Big Train Celebrates Community Hero, Montgomery County Sports Hall of Famers on Super Women Night

Community Hero Shannon Babe-Thomas poses with the Community Bridges Fans during the game against the Southern Maryland Senators at Shirley Povich Field on Saturday June 6, 2026 in Rockville, Maryland. (Photo by Matthew Lewyn/Bethesda Community Base Ball Club)

BETHESDA, Md. — Big Train fans did not let rain keep them away as they came out to Shirley Povich Field Saturday night for Super Women Night and to cheer for the team in its game against the Olney Cropdusters. 

Bethesda celebrated impactful women in the community, including ultramarathoner Dr. Betty Holston Smith and members of the Academy of Holy Cross basketball team that won 115 consecutive games between 1977 and 1982.

Dr. Smith, an inductee to the Class of 2026 Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame, a running coach and runner herself at 85 years old, finds herself inspired by the bald eagle.

“A storm is coming? It knows, but it would never shelter down here, where the storm is raging,” Dr. Smith said. “It would go all the way up there, beyond the clouds, where the sun always shines.”

Dr. Smith has used the bald eagle as her inspiration since the 10th grade, when she wrote an essay on the national symbol. Her high school, B-CC, was segregated at the time, and Dr. Smith was forced to overcome adversity in her community, including a teacher who made derogatory comments about Black people.

Dr. Smith wrote a letter to then-Senator Edward Northop detailing the comments that the teacher made, and when pressured by school and county officials, threatened to send the letter to The Washington Post.

“That experience taught me that I had power,” Dr. Smith said. “I did not let them get away with that.”

Dr. Betty Holston Smith sits with the community bridges fans during the game against the Southern Maryland Senators at Shirley Povich Field on Saturday June 6, 2026 in Rockville, Maryland. (Photo by Matthew Lewyn/Bethesda Community Base Ball Club)

After high school, Dr. Smith continued to overcome adversity, pulling all-nighters and sometimes taking only one class per semester to earn her Masters in Business and Public Administration and her Doctorate in Education 32 years after graduating high school.

“I’m not saying that it was easy,” Dr. Smith said. “But I’m saying that it was possible.”

To date, Dr. Smith has run over 150,000 miles over 50 years “agelessly and ouchlessly,” according to Dr. Smith. She even plans on running in an event in a few weeks. For Dr. Smith, the most important thing in life, even more important than academic or professional success, is doing your best.

“Throughout my life, I always did my very best, and I always came out on top,” Dr. Smith said. “That’s what I’m trying to teach, you always need to do your very best.”

Members of the Academy of Holy Cross women’s basketball team, including Colleen McShalley Ichniowski, were also honored at Saturday night’s game. The team, which won 115 consecutive games between 1977-82, became the first-ever team to be inducted to the  Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame this year for the Class of 2026.

Saturday night’s Community Hero, the second of the season following Eileen McGuckian’s opening-night award reception, was another Super Woman — Shannon Babe-Thomas, the Executive Director of Community Bridges, for her work with empowering women in the community.

As part of the Community Hero award, Babe-Thomas was gifted a #21 jersey – honoring Roberto Clemente – with Community Hero across the nameplate. 

Community Bridges is a nonprofit organization that focuses on social-emotional learning, mentoring and college application resources for girls in Montgomery County from grades 4-12. 

Since starting the program, Community Bridges has expanded to 23 schools in Montgomery County. The program serves over 3,500 students and boasts a 100% high school graduation rate and a 100% college acceptance rate. 

“We know for our girls to be successful in school, and to think about post-secondary success, their needs need to be met,” Babe-Thomas said.

For Babe-Thomas, being named a Community Hero brings back memories of her grandfather. 

“When I was very young, he told me that ‘you’ve got to give back to your community,’” Babe-Thomas said. “I want to work locally and give back locally, to make sure that all girls in our community have the opportunity to be their best selves.”

The Big Train return to action Sunday night with a game against the Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts. Bethesda will travel for another away game, this time again against the Cropdusters on Tuesday night.

The next home game for Bethesda will come on Wednesday, June 10 against the Metro South County Braves. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. as the Big Train will celebrate University of Maryland Night featuring the legendary broadcaster Johnny Holliday.

The Big Train is proud to also celebrate Wood Acres Night on Wednesday night, with a pregame concert by the Wood Acres Elementary Chorus scheduled for 6:20 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased on the Big Train website.

Read the recap of tonight's game