Wells College Hires Field Hockey Coaches

Co-position best serves athletes, College 

Wells College Athletics Director Lyn LaBar announced last week that two Wells coaches have been appointed as co-coaches for the field hockey team. Former assistant hockey coach Amy “Ace” Dolan and Sandra Jones, past assistant softball and swim coach at Wells, will manage the field hockey program together. 

“I am excited that Ace Dolan and Sandra Jones will serve as co-head coaches for the Wells field hockey program,” says LaBar. “For the past few years, both have been closely associated with the squad. I am confident that they will work well together to build upon the hockey program’s strong foundation and achieve new levels of success both on and off the field.”

For the past two seasons, Ace has served as the assistant field hockey coach under LaBar, and has worked primarily with the goalkeepers.  As a result of her instruction and guidance, Wells goalkeepers have led, in overall save percentage, all Atlantic Women’s Colleges Conference (AWCC) goalkeepers. She also is Wells’ head softball coach. Ace received a B.S. in natural resources from Cornell University in 2001. This will be her fourth year coaching for Wells.

Sandra, Wells Class of 2004, was a member of the field hockey team for three years while a student, and served as captain during her senior season. She was an AWCC Second Team All-Conference selection. Sandra received the Lesley Wead Zabriskie Express Award for field hockey during her senior year. In addition to field hockey, she was a member of the softball and swim teams, and was active with the Wells Student Athlete Advisory Committee, serving as a hockey team representative. 

This past spring, Ace and Sandra worked together as head and assistant coach, respectively, for the softball program.

“It will be great to work alongside Ace again, this time as co-coaches of the Wells field hockey team,” said Sandra. “Thanks to the opportunities I had to work with some amazing coaches as a student here, I am eager and confident that I have the skills necessary to lead the squad successfully. I am looking forward to another wonderful season.”

Ace too is excited about the new appointments: “I am confident that we will continue to maintain the high quality student athlete that Wells has become known for. I also look forward to working with Sandra in this new role.”

For more information about athletics at Wells College, please contact Communications Director Kelly Tehan at 315/364-3260 and visit the Wells Athletics website: www.wells.edu/slife/sl2c.htm.

August, 2005

Wells College Hires Coaches for Swimming and Cross-Country

Wells College Athletics Director Lyn LaBar is pleased to announce that two coaches have been hired. Jack Eckhardt will be the College’s swimming coach, and Tim Ingall will lead the newly formed cross-country teams. 

John “Jack” Eckhardt of Homer, New York will begin his full-time duties as head women’s and men’s swim coach on August 1.  He will be responsible for managing and developing all aspects of the women’s and men’s club swim programs, will serve as aquatics coordinator, and will teach aquatic-related physical education classes.

“Jack brings to Wells a great sense of enthusiasm, determination, and positive energy surrounding his plan to develop the Wells swim program,” says LaBar.  “His background and experience will assist him in taking our women’s program to the next level and starting a men’s program. I’m confident that Jack will provide some much needed stability to the program, and I am excited that he will be joining us at this pivotal time for Wells athletics.”

Eckhardt most recently taught physical education and was head modified lacrosse coach for the Horseheads School District in Horseheads, New York. He has also served as assistant swim coach for the Kingston Swim Club in Kingston, New York and for the SUNY-Cortland swim team. He is the founder and head coach of the Cortland Adapted Swim Team, and is a Certified Adapted Physical Educator (CAPE). He received his B.S. and M.S. in physical education from SUNY-Cortland.

“I’m looking forward to working with a great group of students, and guiding them to athletic excellence over the next few years,” says Jack.  “I’m also really excited to have the chance to continue building the women’s swim program, and to developing a new men’s program.” 

Also starting in early August is part-time women’s and men’s cross-country coach Tim Ingall of Lansing, New York. Tim will organize practices, prepare runners to participate in meets, recruit student-athletes, and assist with meet scheduling and the development of new running courses for the cross-country program. Because Wells does not yet have its own courses, student-athletes will participate in away invitationals in this inaugural year.

“We are most fortunate to have secured Tim Ingall as head coach of our newly established cross-country program,” says LaBar. “Tim has extensive knowledge in the sport, has a great passion for running, and is very active in local running clubs and track communities.”

An avid runner and sports enthusiast for 30 years, Ingall holds a USATF Level I certificate in track and field coaching. In addition to being a member of the High Noon running group at Cornell University, he is on the executive board of the Finger Lakes Runners Club, where he organizes several track meets and races each year. Through the FLRC, he introduced and coordinates the annual Family Fun Run each March, and the “Forge the Gorgeous Trail” race at Fillmore Glen in August. Tim received a Higher National Diploma from Writtle Agricultural College in Essex, England, and is also employed as general manager of Sheffield’s Seed Company in Locke, New York. He now competes at the Master’s level in running competitions.

“This is an exciting opportunity for me to start up a new sport at Wells,” says Ingall. “I expect that the new cross-country program will attract more students and be successful. I’m pleased to be an active leader in this process.”

Athletics plays an important role as Wells seeks to recruit and retain more students. In March, Michael Paolini was hired as Wells’ men’s soccer coach. The new soccer team will play the 2005-06 season at the club level and will elevate to varsity in 2006-07. Starting out as a club program will allow Paolini time to develop a recruiting base upon which to build before elevating to varsity status in 2006.

Wells’ athletic facilities are also undergoing significant renovations. A men’s locker room is being expanded, and cardio and weight rooms are receiving upgrades.  A new entrance to the Schwartz Student Union will welcome athletes, the sports medicine training room will be moved and enlarged, and coaches’ office space enhanced. Outdoor projects include resurfacing existing tennis courts and the development of cross-country running trails. The improved facilities will be available to student-athletes arriving on campus for the Fall 2005 semester.

August, 2005

Wells College Trustees Elect Leaders to Executive Committee

At their spring meeting in Aurora, the Wells College Board of Trustees elected officers to top board leadership positions for 2005-06, effective July 1, according to President Lisa Marsh Ryerson. 

Wells graduate Suzanne Grey of New Canaan, Connecticut, was named board chair. Sue was appointed to the board in 2001 and currently serves as vice chair and member of the executive committee. She was instrumental in guiding the Board of Trustees through a planning process that included the 2004 decision to move to coeducation.

A philosophy major and mathematics minor, her first appointment to the Wells board came in 1972, the year she graduated, when her classmates nominated her to serve a two-year term as collegiate trustee. 

Ms. Grey has more than 30 years of experience in business. She has spent the last 23 years with Pitney Bowes, a Fortune 500 company, most recently as a corporate vice president of business planning and chief of staff for its Global Enterprise Solutions group. This is a portfolio of businesses with $1.4 billion in annual revenues and 15,000 employees worldwide. Ms. Grey has focused on resolving strategic and operational issues confronting the business units, establishing effective planning processes, and working closely with home office and field management. She also served as vice president of strategy and product development for Dictaphone Corporation, a subsidiary of Pitney Bowes.

Prior to Pitney Bowes, Ms. Grey held positions with Quantum Science Corporation, William E. Hill & Company (a Dun & Bradstreet Company) and the JCPenney Company. In addition to serving her alma mater, she has been board president of St. Luke’s LifeWorks (a social services agency in Stamford, Connecticut) and volunteered at the Waveny Care Center (New Canaan, Connecticut). 

Pat Parnie Purcell Wahlen of St. Petersburg, Florida was elected vice chair. A philosophy major, she received her bachelor’s degree from Wells in 1966 and began her fundraising career at the College shortly after graduation, eventually being named Wells’ Vice President for Development. She joined the board in 2003 and chairs the External Relations Committee. 

Ms. Wahlen has also held top-level fundraising positions at Goucher College and the University of Maryland. She made national headlines when she raised a record-breaking $40 million for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. During her seven-year tenure with the Cleveland Symphony Orchestra, she raised nearly $200 million. Since 2000, she has been a fundraising consultant. 

Ms. Wahlen was named one of Northern Ohio’s top ten most influential women in 1998 by Northern Ohio Live magazine. She received the Wells College Alumnae Award in 2004 in recognition of her career achievements and service to the College.

Gail L. Kitch, of Charlottesville, Virginia, will continue in her current position as board secretary. She joined the Wells board in 1999 and is chair of the Enrollment Committee and a longtime member of the Campus Affairs Committee, which encompasses administrative leadership in both student life and academic affairs. 

Ms. Kitch is currently executive director of By the People: America in the World, an initiative of MacNeil/Lehrer Productions designed to energize the national conversation on America’s global presence through work with local PBS stations. Previously, she was president of the Federation of State Humanities Councils.

She earned her B.A. from Bryn Mawr College and her law degree from the University of Chicago. 

For additional information, please contact Communications Director Kelly Tehan at 315/364-3260.

July, 2005

Preparing to Greet the First Coed Class

Campus excited to welcome the Class of 2009 

As high school seniors across the nation make final college choices, Wells will be greeting more new students than it has seen in many years. 

Last October, trustees announced that Wells would admit men beginning in the fall 2005. Wells had been a women’s college since its founding in 1868. This year, as the College transitions to coeducation, Wells received 1,012 applications for the entering freshman class that can accommodate about 130 students. Sixty-eight transfer students have also applied.

To date, 134 students, 22 of them males, have sent in their deposits, indicating their intention to enroll as freshmen this fall. Additionally, the College has received deposits from 28 transfer students, 23 of whom are women. 

“We’re extremely pleased with our success this year,” said Director of Admissions Susan Sloan. “The freshman numbers are likely to change a little over the course of the summer; we’ll probably see a few withdrawals and receive a few more deposits. Transfer students are accepted on a rolling basis, and we are very likely to see more enroll for the fall semester.” 

Sloan said 20% of deposited first-year students have self-identified as persons of color. Thirty-five percent are from outside New York; they come from states including California, Hawaii, Idaho, Minnesota, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, and Wisconsin. Two percent are international students. Four students are the children of Wells alumnae. 

In the previous five years, when Wells identified as a women’s college, the College received an average of 396 applications annually. The College expects to raise total enrollment from 425 to 600 students over the next five years. 

Among the students planning to attend Wells next fall is Stephanie Redmond of Camas, Washington. Class valedictorian, a student leader, and athlete, Stephanie was accepted by Cornell University and the University of California at Berkeley, but chose Wells. Redmond is Wells College founder Henry Wells’ great-great-great-great-granddaughter.

Redmond said, “I chose Wells because of the intimate attention given to the students. The opportunity for internships built into the curriculum and the connection with Cornell were also very significant draws.” She plans to participate in Wells’ engineering program affiliated with nearby Cornell.

July, 2005
 

Wells College News Archive
 

Last updated 02/14/2006