Mary Powers
Mary Powers

Arguably one of the best student-athletes to ever wear a Saints uniform, Mary excelled not only on the basketball court, but in the classroom as well.

A member of one the most notable athletic families in all of Northern New York State, Mary came to North Country in the Fall of 1988 and quickly became the cornerstone of an upstart women’s basketball program in Region III.

As a freshman, she established herself as one of the region’s more outstanding players given her unique combination of skill, height and quickness. A determined athlete, who was blessed with leadership skills and a work ethic that was second to none, Mary’s positive attributes, began to rub off on her teammates, thus transforming the Saints from a program that lost 18 games in 1987 to one that earned 19 victories in 1990.

She was always humble and never the one to worry about individual records. However, Mary did finish her career as the all time leader in points scored, with 1165 and most steals with 188. She is still the only female player to ever score over 1,000 points in her career at North Country. In Mary's sophomore season she was recognized by Region III with her selection to All Region First Team.

Off the court, she epitomized the persona of scholar, athlete, teammate, daughter and friend. Upon graduation from North Country, Mary accepted the opportunity to compete at the NCAA Division II level at Springfield College before a back injury ended her playing career. She finished her undergraduate academic successes at the State University of Cortland before completing her Masters degree at SUNY-Brockport.

In her adult life, Mary has gone on to graciously fulfill the roles of loving wife and mother, mentor, educator and friend, while displaying the same drive and passion she had as a student-athlete at North Country Community College.