Girls sports pioneer passes away

COLCHESTER, Vt. (WCAX) – After a lifelong dedication to the betterment of high school sports in Vermont, Melba Masse has died at the age of 92.

A Cambridge native and former college basketball player at Johnson State Teacher’s College, Masse served as longtime coach and administrator, primarily at Essex High School.

Masse won a couple non-sanctioned girls hoops titles with the Hornets before starting the school’s softball and field hockey programs, even before the passage of Title IX.

She held a couple administrative roles, helping found the Northern Vermont Athletic Conference amd the Student Athletic Leadership Conference before maintaining the NVAC’s scheduling for a few decades. She scheduled Vermont Hockey League games for all 50 seasons of its existence dating through last Winter, and the sport’s rotating trophies bear her name.

Masse earned VPA, Johnson State, and Vermont Sports Hall of Fame recognition among her many honors.

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