After four years playing field hockey at Lock Haven University, Amy Stevens transferred to Russell Sage College as a graduate for the 2023 season. Though playing for the Gators only for one year, everyone in and out of the program can agree that Stevens made an outsized impact on the Russell Sage field hockey team.

On the field, Stevens earned second-team All-American honors from the NFHCA, becoming the first All-American in program history. Stevens, a first-team NFCHA All-Region selection, was also voted the Empire 8 Conference Player of the Year after leading the conference with 49 points and 20 goals, both of which are school single-season records.

“Quite honestly, Amy had the single greatest season any athlete has had in the history of Russell Sage Athletics, bar none,” said Russell Sage athletic director James Lyons.

Stevens credits the spectacular season to both hard work and the support she received from her team.

“I felt confident with the years of experience under my belt,” she said. “But I was surrounded by a team of hard-working, friendly girls. They treated me with warmth and enthusiasm that motivated me to work even harder.”

Amy brought a “know how to” approach to our team, which quickly rubbed off on the entire team’s daily habits,” Russell Sage head coach Nick Pontari said. “Amy would be the first one to practice not only putting extra shots on cage but bringing others along with her; working on dribbling, passing, and shooting with her teammate on the side before practice even began.”

Although she was technically a newcomer in the program, Stevens was seen as a leader on the team almost instantly since she was so experienced. Her experience was valued by her teammates and coaches so much that Stevens stayed around the program as a volunteer coach in the spring of 2024.

“As a transfer in, she was the first person here helping welcome the new students on move-in day,” Pontari said. “For six hours, she helped first-year students carry their belongings into their residence hall buildings and made sure they had a friendly welcome upon arriving to campus.”

“Amy’s work ethic is one of the greatest I have ever seen,” Lyons said. “That work ethic allowed her instant credibility with her coaches and teammates as she got to know everyone early in the year.”

During all her success on the field hockey pitch, Stevens was in school pursuing her doctorate in physical therapy. It wouldn’t be easy, but Stevens said she got support from both her coach and teammates.

“At first, it was incredibly daunting,” she said. “My coach reached out and really put me at ease, especially after talking with multiple girls on the team who were also in the same program.”

“Amy has maintained ‘A’ student status during her time in Albany,” Lyons added. “She was a tremendous role model for her teammates when it came to juggling her academic endeavors with her pursuit of greatness on the field.”

Stevens’ love of field hockey began in fifth grade. She was a soccer player at the time but said field hockey was very popular in her area and a lot of her friends played. While attending Whitney Point High School, Stevens earned All-State honors and helped the program win five-straight field hockey titles. But high school was formative for Stevens in more than just field hockey. During her sophomore year, she tore her ACL while playing lacrosse. During the six months of physical therapy, Stevens realized her passion for the field of physical therapy.

“I immediately knew that’s what I wanted to do,” she said. “I know that it’s everything for athletes to get back to their sport and I have so much enthusiasm to help them.”

That enthusiasm was highly valued on the field hockey pitch and, according to her head coach, will be valuable wherever she goes in the future.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Amy will continue to and go on to do amazing things as a person in her time here at Russell Sage and beyond,” said Pontari.

“I am beyond the words of being thankful and honored to receive this award,” Stevens said. “When reflecting on the incredible accolades of each of the present and past honorees, it has truly been put into perspective how blessed I am to have been named among these decorated and accomplished women.”

Talia Spenziero knows what it means to work hard. She certainly worked hard during her career at Siena College during which she was a five-time All-MAAC diver. But behind the scenes, Spenziero’s unique work ethic and leadership helped her find success all over North America.

Spenziero chose Siena because she wanted to stay close to home. After six years of diving for Shenendehowa High School, she decided to compete at Siena to stay near her family in Clifton Park. But at the time, the Saints had just one diver on the team, who had only joined the team the year prior, and no diving coach.

“We would coach each other by taking videos,” Spenziero said. “It brought out the strengths in both of us.”

“Despite the challenges of not having a diving coach on staff, the two girls were positive, hard-working, and extremely successful,” said former Siena Swimming and Diving Head Coach Brogan Barr.

Spenziero’s success included capturing the MAAC Championship in the one-meter diving event, becoming the program’s first individual champion since 2011, and she was named Co-Diver of the meet on her way to being just the fourth diver to represent Siena at the NCAA Diving Zone Regionals.

“She also dedicated herself to getting stronger in the weight room and to executing her dives to the best of her abilities,” Barr said.

The hard work began in middle school for Spenziero. Just like her mom, she was a gymnast early on before moving to the diving board in middle school. She started competing on her high school’s varsity diving team in seventh grade.

“I practiced day in and day out,” she said. “I’d end school at 2:30, have varsity practice until 5:30, and then go to practice with my club team from 6-8 a couple days a week.”

That schedule only filled up more when she reached college. While Spenziero admits she struggled at first, she found a way to work harder and find success in the classroom.

“I didn’t have many study habits in high school,” she said, “That doesn’t work in college. But I started working really hard and I got at least a 3.8 every semester.”

Spenziero had to bring her best effort to balance a courseload that included difficult health sciences classes. Even with a hard major, Spenziero still graduated Magna Cum Laude this past spring.

“Throughout her time at Siena, Talia continuously challenged herself with some of Siena’s toughest science courses, as she wanted to prepare herself for the rigors of a physician assistant master’s program,” Barr said. “She handled the nuances of her academic, athletic, and work schedules seemingly flawlessly.”

The summer before her senior year, Spenziero traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico as a Global Medical Volunteer. She visited the local clinics there for five hours, five days a week. She was able to help lower income residents in the city get much needed health care.

“It was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever done,” she said. “I got to work hand-in-hand with doctors down there to address the disparities in their healthcare system.”

Whether she’s high atop the pool looking down at a diving board or bending down to help a patient in need, Talia Spenziero’s hard work is always on display to those around her.

“Receiving this award validates the countless hours of training and hard work I’ve put into not only my sport but my academics and extracurricular activities,” she said. “It makes me grateful for all the challenges I’ve overcome over the years. It also inspires me to continue pushing myself to be the best that I can be in my future endeavors.”