women’s basketball – Houghton STAR

By Erin Maggio (’21)

With the women’s basketball team taking the court against Elmira College on March 6, the 357 day streak of no Houghton Highlander teams competing will be snapped. With the spring 2020 season being halted due to COVID-19 and the fall 2020 seasons being pushed to this spring, no teams have competed since March 10, 2020, when the men’s lacrosse team came away with a 21-12 defeat over the Keystone Giants and the women’s lacrosse team bested the Hilbert Hawks 23-4.

With fall teams having their seasons pushed to the spring, many of them have not hit the field in well over a year, including the men’s and women’s soccer teams and women’s field hockey team, who have not played a game in well over 450 days, since their last competitions on November 2, 2019.

However long the drought of competition riddled with uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Houghton’s athletic conference, the Empire 8, has unrolled plans for all 23 Empire 8 sponsored sports to hold competition per their Instagram post on March 1. This arrangement includes fall, winter, and spring sports all playing in the next few months.

“The approach to the spring seasons for all our sports has been very unique to say the least!” Houghton’s Athletic Director Matthew Webb commented.

Some of this uniqueness comes from the fact that fall and winter team sports will be having abbreviated schedules, most playing just fellow conference teams. While normal seasons in the fall typically span nine to 10 weeks, the seasons this spring will be about four to five weeks in length.

Another aspect of the season which differs from the past is the “opt-out” process which the Empire 8 has created because of the unique impact that the pandemic has on many teams and institutions. Teams from across the conference have had to opt out due to roster size implications, whether because of dual-sport athletes, students not returning to campuses this spring, or actual COVID related issues like positive cases and quarantine.

In terms of Houghton specifically, two teams have opted out of competition this spring. The first of these is the men’s lacrosse team, who, according to Webb, “actually initiated this response as they came to the [athletic department] with their preference to just compete internally this spring.” Webb added that there were many factors which led to this. Though they won’t be playing a full Empire 8 schedule, it is possible that they may play a few games.

The other Houghton team opting out is the women’s basketball team. This decision rests on the fact that the team has a small roster with many dual sport athletes which makes choices limited. Rather than a full conference schedule, they will be hitting the court for three competitions, the first of which will be the aforementioned contest against the Elmira Soaring Eagles. The other two will be on March 4 and 9, against Alfred University and a rematch with Elmira College, respectively.

More than 230 student athletes will compete for Houghton this spring. But with this opportunity comes the responsibility of strict adherence to COVID protocols to keep themselves, their teams, opponents, faculty, staff, fellow students, and community members safe. These include wearing a mask at all required times, social distancing, attending all scheduled COVID-19 tests, and participating in any necessary contact tracing.

Along with such protocol, the conference and Houghton’s Athletic Department have taken increased measures to protect all involved. On February 16 the conference announced their plans to proceed with spring competition, along with information concerning safety measures. “The Empire 8 has adopted more robust testing standards than the NCAA guidelines for intermediate and low risk sports in the interest of student-athlete health and safety,” the press release shared.

Chuck Mitrano, the Empire 8’s Commissioner celebrated the resumption of conference competition on Instagram; “Nothing great is achieved without persistence and teamwork. The return to athletics competition has been challenging but we are thrilled to have preserved opportunity for many of our fall and winter student-athletes. Thanks to the energy and collaborative leadership of our presidents, directors of athletics, senior woman administrators, athletic trainers, sports information directors and coaches, the day has arrived! This is truly a statement about our commitment to the Empire 8 student-athletes!” he remarked.

While no in-person attendance is allowed at intercollegiate events as per New York State guidelines, fans can follow along with most home contests through Stretch Internet and be on the lookout for live streams from opponents in the case of away games. ★

Houghton welcomed two head coaches and six assistant coaches to the highlander coaching staff this year, bringing a season of change for nine athletic teams. Among the teams that welcomed new coaches include cross country, track and field, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s lacrosse, field hockey, softball and women’s basketball. Numerous Houghton alumni have returned to take roles of volunteer assistants as well.

Jordan Cady, senior and member of the track team, expressed his positive outlook toward welcoming a new coach saying, “I’m looking forward to seeing how this season plays out. It’ll be much different than years past, but with change comes growth. God’s been with us through this transition and He’ll continue to run along side us throughout the season.”

Patrick Hager was named head coach for both men’s and women’s cross-country and track and field programs. Hager previously served as graduate-assistant coach at Messiah College for the past two years. Prior to his role at Messiah, Hager worked as the first ever head cross-country coach at Rosemont College for two years.

“It seemed like Houghton was the fit for me, I prayed a lot about it and took a chance,” said Hager as he discussed his new job. He described being a full-time head coach as, “Everything I thought it would be,” as he discussed his excitement for the cross country and soon-to-be track season.

Hager spoke of his impressions of Houghton so far saying, “The community here is second to none. Even the support from the other coaches, no one’s overlooked. It’s nice to know there’s intentionality within the administration.”

Women’s lacrosse looked closer to home, welcoming Amanda Zacchigna, a 2014 Houghton graduate, as head interim coach. Rachael Snelgrove, former women’s lacrosse will continue to be a consultant to the program, while remaining head coach for the field hockey program.

“Coach Rachael Snelgrove laid an exceptional foundation for the team as she served as the head coach for the past two years; her involvement this year will come in the form of a mentor to me as I transition into this new position,” said Zacchigna.

Snelgrove also spoke of her role to the women’s lacrosse team saying, “I am there to help the transition run smoothly- to help Amanda with all of the finite administrative details- and to be a listening ear for her.”

“I am extremely excited to be able to serve the women as their coach,” said Zacchigna, “I understand where the program came from and what it has accomplished thus far; and I am invested in pushing these accomplishments even further.”

Joining Zacchigna as assistant coach is Marissa Meassick, Houghton 2014 graduate. Meassick will also work alongside Snelgrove as assistant field hockey coach.

Men and women’s soccer welcomed new assistant coaches as well. John Carpenter, 2014 Houghton graduate, will serve as men’s soccer assistant coach, while Erin Miller, 2014 Houghton graduate, will assist with the women’s program.

When speaking with Carpenter about his new role and shift from player to coach he said, “As a player you are constantly being told information by your coaches. Now that I am on the other side of that, I am not only trying to help the guys in that aspect, but also take in and learn from the rest of the coaching staff, what it takes to be successful from the coaching side.” Carpenter briefly added, “In this first season I am really trying to find the ways in which I can most benefit this team.”

Miller spoke in similar ways of her new role, “In the last couple months, I have had to transition my mindset as a player to a coach and find the most effective ways to translate those ideas to other players.” When speaking of the challenges she has faced as a new coach, she offered, “Finding the balance between knowing when to step in and when to allow the team to bond together and step up themselves is something that I constantly have to keep in check.”