Student Athletes
Jennifer Collins '00 (Field Hockey)
Jennifer Collins' athletic prowess and leadership skills were central to the elevation of Women's Field Hockey to national powerhouse status. In 1999 she captained the team to a remarkable series of achievements and honors. They were Skidmore's first field hockey New York State Women's Collegiate Athletic Association (NYSWCAA) Champions and also captured the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA) Championship with a perfect 6-0 record. The Thoroughbreds competed in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) quarterfinals ending their season with an overall record of 18-2 and leading the nation for Division III in goals scored with 103.
Collins, a business major and Periclean Scholar, scored 20 goals that year, capping off a stunning array of individual honors. The defense center half back was also a powerful ball striker. UCAA Player of the Year (1999), she was named All American (1998, 1999); UCAA First Team (1998, 1999); Division I/Division II North-South Senior All-Star (1999); NYSWCAA Scholar Athlete (1999-2000); National Field Hockey Collegiate Association (NFHCA) National Academic All-American (1998 and 1999); NFHCA Regional All-American (1998 and 1999); NYSWCAA All Tournament (1998 and 1999); and Skidmore Senior Athlete (2000). Nominated for the prestigious Honda Award (honors most outstanding field hockey player in the nation) Collins racked up 42 goals and 11 assists during her Skidmore career.
Richard "Rich" Hiller '92 (Ice Hockey)
The late Rich Hiller's '92 dominance in the history of Skidmore Men's Ice Hockey continues to this day.
He holds the career record for goals (88) and is second on the all-time scoring list with 88 goals and 94 assists for 182 points. The only player in Skidmore hockey history to average more than one goal per game in his career (88 goals in 86 career games), Hiller scored 39 goals in his rookie season, a record that is still unsurpassed. The freshman also scored nine hat tricks, including four in the team's final five games.
As team high scorer one season and second the other three, Hiller helped lead the Thoroughbreds to the ECAC Playoffs in 1991 and 1992. He was Co-Captain of the 1992 team.
Second in line for Eastern Collegiate Athletic Association (ECAC) Rookie of the Year as a freshman, he was selected ECAC North-South Player of the Week three times. The Thoroughbred's dominant goal scorer, he and Michael Cornell '92 combined to form one of the top scoring combinations in the ECAC South.
His legacy extends far beyond those achievements. Thoroughbred hockey alumni gather at the Saratoga Springs ice rink annually to honor the contributions of Hiller (and Andy First '85) by playing the Hiller-First Memorial Alumni Hockey Game, in jerseys including Hiller's number 11.
Joanna Morgan '95 (Soccer, Basketball, Softball)
A 12-time Skidmore letter winner, Joanna Morgan '95 was a dominant player for the Women's Soccer, Basketball, and Softball teams and captain of two (Soccer and Basketball). She represented Skidmore in 274 intercollegiate contests. Fourth on the College's All-Time scoring list with 38 goals and five assists for a total of 81 points, she still holds a share of the record for goals scored (four) in a single soccer game.
The two-sport Most Valuable Player (MVP) led Women's Soccer to its first NCAA Tournament in 1994, and returned them to NCAA competition in 1995.
She also helped bring Women's Basketball to New York State Collegiate Athletic Association (NYSCAA) Tournament play prior to Skidmore's membership in the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA). In 12 seasons, Morgan's teams qualified for postseason play eight times.
The recipient of Skidmore's Senior Athlete Award, Morgan's commitment to academic excellence rivaled her dedication to varsity athletics.
Teammates Alexis Mastronardi '96 and Katina Allen Mescall '96 cite Morgan as "a true student athlete," with whom they both felt "honored" to have played along side of.
A liberal studies-education major, Morgan teaches fourth grade in Farmington, Connecticut, where she continues to give back to both athletics and education.
Michael Porter '96 (Golf)
Michael Porter captained the 1996 Skidmore Men's Golf Team to national champion status, leading them to 10 wins and 3 second place finishes in 14 tournaments, including three NCAA Division I, Cornell/Colgate, Eastern College Athletic Conference Upstate Qualifier, and the ECAC Finals. Porter's leadership was instrumental in the team's stunning Win-Loss record of 183-11, a remarkable winning percentage of 94 percent. Voted National Champions by Golfweek magazine and by the Golf Coaches Association of America, the Thoroughbreds hosted and finished second in the 1996 NCAA Division III championships with four players earning All-America honors.
A four year starter, Porter was qualified to play in every tournament during his Skidmore career, four NCAA and four ECAC Division I Finals, for a total of 54. He captured first place in 12 collegiate tournaments, finishing 2-5 in 17; and 6-10 in 9, to achieve top ten ranking in 38 out of 54. Porter finished 34th in NCAA All American competition; 23rd as sophomore; 8th as a junior, and 5th as a senior. Honored as Skidmore Rookie of the Year and National ROY by Golfweek in 1993, the four-time All American made second team in 1995 and first team in 1996, when he was also selected as an All-American Scholar-Athlete by the Golf Coaches Association of America. He garnered the Skidmore Senior Athletic and Most Outstanding Player awards in 1996. He played for Team USA in the US-Japan Matches in 1996.
A business major, Porter was also sports editor for the Skidmore News. His work earned him the Sara Bennett Memorial Prize for Leadership in Student Journalism. Today, Porter is Head Golf Professional at the White Beeches Golf & Country Club in Haworth, NJ.
Team
1976-1977 Women's Basketball Team
Skidmore's Women's Basketball team emerged as a new force in regional competition, trouncing rivals Union 27-18, SUNY New Paltz 73-54, and Dutchess County Community College in a 58-49 victory. The stunning 9-5 season record placed the Skidmore players in the vanguard of a new level of competition and recognition for female athletes. The Skidmore women would also made history.
The team traveled to West Point to play the first women's intercollegiate basketball game in the U.S. Military Academy's 174 history. Led by Coach Sue Molstad and team captain Carolyn Crump '78, Skidmore captured the first ever Dartmouth College Invitational Women's Basketball Tournament in 1978. The remarkable performance of 1976-77 Skidmore Women's Basketball Team played a significant role in ushering in a new era for female athletes; colleges began recruiting talented young women with athletic scholarships to Division I schools for the first time.
Coach: Sue Molstad
Team Members:
- Carolyn Crump '78 (Captain)
- Marti Hinchey '79
- Sheila Killeen '79
- Kim Alger-Norton '80
- Barb Quinn '78
- Hillary Landers '79
- Kathy Gill '79
- Roberta Kety '80
- Robin Miller '80
- Fiona Harris '80
- Laura Burke '79
Administrator/Staff
Nancy B. Davis
Associate Professor Emerita of Physical Education Nancy Davis was among a small group of educators pioneering the cultivation of young women for careers in physical education and athletics. As a professor from 1948-1987, Davis inspired several generations of Skidmore students to achieve a high level of professionalism in the field of physical education and shaped the curriculum to include a firm foundation in liberal arts pedagogy, combining theory, coaching, and activity. In addition to supervising student teachers, she instructed tennis, archery, and racquetball, and developed the Intramural Program.
Her distinctive, humanistic approach to mentoring students and young faculty, says colleague and Skidmore Professor Emerita of Physical Education Beverly Becker, set her apart in the field. "She didn't just teach subject matter; she taught individuals through physical education."
Davis held leadership positions in the Eastern Association for Physical Education of College Women, (EAPECW) the National Association for Physical Education of College Women (NAPECW), and the for the support necessary to enter intercollegiate play. In 1979 Skidmore Hockey moved from club status to varsity status and recorded their 1st Varsity win over St. Michaels College. Named Most Dedicated Player in 1979, '80, and '81, Cornell was team captain his junior and senior year, returning as coach in 1982 to lead Skidmore Men's Hockey to dominance in National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Varsity competition.
Special Recognition
Steven Cornell '81In 1977 freshman Steven Cornell was awarded Most Valuable Player (MVP) in what was Skidmore's Men's Hockey first winning season. He persuaded the Athletic Department to upgrade the team's play schedule and partnered with Admissions to recruit players. As starting goalie, the history major shaped the group into a cohesive team and lobbied the College for the support necessary to enter intercollegiate play. In 1979 Skidmore Hockey moved from club status to varsity status and recorded their 1st Varsity win over St. Michaels College. Named Most Dedicated Player in 1979, '80, and '81, Cornell was team captain his junior and senior year, returning as coach in 1982 to lead Skidmore Men's Hockey to dominance in National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Varsity competition.
As coach of the new formed Women's Hockey team during his senior year and in 1982, he guided the team through a winning season with decisive victories over RPI, Hamilton, and Williams. A four-year starting goalie on the Skidmore Lacrosse team, he was chosen MVP in 1979, outstanding Defensive Player and Quad Captain in 1981, and assistant coach in 1982.
As an alumnus, Cornell's commitment to the hockey program has never wavered. He played a key role in the establishment of the Weibel Avenue Ice Rink in 1994 and the reinstatement of the hockey program in 2003. He is a founding member of Friends of Skidmore Athletics (FOSA).
Joanna "Jody" Davenport '54
As a Skidmore sophomore, the physical education major was a nationally ranked tennis player and a member of the Junior Whiteman Cup Team. She went out to earn a master's and PhD.
Appointed Women's Athletic Director in 1976 during the first wave of Title IX mandated change in collegiate athletics programs, she personally shaped the evolution of the institution's commitment to gender equity in athletics and documented the emergence of the female athletic on the world stage. She was the first visiting professor, male or female, to teach at West Point Military Academy. Passionate about sports history, particularly tennis, the modern Olympic Games, and the role of women in sports, her courses on these subjects were among the most popular at Auburn. She retired as Professor Emerita of Health and Human Performance in 1998, as well as a nationally and internationally recognized pioneer in the arena of women's athletics.
Davenport's achievements ranged far beyond campus. In 1981 she was selected U.S. Chief of Mission for a session of the National Olympic Committee and served as U.S. delegate to the Republic of China Olympics Academy in Taiwan in 1983. In 1986, she was a special lecturer at the International Olympic Academy in Olympia, Greece. Most of all, Davenport is remembered as a teacher, scholar, and athlete.
