For three years, the combination of Leonie Kortenhorst Giles and Vera Schoenfeld provided the Terrier field hockey team with as potent a 1-2 attack as there was in the nation. Leonie provided the power, while Vera had the finesse.
Vera was inducted into the Hall of Fame two years prior to Leonie, and it was fitting that Leonie joined her.
Leonie's induction also provided an historical moment for the Hall, as it marked the first time a husband and wife wear the scarlet jacket. Tod Giles, an All-American wrestler for the Terriers during the early 80s, was inducted in 1999.
"Leonie came from Holland so she came here with excellent hockey skills," said head coach Sally Starr, who, after this year's banquet, will have coached 10 players who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. "And, each year, she got better and better. She worked hard on her fitness. And, her improved fitness, along with her skills made her such a dominant player. She provided the power, and Vera had the finesse, and together they were a lethal combination.
"Leonie was a smart player who always seemed to make the right pass, and was in the right place at the right time."
Her first season with the varsity was in 1994, and she emerged with 12 goals and seven assists for 31 points. Her goal total tied for eighth on the all-time single-season record, while the point total was tied for ninth. As a team, the Terriers finished with an 11-9 record and advanced to the Conference tournament.
The following year, Leonie improved both her goal and point totals, finishing with 17 and 39, respectively. At the time, the goal total was the second-best single-season total in school history, while the point total was third behind Hall of Famers Schoenfeld (53), and Michelle Barnard (43). That 1995 season was quite a year for the Terriers as all three of those point totals — Schoenfeld's 53, Barnard's 43 and Korthenhorst's 39 came during that season. BU finished the season with a 16-6 record and ranked 10th in the nation.
Leonie capped off her collegiate career in 1996 by scoring a school single-season record 24 goals. Team captain that year, she added eight assists for 56 points which rank second on the Terriers' all-time single-season scoring list behind only Barnard's 61 points also in 1996. The Terriers posted a 17-5 record, advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and finished the season ranked eighth in the nation.
In each of her last two seasons, Leonie was honored with post-season recognition. As a junior in 1995, she was a First Team Northeast Regional All-American, a First Team All-Conference selection, and a GTE/College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America. Then, in 1996, she was voted Third Team All-American.
Eight years after she played her final hockey game for the Terriers, she still ranked second on the program's all-time list in points with 126 and in goals with 53.
