“A-U-F-H! A-U-F-H!” On any given day, the pride of American University’s Field Hockey team echoes throughout the hallways of Bender Arena. The team has a lot to be proud of.
2023 marked a momentous year for the program and its coach—Athletics fixture Head Field Hockey Coach Steve Jennings—who celebrated his 25th year at AU by leading his team to the program’s 11th undefeated Patriot League season, 13th regular-season league title, and 13th league tournament title. This achievement also earned Jennings Patriot League Coach of the Year for the 11th time.
Jennings’s milestone anniversary and accomplishments were commemorated at a surprise celebration organized by his former student-athletes, colleagues, and others from the AU field hockey community. There, the Steve Jennings Field Hockey Endowment, which was made possible by philanthropic support from many in attendance, was announced. This is the first sport-specific endowment in the history of AU Athletics and will help offset programmatic costs.
“Steve has done a tremendous job building a tradition of field hockey players who feel a real warmth toward the program and university,” said Barbara Reimann, AU Field Hockey’s retired first head coach and member of the Cassell Hall of Fame. “AU has always been good to me. I spent thirty years there—this endowment is part of the way I can pay it back.”
Coach Jennings in action on the field.
“Barb [Reimann] started the program. Steve put the program on the map,” noted retired Senior Associate Director of Athletics Athena Argyropoulos, SPA/BA ’78, who worked alongside Jennings for nearly two decades.
Argyropoulos—who lettered in AU field hockey and basketball and whose athletics career is one for the record books is also a member of the Cassell Hall of Fame. “Steve made it easy to become part of AUFH. I want to see this program maintained.” Argyropoulos was one of the early supporters of the endowment.
“It is the ultimate acknowledgment of Steve’s legacy and the program, and it is forward-thinking,” added Lindsay Carroll, SOC/BA ’06. Rallying behind the endowment for her former coach was a no-brainer. “I think about the next generation and so forth—and the way it may attract future student-athletes [to American University].”
Carroll’s tenure began at a time when the program wasn’t very strong. She recalled hard early losses and the team’s rise to become one of the country’s best, attributing the success quickly to Jennings’s vision. “He saw something special in us collectively, and it benefited us on the field and academically.”
That vision likely stems from Jennings’s own field hockey background. He played for the US Men’s National Team (1991-1999) and served as vice-captain for the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta. Jennings was head coach of the US Junior National Team and assistant coach of the US Women’s National Team. As one of the most decorated coaches in the US, Jennings was inducted into the National Field Hockey College Association Hall of Fame in 2011. He is also an honorary member of the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame.
Over the past twenty-five years, the athletics community has witnessed the evolution of AUFH and rallied behind Jennings.
Carroll values the discipline she developed under Jennings’s direction and treasures the sisterhood fostered, even during seemingly inconsequential moments—daily pre-dawn van rides to and from the University of Maryland for team practices (and games) when AUFH didn’t have its own field, for example.
“Just think about how far we got to get that field,” said Carroll, who was a senior when the team’s field opened on campus. “That first game was special for all reasons.” The AU community showed up that day—former athletes, coaches, and administrators traveled far distances to join the current AU community in celebration of the momentous occasion.
Today, the AU community continues to show up. The Steve Jennings Field Hockey Endowment is the result of a collective effort made possible by generations of AUFH players and supporters.
“The honor of having an endowment created for the field hockey program is extraordinary, and to have my name associated with it is humbling beyond words,” stated Coach Jennings.
“The foundation-setting donors—beginning first and foremost with Barbara Reimann—are legends in our program’s history, they each left their respective indelible marks as a coach or administrator or student-athlete and now as proud alumnae," he added. "Through their example, through their hard work we have been able to build a culture of true excellence. The endowment is generating phenomenal support from across our alumnae base, which ensures that future generations of AUFH will receive the support they need to continue to add to the rich legacy of our program, department, and university. We are all so thankful!”
Make a gift today to support the Steve Jennings Field Hockey Endowment.
