BCI Hall Of Fame Class of 2018: Carolyn Swords

Carolyn Swords, who played for the Boston College women’s basketball team from 2007-11, is one of the most well rounded players in program history. Swords, who now plays for the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces, played 133 games for the Eagles’ women’s basketball team, more than any other player and holds many of the teams other records as well.

While at BC, Swords averaged 15.7 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per game. She is second in program history with 2,029 career points (just under 500 points behind BC legend Sarah Behn) and she is the program leader in career rebounds with 1,159. Swords is second in program history in career field goals (850), fourth in career free throws (329), and first in career blocks (178). She has 222 more career rebounds than the program runner up and 48 more blocks.

In terms of single game records, Swords holds the program record for most field goals in a game (15 vs. Holy Cross in 2009) and is second and third in most rebounds in a game (21 in 2009 and 19 in 2011, both against NC State). In single season records, she holds the top 3 program records for rebounds in a single season with 316 as a sophomore, 312 as a senior, and 290 as a junior. She also holds the 8th place single season rebounds spot with 241 as a freshman. Swords is second and fourth in field goals made in a single season (240 as a senior and 230 as a sophomore) and she holds the top 4 spots in single season field goal percentages, shooting 71.4% as a senior, 67.8% as a sophomore, 66.4% as a junior, and 64.2% as a freshman.

Swords was an AP All-America Team Honorable Mention for the 2010-11 season, a 2-time All-ACC First Team honoree and 1-time second team honoree, a member of the ACC All-Freshman Team as a rookie, and a 2-time ACC All-Tournament Team member. She earned ACC Player of the Week honors 5 times during her BC career, was the ACC Rookie of the Week once, and was named to the National All-Jesuit College Women’s Basketball Team in 2010 and 2011.

Swords was a WBCA State Farm All-America Regional Finalist as a sophomore, junior, and senior and also was the NCAA Field Goal Percentage Champion each of those seasons. Throughout her career, Swords was also named to multiple preseason watch-lists. As a senior she was BC’s female Eagle of the Year and she earned numerous athletic achievement awards as an Eagle.

Swords earned honors at many in-season tournaments. She was the Junkanoo Jam - Grand Bahamas Tournament and the TD Bank Classic in Vermont MVPs in 2010-11 and the Hoops for Cure MVP in 2009-10. She was named to the All-Tournament teams at the St. John’s-Chartwell Holiday Classic in 2008-09, the Surf ‘N Slam Tournament in 2009-10, and the WNIT in 2008-09.

Outside of the WNBA, where she has also played for the Seattle Storm, New York Liberty, and Chicago Sky, Swords has played professional basketball in Turkey, Poland, Australia, Italy, and Spain.