A SISTERHOOD UNIqUE TO SPRINGFIELD Continued from previous page
Zenaty would go on to become a legendary coach in her own right,
heading up a phenomenally successful field hockey program at Springfield College from 1970-2003. That dynamic of athletes who have been well coached here going on to successfully coach girls and women here and elsewhere has been repeated again and again. That remains true, even as the national percentage of female head coaches has dipped in recent years. As we look back at the journeys of our women’s teams over these
five decades, we do so with a special spotlight on those Springfield College “coaching trees.” The athlete-turned-coach continues to, as the saying goes, pay it forward, by positively influencing other girls and women.
BASKETBALL
If the men began historically with Naisimith and his peach baskets, the women’s basketball team began with its own sparkling legacy. In the debut season of 1963-64, the squad went 7-0, including a 53-12 rout of the University of Connecticut. Naomi Graves G’85, in her 23rd season this year, has coached
almost half of those teams. Her squads have posted a 323-261 mark, highlighted by six consecutive NeWMAC championships from 2001-06. One of her star players during that time is also one of her many coaching protégés, Kelly Thompson ’02. entering her fourth season at Roger Williams
University, Thompson has established herself as a young coach on the rise. Last year her team set a school record for victories with its 19-9 mark. She credits much of her success to her time at Springfield. “I just had the most incredible experience,”
conditioning program. I would say the same for athletic training. I would say the same for administration, game management, and event management. When you look at the total package of intercollegiate athletics, I didn’t know how unique it was for a Div. III experience until I went to other places.” A two-time captain in her playing days, she says she can’t imagine
receiving a better foundation. “There really is so much pride in the tradition and the history and
the success of athletics at Springfield,” she said. “What athlete doesn’t want to be a part of that? To me it was just the epitome of what a college basketball experience should be. And at the birthplace of basketball? Come on!”
FIELD HOCKEY
Zenaty’s influence on the sport, both on the campus and across the nation, is hard to overstate. Her consistently successful teams here for 33 years gave rise to a great many coaches, including Pam Hixon, head coach for Team USA in the 1996 Olympics. even now, a decade removed from coaching, Zenaty’s name comes
They are two landmarks in the history of women’s sports in America. And, both winning teams were coached by Springfield College graduates. “Women need women role models.
The best mentors that women can have are other women.”
she said. “It really set me up in so many ways for the rest of my career.” The time here was transformative. “First and foremost, it was [because of] the people. In addition to
Naomi, I had wonderful assistant coaches the entire time I was there. Springfield just did things right. We had such a great strength and
up all the time says protégé Melissa Rogers Sharpe ’02, G’04, who has coached the Springfield College team since 2004 (going 136-80). “The legend is still there,” Sharpe says with a laugh. At national confer- ences, she says it’s common for women who have been coached by Zenaty to fill the room. Sharpe, the third-leading scorer in
Springfield history, says that Zenaty’s influence was immediate. “Pretty much as soon as I got here I grasped how well known she was and how much of a legend she was. I was impressed by just her mannerisms. She’s such a profes-
sional. As much as learning about coaching the game, I learned how to handle [myself] off the field, how to carry [myself], what sports- manship is all about. She exemplified that.” Carrying forth the legacy takes on forms both large and small. As
the mother of an infant son, Sharpe draws inspiration from Zenaty’s balancing act (“This was a person who eats, sleeps, and breathes field
Kristen Mullady 16 Missy Foote TRIANGLE 1 Vol . 85, No.1
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