In 1908, William Smith founded the College so that “[W]omen ... might have life and have it more abundantly.” Thus, from its very beginning, the College has been committed to empowering women and enriching their lives. The effect of that philosophy has been repeatedly demonstrated in many ways including the academic accomplishments of students, the lifetime achievements of alumnae, and in the quality and success of the William Smith athletics program.
The College currently offers 15 varsity sports: Alpine skiing, basketball, bowling, cross country, field hockey, golf, ice hockey, lacrosse, rowing, sailing, squash, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis and volleyball. The soccer program sponsors a junior varsity squad, and the rowing program includes a novice team. Coaches welcome and encourage multi-sport participation.
The Herons compete for championships in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Liberty League, the Middle Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA), the New England Hockey Conference (NEHC), the Intercollegiate Sailing Association (ICSA), and the Collegiate Squash Association (CSA).
Mission and Goals
The mission of William Smith College Department of Athletics is to provide a highly competitive intercollegiate athletic experience within a rigorous liberal arts education.
William Smith College Department of Athletics is committed to maximizing the potential of Heron student-athletes in a learning environment that values and enhances teamwork, competitiveness, respect, discipline, leadership and personal responsibility. William Smith coaches are high caliber teaching professionals who utilize an ethical approach to training, competing, mentoring and recruiting. In addition, William Smith College and its coordinate partner, Hobart College, strongly support the principles of gender equity.
The goals of the William Smith Department of Athletics are categorized under four headings:
Quality:
We will be known for the quality of our student-athletes, staff and alumnae. We will be recognized for the quality of our athletic program – a hallmark of William Smith coaches will be the ethical approach to training, competing and recruiting and our student-athletes will be responsible and respected students, athletes and citizens. We will be known for our athletic facilities that provide a quality experience for our student-athletes, opponents, officials and spectators.
Access:
William Smith College and its coordinate partner, Hobart College, strongly support the principles of gender equity. William Smith College Department of Athletics will seek to offer a distinctive athletic experience with a wide range of sports for women so that many students have the opportunity to compete. We will provide meaningful competition and support post-season opportunities. William Smith coaches will seek to attract high quality student-athletes who will not only enrich the Heron athletic programs, but the Hobart and William Smith Colleges community as a whole.
Community:
We will acquire and refine a sense of personal responsibility for our own behavior and also a willingness to share in the responsibility for the behavior and performance of our teams. In our interactions with campus colleagues, opponents, officials, our local and global community, we will model positive sportslike behavior and engaged citizenship.
Tools for the Future:
Our staff will be supported with the necessary tools and resources to develop student-athletes within the mission and goals of William Smith College Department of Athletics. By providing our student-athletes with the tools that will enable them to develop their intellect and physical being, we will equip these women to lead examined and productive lives.
The Naming of the Herons
Since September 19, 1908, when the charter members to William Smith College registered for classes, many changes have occurred on campus – rules, the curriculum, campus buildings, athletic participation opportunities, and in 1981, the school’s nickname changed from “Smithies” to “Herons.”
Exasperated with being confused with the Smith College Smithies, the William Smith College Department of Athletics wanted to have a mascot of its own. This desire led to a campus-wide contest to determine a mascot for William Smith College.
In 1981, on a fall afternoon during a field hockey practice, a heron, taking off from Odell’s Pond, flew over the field. It was fortunate that Head Coach Pat Genovese had separated the team into skill work on opposite ends of the field because as the heron reached midfield it squawked and left a large odoriferous deposit on the field. The team was convinced that the heron and William Smith were irrevocably linked. After that field hockey practice, two players, Mary Stowell Nelson ’82 and Ginger Adams Simon ’83, entered the heron into the mascot contest. They won the contest which included more than 175 proposals.
On November 8, 2008, during the William Smith Centennial Celebration, the Heron Society Board of Directors and William Smith College Department of Athletics presented the Heron Award to Mary Stowell Nelson ’82 and Ginger Adams Simon ’83 in recognition of their commitment to William Smith Athletics. On that fall afternoon in 1981, the heron flying over Field Beautiful (now McCooey Field) truly made its mark on Mary, Ginger, and their teammates, but since that time, the Herons have made their mark on women’s intercollegiate athletics.
