Jeanne (pronounced Jan) Foster Kuyper, one of the finest women's gymnasts in program history, was inducted into the William and Mary Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2013 on Saturday, April 13.
By clicking the video above you can enjoy both the introduction and her acceptance speech from the special evening.
Kuyper finished her career at William & Mary as one of Tribe's most prolific gymnasts.
As a frame of reference, while competing as a true freshman, Foster Kuyper broke all four-school event records held by then senior Lori Pepple Yacobi (who is currently in the Tribe Athletics Hall of Fame). She helped lead the team to VIL (State) team title by winning the All-Around Champion; and also helped the squad record its first ECAC DII Team Championship, by placing second in the all-around. She went onto to become the NCAA DII National Champion in the all-around and earned all-America recognition on both the bars and beam.
The final three years of her career were competed at the Division I level (as the Tribe moved up to the highest designation for the 1986-87 season). Despite the upgrade in competition, she remained one of the region's top performers, finishing in the top three at the ECAC Division I meet in both bars and all-around as both a sophomore and junior. Including her freshman year, which saw her matriculate to the NCAA Division I meet by virtue of the Division II National Title, Foster Kuyper earned a spot in the NCAA Division I Regional meet in each of her four seasons on campus.
A true student-athlete, she earned the department's Martha Barksdale Award for having the highest junior GPA. Additionally, she was name the Laurie Locker Blount Award winner as a senior (outstanding female scholar athlete).
Jeanne graduated in 1989 with a major in Economics and a minor in Mathematics. She earned her MBA from the University of Virginia's Darden School of Business in 1995. She spent 6 years working in strategic consulting and corporate marketing for two large telecommunications companies, MCI and Winstar Communications.
W&M Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2013
Al Albert (Men's Soccer)
Emily Furia (Women's Cross Country/Track & Field)
Jeff Hough (Men's Cross Country/Track & Field)
Jeanne Foster Kuyper (Women's Gymnastics)
Johanna Sones (Women's Tennis)
