Eagles to Retire Carolyn Swords' No. 30 Jersey
December 09, 2021 | Women's Basketball
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Carolyn Swords, arguably the most decorated Boston College women's basketball player in program history, will have her No. 30 jersey retired in the home matchup against Louisville on Jan. 16 at noon.Â
Swords joins Sarah Behn (1989-93) as the only women's basketball players in school history to have their jerseys hang in the rafters.Â
Swords filled the record book in her time at Boston College as her name is atop many of the greatest single-season and career accomplishments. Swords finished her career as the second all-time leading scorer with 2,029 points. She went down as BC's all-time leader in rebounds (1,159), blocks (178), is the only member of the 2000-point, 1000-rebound club, and started in all of her school-record 133 games.Â
She owns the top three single-season rebound performances all-time at BC with a record 316 in 2009 and top four single-season field goal percentages with a record 71.4% in 2011; leading the NCAA each year from 2009-11, and becoming only the second player in women's basketball history to lead the country in field goal percentage three straight years.
In her career, she claimed All-American Honorable Mention, All-ACC First Team, and earned the ACC Postgraduate Scholarship as a senior in 2011. She also received All-ACC Second Team, Honorable Mention, and Rookie Team honors in her career.
Saving her best for last, Swords averaged 17.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and shot 71.4 percent from the field - all career highs. Her career field goal percentage of 67.6 percent is third all-time in NCAA history.
Swords reached double-figures in scoring in 111 games, notched 10 or more rebounds in 50 games, scored 20 or more points in 23 outings, and registered a school record 46 double-doubles. A two-time captain, Swords ended her career with an 81-52 record at BC and a postseason appearance in three of four seasons.
Swords was just as successful on the court as she was off, where she was named to the ACC All-Academic Team three years and the CoSIDA Academic All-District 1 Second Team in 2008-09.Â
Recently, Swords was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame this past fall after wrapping up a nine-year WNBA career and nine years in Europe and Australia. She played in the 2020 WNBA Finals with the Las Vegas Aces.
