ST. BONAVENTURE, N.Y. – St. Bonaventure University Athletics and the women's basketball program will honor Bonnies greats Kathy Lynch, '81 and Hilary Waltman, '99 with the unveiling of a No. 22 banner, representing the jersey worn by both players at SBU, in the Reilly Center rafters Saturday, Feb. 18.

"It is an honor to be able to display Hilary and Kathy's jersey in the rafters of the Reilly Center," St. Bonaventure Director of Athletics Joe Manhertz said. "It is fitting that their jersey will be placed in the rafters if you look at the legacy of their playing career and what they accomplished in their post-playing career. It is an honor for them to represent St. Bonaventure."

While St. Bonaventure is not officially retiring the No. 22 from the program, the jersey will remain in The RC as a tribute to their careers and contributions to Bonnies Basketball.

Waltman is one of the best players to ever don the Brown and White, ranking as the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,106 points. At the time of her graduation in 1999, she was the only Bonnies player in history to reach the 2,000-point plateau and remains one of just two players in the 2,000-point club along with Dana Mitchell, '10, who has her No. 5 retired.

She ranks as the program's all-time leader in field goal percentage (54.1 percent), free throws made (588), steals (317) and 20-point games (58). Her 317 steals are 74 more than any other Bonnie. Waltman also stands second in made field goals (742), second in double-figure performances (98), second in 30-point games (5), sixth in rebounds (669), 10^th in assists (302) and 14^th in blocks (42). Waltman holds the single-season program record for made field goals with 220 in 1997-98 and made free throws with 175 in 1998-99.

From 1995-1999, Waltman led the Bonnies in scoring, averaging 19.0 points per game over 111 contests. She is one of two players in program history to average over 20.0 points per game in two separate seasons, scoring 20.2 points per game as a junior and then 21.3 points per contest as a senior.

When Waltman finished her four-year playing career, she was the only player in Bonnies program history to earn Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team accolades twice, garnering the honor in 1997-98 and 1998-99 after earning a Second Team nod as a sophomore. Waltman also received Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team honors.

She owns the top four single-season steal marks as well as four out of the top five single-season field goal percentages. Waltman also has three seasons that rank in the top five of the single-season scoring ranks.

Waltman was inducted to the St. Bonaventure Hall of Fame in 2012.

In 2014, Waltman was selected as the representative for St. Bonaventure in the Atlantic 10's Inaugural Women's Basketball Legends honorees.

Lynch was a trailblazer for all future Bonnies women's basketball players, becoming the first 1,000-point scorer in program history. At the time of her graduation in 1981, Lynch held the program record with 1,029 career points, a feat accomplished before the installation of the three-point line.

She was team captain for two seasons (1979-1980, 1980-1981) and was named WSBU Female Athlete of the Year (1981).

Lynch led the team in scoring twice with an average of 14.2 ppg in 1977-1978 and in 12.4 ppg 1978-1979.

Following graduation from St. Bonaventure, Lynch moved into officiating where her career would take her until her retirement in 2020 after more than 20 years at the NCAA level and nearly 40 overall.

In 1998, she started to officiate in Power 5 leagues, such as the ACC. A year later, she decided to pursue college basketball officiating as a full-time job. 

Along the way, Lynch officiated many memorable games. She was a referee during UConn's record-setting 89th consecutive win in 2010. She also officiated in the Pan American Games and in NCAA Regionals, including at least one game featuring powerhouse Tennessee and legendary coach Pat Summitt. She also worked the NCAA Division II and Division III championship games.

In 1991, Lynch became the first female member of the St. Bonaventure Hall of Fame. Four years later, she was inducted into the Metro Erie Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.

Lynch remains one of the all-time greats in the record book.

She ranks fourth all-time in 30-point games (3), fifth in steals (192) and 13^th in made field goals (473). Her 34-point performance against Little Three rival Canisius is the seventh-highest scoring game in program history while her 17 made field goals rank third all-time in a single game.

Lynch and Waltman will be recognized as part of a banner unveiling ceremony during Bona's Feb. 18 game vs. VCU at the Reilly Center. Tip time is scheduled for 4 p.m. and the game is part of St. Bonaventure Homecoming Weekend.

 

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