Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Title IX

Lock Haven Athletics

Official site of the Lock Haven Bald Eagles

We are honored to join the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) in Honoring the 50th Anniversary of Title IX and the incredible women who have helped paved the way for Women in Sport.

On February 2, the PSAC named Sharon Taylor as its first honoree.

Sharon Taylor: Taylor (1966) was a multi-sport student-athlete and multi-sport coach at LHU. She played field hockey and basketball, before coaching tennis, basketball, lacrosse and field hockey. Taylor is a former member of the U.S. Olympic Committee and past president of USA Field Hockey. As a coach at Lock Haven, Taylor won seven national championships, including one in lacrosse and six in field hockey. The national title in lacrosse is the school's only in the sport after the Bald Eagles won the AIAW DII title in 1979. The sport of field hockey is where she left her biggest mark at LHU, as her Lock Haven teams went 333-96-27 and her 340 total collegiate career field hockey wins still rank No. 25 all-time in NCAA history. Taylor-led LHU field hockey teams won national titles in 1981, '82, '89, '92, '94 and '95.

On April 13, the PSAC named Charlotte Smith as an honoree... Lock Haven's second.

Charlotte Smith: Dr. Charlotte E. Smith, a 2015 Inductee of the Lock Haven University Athletics Hall of Fame, was one of the great pioneers of women's varsity sports at LHU. Smith founded the field hockey program in 1945 and the lacrosse program in 1970. In her 28 years as field hockey coach, her teams compiled a record of 152-36-19.

Dr. Charlotte E. Smith served Lock Haven State (Teachers) College for 29 years (1944-1973) as Professor in the Department Health and Physical Education.

At a time when there were few athletics opportunities for women, Charlotte Smith coached basketball (1944-67; 89-33) and initiated and coached varsity teams in field hockey (1945-72; 152-36-19) and lacrosse (1970-73; 16-1). Upon her retirement in 1973, Lock Haven State College recognized Dr. Smith’s extraordinary service by naming a field in her honor.

On May 6, the PSAC named Carol Eckman as an honoree... Lock Haven's third.

Carol Eckman: An outstanding basketball player at LHU in the late 1950s, Eckman later earned a spot on two U.S. basketball teams in 1967 and 1968. While a coach at West Chester in 1969, she established the very first National Tournament for women's college basketball, an achievement that earned her a place in the first class of inductees to the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tennessee.

On May 18, we honored Colleen Hacker as our fourth in the PSAC's Title IX celebration.

Colleen Hacker: Hacker (1978) played both field hockey and basketball at LHU. As the head women's soccer coach at Pacific Lutheran University, she led the team to five straight NAIA championship games including victories in 1988, 1989 and 1991. Hacker is a member of both the NAIA Soccer Hall of Fame and Pacific Lutheran's Hall of Fame. She went on to a very successful career as a mental skills coach and performance psychology specialist. Most recently, Hacker helped guide the USA women's ice hockey team to a gold medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympic Games. She served as the team's mental skills coach. Hacker was the first woman to win the Distinguished Professional Practice award from the Association for Applied Sport Psychology in 2014.

On June 21, we honored Elizabeth Zimmerli as our fifth and final in the PSAC's Title IX celebration.

Elizabeth Zimmerli: Zimmerli served as the Director of Health & Physical Education from 1946-66, and the Zimmerli Gymnasium and Pool on Lock Haven's campus hold her name to this day. Zimmerli was crucial in helping to pave the way for female student-athletes at The Haven.