in third in the long jump as Vermont finished third.
In 1987, Golden won two NE indoor championships in which she established UVM records that she would later break: 5-9 in the high jump and 3,561 points in the pentathlon. A week later she won the Eastern Indoor Championship in the pentathlon with 3653 points to extend her school record.
Golden finished her career with more outstanding performances in both the indoor and outdoor New England’s. She once again won the pentathlon as the Cats finished second in the indoor championships and again topped her UVM record with a whopping 3807 points. Outside in the spring, Golden led Vermont to the 1988 New England Championships with a win in the high jump and a third place finish in the 100-meter high hurdles.
Twice co-captain of the track and field team at UVM, Golden as a sophomore beat out Hall of Famer Chris Boehmer ’87 to win the Most Valuable Performer award given to the top women’s track and field athlete. After Boehmer won the award in 1987, Golden again was honored as the MVP her senior year.
Golden now works as an enterprise scientist with the fundamental biology program at NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C. She has a master’s degree in physiology and a Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology from the University of Florida. Still active athletically, she enjoys mountain biking and rock climbing, and just recently earned her private pilot’s license.
