RVC's Dunn a member of Nassau Athletics HOF

It’s shaping up to be quite a year for Rockville Centre native Crystal Dunn.

Already with an Olympic gold medal for helping lead the U.S. women’s national soccer team to victory in Paris this summer, and a playoff spot secured for her Gotham FC of the National Women’s Soccer League, Dunn is now a member of the Nassau County High School Athletics Hall of Fame.

The former South Side High School star was a major part of three state championship teams (2006, 2007 and 2009) and racked up 46 goals and assisted on 35 others playing midfield and forward. She missed her junior season with the Cyclones because she played for the U.S. U-17 team in New Zealand.

“I’ve gone on to play a lot of soccer since high school — more than I could’ve ever dreamed of,” said Dunn, who was one of 28 inductees honored at the Nassau Athletics HOF banquet Sept. 25 at Crest Hollow Country Club in Westbury. “I think a lot about high school sports, especially soccer because in this day and age so many kids have to choose between playing high school and travel. I was fortunate to be able to do both,” she added.

Widely considered the finest Long Island girls high school soccer player to ever lace up a pair of cleats, Dunn scored four goals including three in the first 20 minutes of the 2009 state title game.

“High school was such an amazing time,” Dunn said. “So many great memories and growing up in a community where soccer was the sport. I’ll never forget the state championships upstate in the freezing cold and I also remember how intense it was going up against Massapequa and Garden City every year.”

By the end of her high school career, the accolades for Dunn kept rolling in. She was a Parade Magazine All-American and the Gatorade New York State Player of the Year. As a senior, she was the New York State Sportswriters Class A Player of the Year.

“One thing high school soccer taught me was to be fit,” Dunn said. “Coach [Judi] Croutier always talked to us about being fit and conditioned to be the best you could be. That really prepared me for the college level.”

Little changed when Dunn arrived at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A standout for the Tar Heels, she was a two-time All-American and won the Herman Trophy and the Honda Award as the top collegiate player in the country.

The eventual two-time Olympian switched to defense for the United States National Team in the 2019 and 2023 World Games. She is now a forward for Gotham FC, which is seeking to repeat as NWSL champions, and still beaming from the USWNT 1-0 victory over Brazil in the gold medal game at the Paris Olympics Aug. 10.

“It’s really nice to be recognized and remembered by Nassau County,” Dunn said. “This is where it all started for me and I’m honored to share the stage with all of the other inductees.”