NEW ORLEANS - Bates thrower and 16-time All-American Keelin Godsey '06 has been inducted into the USTFCCCA NCAA Division III Track & Field Athlete Hall of Fame, as announced Thursday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
A two-time NCAA Division III champion in the hammer throw and the most decorated athlete in Bates track and field history, Godsey becomes the first Bobcat to earn a spot in the USTFCCCA's Athlete Hall of Fame.
"I want to thank all my coaches," Godsey said. "Carolyn Court, Joe Woodhead, Al Fereshetian, and Jay Hartshorn. Coach Jay was really instrumental in making everything smooth at Bates during my last year. And honestly, I can't thank coach Fletcher Brooks enough too. Without them, I never would've gotten this."
Everywhere Godsey competed for Bates, records fell. With Godsey, the benchmark became not All-NESCAC or All-New England honors, but All-America awards, national championships, and national records. Godsey earned three All-America plaudits in the indoor shot put, three in the 20-pound weight throw, three in the discus, three in the outdoor shot put, and four in the hammer throw.
Out of those 16 awards, the lowest national finish Godsey recorded was fourth place. While dominant at almost every meet in almost every event, even against Division I competition at all-division Open New England meets, Godsey's specialty was the hammer throw. At the 2005 NCAA Championships, Godsey's top throw of 195 feet and 4 inches set a meet and facility record, though it was over 10 feet short of the school and NCAA Division III record Godsey set earlier that season. A year later, Godsey again set the NCAA Division III record, this time with a throw of 206 feet and 5 inches. That record stood from 2006 until 2017.
Among Godsey's many other extraordinary accomplishments were winning two USTFCCCA New England Region Track and Field Athlete of the Year awards, a spot on the NCAA Silver Anniversary Division III Track and Field Championships Team, and earning the opportunity to compete with America's best at three U.S. Track and Field Championships (one indoor, two outdoor) while still in college. Godsey graduated with Bates records in the hammer (206-5), discus (166-6), and 20-pound weight throw (65-11.75), all of which still stand today.
In 2005, Godsey came out as transgender before the beginning of his senior year with the Bates women's track and field team. His experiences before 2005 and since then, from athletic feats to personal trials, are recounted in a special report published in the May 28, 2012 issue of Sports Illustrated, "The Transgender Athlete."
"I also want to thank my teammates because I really loved my time on the Bates track team," Godsey said. "It's something I look back on with nothing but really fond memories. I know sometimes things with me weren't always easy, and I appreciate everyone sticking around and helping me grow and become the person that I am now."
After graduating from Bates, Godsey continued to compete in the women's hammer throw. He finished seventh in the 2008 Olympic Trials and followed that with a fifth-place finish in the 2012 Olympic Trials. In 2011, he finished third at the USATF Nationals and represented the United States in the Pan American Games, where he finished fifth.
Professionally, Godsey has enjoyed success as a physical therapist and was recognized with a Clinical Excellence Award for his work. He graduated from Northeastern University in 2010 with his doctorate in physical therapy and also received his strength and conditioning specialist certification. Godsey is currently a physical therapist at Johns Hopkins Hospital at one of their outpatient facilities, and serves as an assistant director of their sports physical therapy residency program.
For Godsey, competing for the Bates track and field team went beyond just the results on the scoreboard.
"Sports saved my life," Godsey said. "I want people to understand that sports saves a lot of people's lives for a lot of different reasons. So, everyone deserves to play."
