CASEY TORBET OF COLORADO COLLEGE, a senior guard on the women’s basketball team, has been named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Female Character and Community Award Winner for the period beginning on January 14, 2019.
The SCAC honors the efforts of student-athletes who excel in the field of athletics, and serve their campus and community.
Torbet never has been one to back down from challenges. In fact, she embraces them.
When the native of Westminster, Colo., decided to continue her academic and athletic careers at Colorado College, the women’s basketball program was coming off three consecutive losing seasons that had produced just eight combined victories.
During Torbet’s first two seasons as a Tiger, the results were not remarkably different in terms of wins and losses. Instead of dwelling on the team’s shortcomings, the two-year starter continued to improve her game as well as her leadership skills, and focused on making all of her teammates better.
Without question, Torbet’s efforts helped pave the way for the program’s resurgence during her junior season.
The first indication that Colorado College had turned the corner was when it qualified for the 2018 SCAC Women’s Basketball Championship at Reid Arena.
In the final game of the regular season, Torbet poured in a game-high 20 points, including a clutch three-pointer with 2:45 remaining, to lead CC to a 63-57 victory over the University of Dallas. That victory clinched the postseason berth and gave the Tigers the fourth seed in the tournament.
Six days later, Torbet scored a game-high 16 points and grabbed six rebounds to fuel a 62-58 victory over Centenary College in the first round of the championship. It was the program's first conference tournament win since Feb. 29, 2008, when Colorado College defeated Centre College, 66-62 in overtime. The victory also gave the Tigers double-digit victories for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign.
With the two-time captain leading the way, CC carried that momentum into her senior season.
With eight games remaining in the 2018-19 season, Torbet and her teammates own an 8-8 overall record and are in position to post the program’s first winning ledger in seven seasons. And thanks to a four-game conference winning streak, which matched the program record first set during the 2011-12 campaign, the Tigers have won five of its first six league games for the first time in 12 seasons as a member of the SCAC.
While team results are what fuels her fire, Torbet’s personal accomplishments have earned her a place among the top players in school history.
Torbet, who has started all 93 games during her four season at Colorado College, became the 13th member of program’s 1,000-point club when she scored 13 points against Trinity University on Jan. 11 at Reid Arena.
The two-time all-conference selection needs only 16 assists to become the fourth Tiger to reach 300, which would make Torbet one of only three CC players to score 1,000 career points and dish out 300 career assists.
In addition to her commitment to the basketball program, Torbet has been one of the most visible student-athletes in the athletics department throughout her four years in Colorado Springs.
During the last three years, Torbet has served as one of the women’s basketball representatives on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Her many roles include working on the committee that promotes athletic events on campus and participating in SAAC’s primary fundraiser, Parents Night Out.
She also helped coordinate the team’s volunteer efforts at the Ronald McDonald House in Colorado Springs, greeted aspiring athletes at the department’s annual National Girls & Women in Sports Day events and volunteered at women’s basketball camps and clinics throughout the year.
Finally, Torbet was part of the event staff for Colorado College soccer game and worked at the Adam Press Fitness Center.
Persistence on the court has made Torbet one of the most accomplished players in the history of CC women’s basketball, and she was keenly aware that achieving her academic goals at one of the most demanding liberal arts colleges in the nation would require the same level of commitment.
With only four blocks remaining at Colorado College, Torbet owns a 3.33 grade-point average while majoring in molecular and cellular biology with a minor in human biology and kinesiology.
In addition to her regular academic load, Torbet is preparing to take the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and will travel to Florence, Italy, during Block 7 for a class titled Topics in History: Art & Power.
After graduating in May, Torbet plans to attend graduate school and then pursue a career in public health.