Siena drops field hockey program
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. » In an e-mail sent to the media at 5 p.m. Monday evening Siena College announced that it was discontinuing the field hockey program, effecting and effecting its 17 -player fall roster which included just one senior.
The email included a note that the media was invited to a 7 p.m. meeting with Siena Director of Athletics John D’Arenio to discuss the decision. The press release follows:
Siena College has announced the discontinuation of its Division I women’s field hockey program. The decision leaves the athletic department with 21 varsity sports – 12 women’s teams and nine men’s teams – which all compete at the NCAA Division I level as members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
“This was certainly a difficult decision to make,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics John D’Argenio. “The student athletes who are on the roster are outstanding young women. Athletics has been involved in an ongoing, campus-wide assessment and evaluation process as part of the College’s Strategic Plan.”
Siena College’s Strategic Plan Tradition. Transformed. calls for ongoing analysis of academic and non-academic programs to ensure efficient and effective delivery. The goal is to strategically realign resources to ensure that both current and future students are fully equipped to thrive in all facets of their Siena experience. The decision to discontinue the field hockey program was made following a comprehensive college-wide review. It positions the athletic department to invest in strategic initiatives that enhance the overall experience for its more than 300 student athletes.
Field hockey’s status as an associate sport within the conference, as well as an inability to fund the program properly, factored heavily in the decision. Additionally, there have long been facility concerns.
Siena Turf Field – which features a field turf artificial playing surface – has served as the home to the field hockey program, as well as the men’s soccer, men’s lacrosse, and women’s lacrosse teams, since 2007. Out of 78 NCAA Division I Field Hockey programs, Siena was one of only six not playing home games on the more common and preferred traditional AstroTurf surface. As a result, scheduling non-conference home games became consistently challenging. Over the past five years alone, Siena played 35 of its 50 non-conference games (70%) on the road, including three home games which were moved to a nearby alternative site to accommodate playing on an AstroTurf surface.
“It has been hard to develop a successful program and give our student athletes a rewarding experience when faced both with facility challenges, and when the program cannot be properly funded,” explained D’Argenio. “We have put the student athletes at a competitive disadvantage which cannot be easily solved.”
The decision to discontinue the field hockey program directly impacts 16 students who were freshmen, sophomores, or juniors, and a part-time assistant coach. Current student athletes who continue their pursuit of a Siena College degree, and who remain eligible in accordance with College and athletic department policies, will continue to receive their athletic financial aid awards. Siena will also honor all National Letters of Intent, provide assistance to any student athletes who may wish to transfer, and fulfill the terms of the current coaching staff’s agreements.
“While the resources we had committed to field hockey were limited, some of those resources will be directed to other women’s programs as well as other initiatives that will help the department fulfill actions in the College’s strategic plan,” added D’Argenio.
Initiated in 1978, the Siena Field Hockey program completed its 40th varsity season last fall including its 25th at the NCAA Division I level. Siena compiled a final overall record of 134-419-9 (.246), including a 50-325 (.133) mark in DI competition. Following five seasons as a Division I Independent (1993-97), Siena joined the Northeast Conference as an associate member for 15 years before becoming a charter member of the MAAC Field Hockey League in 2013.
With the discontinuation of the field hockey program, Siena College now offers the NCAA Division I sports of men’s and women’s basketball, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, men’s and women’s lacrosse, women’s swimming and diving, women’s water polo, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, and men’s and women’s cross country, indoor, and outdoor track.