The future of the women’s hockey team has finally been announced, following uncertainty after President Shirley Ann Jackson’s January 12 announcement that the team would be moving up to Division I in the very near future.
The timeline was recently approved by the Board of Trustees, and was revealed Monday, when President Jackson announced that the team will remain at the D-III level for one more season before being elevated to D-I beginning in the 2005-06 season.
“Elevating the women’s ice hockey program to Division I will build on Rensselaer’s great hockey tradition,” said President Jackson. “This is an exciting transition for our women’s ice hockey program, at a pace which allows us to build a team that can compete at the highest level.”
RPI will compete as an independent during the 2005-06 season, and expects to join the ECAC in the 2006-07 season. During this time, Rensselaer will start giving athletic grants-in-aid to some of its women’s hockey players, and plans to be fully funded with 18 grants in aid by the 2008-09 season.
Women’s hockey will be RPI’s second D-I team, joining the men’s hockey program.
This season the Engineers finished with a 19-5-3 record overall, and 13-3-1 record in the ECAC East. The team was nationally ranked most of the year, peaking at seventh in the nation after splitting games with Manhattanville.
Rensselaer faired well against the five D-I opponents the team faced this season. The Engineers finished with a 2-1-2 record versus D-I opponents, defeating Sacred Heart and Quinnapiac, losing to Vermont, and tying both Clarkson and Union.
The Engineers finished second in the ECAC East this year, and made it back to the ECAC East Tournament final for the second straight year. Manhattanville beat RPI in the finals to move on to the NCAA tournament where they lost in the second round after receiving a first round bye.
Five women’s hockey players were honored by the ECAC East at the end of the season. Sophomore goalie Rosina Schiff was named to the ECAC East First Team, freshman Julie Aho was named to the ECAC East Second Team and junior Meredith Langille, junior Sondra Sherman, and sophomore Julie Welte were selected for All-ECAC East Honorable Mentions.
To add to the team’s accolades, Schiff was named a Division III Women’s Hockey National All-American for her performance in goal for the Engineers this season.
