University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn Dedicates Nancy Stevens Field on Diane Wright Way
10/16/2022 1:24:00 PM | Field Hockey
STORRS, Conn. - Former University of Connecticut head field hockey coaches Diane Wright and Nancy Stevens combined to win five NCAA Division I National Championships, over 900 games, and most importantly, made a positive impact on the lives of countless UConn student-athletes. The duo were trailblazers in collegiate athletics, and tirelessly and effectively advocated for a more equitable experience for women in sports throughout their hall of fame careers.
To honor the duo's contributions to the University of Connecticut, and to continue the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the landmark federal Title IX legislation, the indelible contributions by Wright and Stevens were marked permanently in two prominent University locations prior to Sunday's field hockey game against Boston College, capping of UConn's Women's Weekend celebration.
This road that runs in between Gampel Pavilion and the Werth Family Champions Center and extends to the area in between the Greer Field House and the George J. Sherman Family Sports Complex, will from today on be known as Diane Wright Way.  The Sherman Complex, which is home to the UConn field hockey program, will now be referred to as Nancy Stevens Field at the George J. Sherman Complex.
DIANE WRIGHT
- Head Coach Diane Wright Âled the UConn field hockey program from 1975 through 1989 and amassed a 212-62-25 record, leading the Huskies to the 1981 and 1985 National Championships.
- The birth of a national postseason competition for women's athletics came from the passing of the historic Title IX legislation in 1972 and 277 Division I institutions sponsored women's sports entering the NCAA in 1981. It would be in that same year when, out of 95 participating Division I field hockey schools, the University of Connecticut would be selected to host the first-ever NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship at Memorial Stadium here in Storrs. During that historical year in women's college sports, under new national governance, seventh-year head coach Diane Wright would guide UConn to a 15-2-3 overall record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The underdog Huskies upset top-seeded and top-ranked Massachusetts, 4-1, in the championship final to become the first-ever NCAA Champion in the sport. Those Huskies claimed the school's first-ever NCAA National Championship and became the first-ever college women's team to be crowned as a NCAA Division I Champions.
- She led the Huskies to five NCAA National Semifinal appearances between 1981-1985 and was honored as the National Coach of the Year in 1981. She coached three student-athletes to National Player of the Year honors while another 27 were named All-Americans. In 2006, she was inducted into the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
NANCY STEVENS
- Head Coach Nancy Stevens succeeded Coach Wright in 1990 and led the Huskies for the next 30 years, retiring in 2020 as the winningest head coach in the history of the sport with a career record of 700-189-24. Five hundred and twenty-three of those victories came during her tenure at UConn, where she led the Huskies to back-to-back national titles in 2013 and 2014, and led the Huskies to an undefeated national championship with a spotless 23-0 record during the 2017 season.
- During her career, UConn appeared in 24 NCAA Tournaments, reached 18 NCAA Quarterfinals, 10 NCAA Semifinals, won 19 Big East Tournament titles and 19 Big East regular season titles while producing 50 First Team All-Americans. She led the Huskies to a No. 1 national ranking in five different years during her tenure.
- She was named the National Field Hockey Coaches Association National Coach of the Year honors on three occasions, earned nine Mideast Region Coach of the Year awards, and was named Big East Coach of the Year 13 times. On the national stage, 11 of her former players wore the red, white and blue with the U.S. National Team.
- In 2007, Nancy joined Coach Wright in being named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
