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Three Duke Alumni Honored by Bassett Society
11/7/2021 7:28:00 PM | Field Hockey, Rowing, Track & Field, Athletics
DURHAM - Former Duke student-athletes Jessica Buttinger, Tara Dalton and Madison Heath were awarded Obremskey and C.T. Moorman II Scholarships from the Bassett Society over the weekend. The three Blue Devils, who were also honored during Duke's home football game against Pittsburgh, are currently pursuing post-graduate degrees in medicine.
A four-year starter for the field hockey team, Buttinger was an integral part of a Blue Devil program that advanced to three NCAA Tournaments, including a trip to the NCAA Championship game in 2013. Buttinger, a forward, finished her career ranked 18th at Duke in career points (69) and 19th in career goals (27). She garnered NFHCA All-South Region her senior season after leading the team with 22 points as Duke advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals. As a junior, she registered 20 points to rank second on the team and help lead the Blue Devils to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Championship. Buttinger was named to the All-ACC Academic Team twice and was a four-time ACC Academic Honor Roll member.
A four-year letterwinner with the Duke rowing team, Dalton rowed in the Varsity Eight boat at each ACC Championship from 2012-15 as one of the Blue Devils' most consistent performers. She helped the V8 capture the Cal Cup Grand Final and the San Diego Crew Classic in 2015, while also competing towards a top-five finish at the Clemson Invitational. The Woodlands, Texas, native was a two-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll (2012, 2014).
A four-year letterwinner for the Blue Devils track and field program, Heath was an outstanding pole vaulter, excelling in the event over the course of her four seasons. She graduated ranked second in program history in the pole vault for indoor and outdoor, achieving both feats in 2018. Heath was a four-time All-American, earning the honor in 2015 (outdoor – honorable mention), 2016 (outdoor – second team), and 2017 (outdoor and indoor - second team). She also won the 2017 Indoor ACC title in pole vault and was tabbed a three-time first team All-ACC recipient (indoor – 2016 and 2017, outdoor – 2017). Heath was a three-time NCAA Outdoor Championships participant and garnered USTFCCCA All-Academic nods in 2015 and 2017. The Mandeville, La., native was a combined five-time All-ACC Academic selection in indoor and outdoor track as well.
Named for longtime Duke Athletics physician Dr. Frank Bassett, the Bassett Society was established in 1985 to aid Duke student-athletes in their pursuit of careers in medicine and dentistry. In addition, the group provides education in the medical and dental fields while encouraging scientific research primarily related to medical complications arising from competitive sports.
Bassett, who passed away in 2007, joined the Duke Medical Center in 1963 and served in several capacities including Director of the Sports Medicine Center, head team physician for Duke Athletics and professor of orthopaedic surgery. He was a founding member of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.
Born November 19, 1928 in Hopkinsville, Ky., Bassett earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Kentucky in 1950 and 1951, respectively, where he played football under legendary head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. After spending time in the U.S. military during the Korean conflict, he graduated from the University of Louisville school of medicine in 1957 and later served his orthopaedic residency at Duke in the early 1960s.
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