OXFORD – Ithaca College Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreational Sports Susan Bassett made the announcement that nine individuals and two teams would be inducted into the Hall of Fame for Ithaca College on Friday, Oct. 7, 2016.
"The Ithaca College Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony provides a time for the Bomber family to pause and celebrate our rich tradition of excellence in all sports. The 2016 Hall of Fame class represents the best of that tradition and will inspire us all to emulate their outstanding careers and accomplishments," said Bassett according to a press release.
One of the 11 inductees for 2016 was Margo McGowan Barrows – a longtime resident and now teacher and coach in Oxford. McGowan was inducted into the class of 1998 as a two sport athlete at Ithaca College where she performed exceptionally well on the Women's Basketball and Softball team.
“Whatever season it was, that was my favorite,” said McGowan of her passion for the two sports. “It is still unbelievable that I was inducted, I just loved to play and really didn't feel like my career was all that amazing. I worked with great teammates, great coaches, great trainers, and had wonderful support from my family, friends, and previous coaches and teachers.”
Currently McGowan teaches high school Physical Education and Health at her alma mater, Oxford Academy – where she has been teaching for the past 18 years.
“Something I wanted to do, when I was a junior in high school we did a shadowing experience with BOCES for teacher careers , and I shadowed a Physical Education teacher in Norwich,” said McGowan of her passion and want to become a Physical Education teacher. “My senior year (high school) I did a unique career program, so every morning I got to shadow a phys ed teacher, that was for my whole senior year.”
Regardless of her drive to become a teacher, McGowan was a very gifted athlete while she was a Blackhawk of Oxford, where she grew up on a dairy farm showing horses and playing basketball and softball in between. The successes she had at the high school level drew the attention of Ithaca College where she eventually settled on attending to play both her sports – basketball and softball – while pursuing her life goal of becoming a teacher.
A two-sport standout at Ithaca, Margo McGowan excelled on the hardwood and diamond from 1994-98. As a four-year player on the basketball team, McGowan cemented her name in numerous single-season and career categories and guided the Bombers to 72 victories and one NCAA appearance in 1996-97 (the first in school history). During her two seasons with the softball program, Ithaca went 61-30 and made two trips to the NCAA Championships.
McGowan was a three-time Empire Athletic Association All-Star, a two-time ECAC Upstate All-Star and the EAA Player of the Year in 1998. She still ranks second in career steals with 352, in tied for second in rebounds with 853 and is eighth in scoring with 1,200 points. On the single-season ranks, she is 3-4-5 in steals, eighth in rebounds and 10th in single-season points, read an except from the Ithaca Hall of Fame press release regarding McGowen and her successes on the court.
