Points of Pride

Springfield College athletics finished 21st (of 422 schools) in the NACDA Division III Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup standings nationally. SC was first among NEWMAC schools.

Eight varsity teams won post-season conference or regional championships, doing so in field hockey (NEWMAC), men’s golf (NECC), men’s lacrosse (Pilgrim League), softball (NEWMAC), women’s soccer (NEWMAC), women’s swimming & diving (NEWMAC), women’s indoor track & field (ECAC), and women’s volleyball (NEWMAC).

Player of the Year (11) and Rookie of the Year (3) honors were awarded to an incredible total of 14 Springfield College athletes. Those figures will be tough to match by any college in any year.

Seven head coaches and an additional four assistant coaches received Coach/Assistant Coach of the Year honors during the year.

Student-athletes earned 147 Academic Excellence Awards, up from 94 a year ago. It was the first time SC surpassed the century figure in this prestigious category. Included were five ESPN The Magazine/Co-SIDA Academic All-Americans (District I).

A total of 31 different athletes received All-America honors a total of 51 times. These figures are continually rising on a yearly basis.

A total of 87 different athletes received All-Conference honors a total of 139 times.

A total of 15 Springfield College varsity teams or individuals from those teams participated in national post-season competition. Those included five teams in the NCAAs – field hockey, men’s lacrosse, softball, women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball. The following 10 teams sent individuals on to national competition: men’s cross country, men’s gymnastics, women’s gymnastics, men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving, men’s indoor track and field, men’s outdoor track & field, women’s indoor track & field, women’s outdoor track & field, and wrestling.

SC hosted numerous major events in 2008-2009. Included were conference tournament semifinal and final games in: field hockey, men’s lacrosse, women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball; NCAA tournament games in field hockey, women’s soccer, and men’s lacrosse; and regional events in men’s gymnastics (New Englands), men’s and women’s outdoor track & field (New Englands and ECACs) and wrestling (NEWAs).

Springfield coaches continued to be very influential in committee work in 2008-2009.
1) Football Coach Mike DeLong was serving his third year (of four) on the NCAA Division III Football Committee.
2) Men’s Basketball Coach Charlie Brock continued to serve on the NCAA Division III Basketball Committee. He also continued to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Beginning in September 2009, Brock will serve as the Chairman of the NCAA Division III Basketball Committee.
3) Men’s Gymnastics Coach Steve Posner served as chair the NCAA Rules Committee.
4) Women's Cross Country and Women's Track & Field Coach Jim Pennington served as President of the Division III Cross Country Coaches Association, and sat on the Board of Directors of the US Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

Additional “Points of Pride” within the past decade (beginning in January 2000) include the following:

The new Springfield College Wellness & Recreation Complex, which opened in September 2008, received the 2009 Outstanding Sports Facilities Award at the annual conference of the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association on April 2, 2009 in Charlotte, N.C.

Springfield College’s top three athletic administrators have all been honored in recent years. Director of Athletics Cathie Schweitzer was named the NACDA/Astroturf Northeast Division III Athletic Director of the Year in 2007. Senior Associate Director of Athletics Craig Poisson was named the Jostens/ECAC Administrator of the Year in 2005. And Associate Director of Athletics Kelly Hart was named the NACWAA Administrator of the Year in 2008.

In each of the past 10 years, Springfield College varsity sports teams as a whole accrued a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. In 2008-2009, that cumulative GPA was above a 3.1.

In the past 11 years, each of the following SC teams have won at least one conference or regional title: baseball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, football, field hockey (current streak is at five), men’s golf, men’s gymnastics, women’s gymnastics, men’s lacrosse, women’s lacrosse, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, softball (current streak is at two), men’s swimming & diving, women’s swimming & diving (current streak is at nine), men’s track & field, women’s track & field, men’s volleyball, women’s volleyball, and wrestling.

Springfield College has hosted numerous conference, regional, and national championships on campus. In the past decade alone, SC has hosted the following national championships:

1) the NCGA Division III Women’s Gymnastics nationals in 2000;
2) the Molten Division III Men’s Volleyball championships in 2001 and 2008;
3) the NCAA Division III Field Hockey nationals in 2001 and 2002,
4) the USAG Men’s Gymnastics nationals in 2002 and 2008, and
5) the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Final Fours in 2006 and 2007.

And in March of 2010, Blake Arena will be the site of the NCGA Division III Women’s Gymnastics nationals once again.

Calendar

Springfield College provides welcoming and exceptional athletic facilities and fields for the use of our faculty, students, staff, alumni, and guests. However, please be advised that no animals shall be brought onto or permitted on any athletic field or playing surface and its immediate surroundings. Seeing eye and assist dog(s) may be permitted on athletic grounds with their owner(s).