Middle grad caps outstanding college basketball career with first-team NJAC selection after leading conference in scoring

Posted: March 18th 2025

Middle Township graduate Kate Herlihy of the Rowan University women's basketball team led the NJAC in scoring at 18.4 points per game as a senior.

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

CapeAtlanticLive.com

When Kate Herlihy was close to graduation from Middle Township High School four years ago, the standout three-sport athlete wasn’t even sure she wanted to attend college, let alone play a sport.

She had a Division I offer to play field hockey at Long Island University and a Division III offer to play basketball at Rowan University.

“Overall, I had some thoughts that I wasn’t sure I even wanted to go to college and there were times that if I did I wasn’t sure I wanted to play a sport,” Herlihy recalled. “Even after I committed, I kind of asked myself, ‘Do I really want to do this?’

“But now? I wouldn’t have changed anything at all.”

Herlihy ultimately chose to attend Rowan University. Late last month, the 2021 Middle graduate completed one of the great careers in the history of the Profs’ women’s basketball program.

Herlihy, a 5-7 guard, was named a first team New Jersey Athletic Conference selection after emerging as far and away the conference’s scoring leader at 18.4 points per game. She finished second in the NJAC in three-point field goals with 58 and led the conference in three-point shooting percentage at .436. 

“I was very proud to make first team,” Herlihy said. “It feels good just to have that recognition that my hard work was noticed.”

KATE HERLIHY

Herlihy was a role player for Rowan in her first two college seasons before averaging 13.5 points as a junior and earning NJAC honorable mention status. Then this season, she led the NJAC in scoring average by almost three points per game. Herlihy was remarkably consistent during her final season for the Profs, scoring at least 20 points in a game 10 times, including in her final three games. She scored in double figures in every game except one and put up a career-high 36 points in her final regular-season game, a 65-61 win at rival Stockton.

“I’m definitely happy with how I performed. It was more up to my standards,” Herlihy said. “My first two years, I was a little timid. I didn’t have that confidence. But I think last year and this year, especially, I had more confidence in how I could play and how good I could be. I stopped being so stressed about playing and overthinking things and more so played just to have fun, especially this year with it being my last year. It was just, go out and play my hardest and play my best.”

Rowan finished 17-9 overall, 13-5 in the NJAC this winter.

Herlihy completed her college career with 1,113 points, good for 11th all-time in program history. Her 126 three-point field goals place her fourth in program history, one behind Wildwood Catholic graduate Olivia Rulon. She’s also 11th in program history with 433 career field goals.

In addition to her basketball prowess, Herlihy has won numerous academic awards. She’s a three-time Rowan Scholar-Athlete of Distinction.

Herlihy, 22, is set to graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in health promotion and wellness management, with minors in sports psychology and nutrition. She’s currently working an internship in sports physical therapy.

Herlihy said she was proud to have seen her career through to the finish. That often doesn’t happen at the Division III level as many college athletes at that level fail to complete their four seasons of eligibility for a variety of reasons.

“At the Division III level, there aren’t many perks,” she said. “You’re just playing because you like to play, which I think is an awesome thing because you know everyone there really wants to be there. It was really important to me to play all four years. It’s something I really like to do and enjoyed in my free time, getting to play basketball. It helped take away stress from more serious stuff because every day I got a few hours to play basketball.

“Right away in my freshmen year, I was very lucky to meet all the girls on the team because they became some of my best friends almost instantly. It was a great environment to be surrounded by people who were so positive.”

Herlihy shined in basketball, field hockey and lacrosse at Middle. She scored 1,239 career points at Middle despite playing in just 15 games as a senior due to restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. She led Middle to a 14-1 record and a division championship in her final season. Herlihy posted 102 career goals in field hockey, leading Middle to a sectional championship as a senior while scoring 25 goals in just 16 games. And she scored 55 goals in two seasons as a lacrosse player after first competing in spring track as a freshman and sophomore.

(Note: Photos from Rowan University athletics website.)