Stevens Institute of Technology Ready for First Empire 8 Season
August 7, 2007
HOBOKEN, N.J. - Stevens Institute of Technology embarks upon its first season as a full member of the Empire 8 with its field hockey, women’s soccer, and volleyball teams all opening the season on Aug. 31.
“We have been fortunate to achieve a lot of success within the Skyline Conference in recent years,” said Stevens Athletic Director Russ Rogers. “We understand though that we are going to have to raise our level of play across the board in all sports to remain competitive in the Empire 8. Not only are we joining a conference with schools that have well-established athletic programs, but also one that includes many of the finest schools in the country. We are thrilled to be associated with the Empire 8,” Rogers said.
Five Stevens’ teams advanced to the NCAA championship tournament in 2006-07 and four teams were nationally ranked in the final poll. In addition, seven student-athletes from Stevens garnered All-America honors last year.
“We are so excited to begin the 2007-08 campaign with Stevens in the Empire 8,” said Commissioner Chuck Mitrano. “Frankly, we could not have asked for a better academic or athletic institution to enhance our conference. They are a first class institution and their addition makes this year the most competitive in our history.”
The Ducks have qualified for the national tournament in men’s soccer each of the past four seasons and five of the last six years. “We are excited to be part of the Empire 8 and looking forward to the challenge of competing in one of the top Division III conferences in the country,” said men’s soccer head coach Tim Donohue.
The Ducks made their third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship last season, reaching the national quarterfinals. The women’s soccer team has made the NCAA tournament each of the past five seasons, the men’s lacrosse team made six NCAA appearances from 2001-2006, and the men’s basketball and men’s tennis squads earned berths in their national tournaments for the first time this past season.
Women’s lacrosse head coach and Senior Woman Administrator Celine Cunningham seeks to bring her team to the NCAA field for the second time this coming season. “We are very excited to join the Empire 8 and thrilled to be in a conference with an automatic qualifier for the NCAA tournament,” Cunningham said. “There is a lot of great competition throughout the league that will prepare us for the conference tournament and hopefully for the NCAA tournament as well. We feel strongly that the increased competition will make us a better team.”
Stevens is a prestigious university dedicated to research, innovation, and entrepreneurship. A leading national university according, Stevens was, in 2004, ranked by the Princeton Review as one of the nation’s “Most Entrepreneurial Campuses” and among the nation's “25 most connected campuses” by the Princeton Review and Forbes.com in 2006.