Siena ends field hockey program

LOUDONVILLE — Siena has discontinued their field hockey program after 40 years of competition, the school announced Monday. 

This announcement comes after financial problems in supporting the program and facility issues have long plagued the program. 

“It can be hard to develop a successful program and give our student-athletes a rewarding experience when faced with both facility challenges, and when the program cannot be properly funded,” Siena athletic director John D’Argenio said in an official statement. “We have to put our student-athletes at a competitive disadvantage which cannot be easily solved.”

Siena has played on the Siena Turf Field since 2007, and on the field that was not AstroTurf. This caused the program trouble in scheduling non-conference home games. Over the past five years, 35 of their 50 non-conference games have been played on the road. An additional three home games have been moved to alternate locations. 

The decision will affect 16 students. However, students that do not transfer will continue to receive their athletic financial aid as long as they remain eligible for them. They will also honor all National Letters of Intent and coaching contracts that are not up yet and provide assistance for players who wish to transfer.

With the money that did come from the field hockey program, D’Argenio said that some of it will be used as funding for other women’s athletic programs at the school. “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,” he said.

The program began in 1978 and has competed for 40 years, the last 25 at the Division I level. They spent 1993-1997 as an independent before joining the Northeast Conference as an associate member and finally moving to the MAAC field hockey conference in 2013. They had an overall record of 134-419-9, and 50-325 at the Division I level.