Picture from www.hartwickhawks.com
ONEONTA – On Monday, Dr. Kim Fierke announced that Erin Autera will be the next Hartwick College head field hockey coach. Autera will take over for longtime head coach Anna Meyer, who will retire in May.
Erin Autera, formally Erin Smith, graduated from Greene Central Schools where she was a stand-out field hockey player in Section IV. Autera was a member of the 2009 Trojans’ team that won a New York State Championship, the fifth of six for the school’s field hockey program.
Autera has served as Hartwick’s assistant coach for the last three seasons. She will become the ninth head coach in the program’s history.
“Replacing Anna Meyer, who for over 30 years, has been the face of Hartwick field hockey and ends her career as one of the winningest coaches in Division III history could be a difficult task,” said Fierke. “This was not the case as the overwhelming choice to lead the program forward was Erin. She brings a strong competitive background as a skilled and talented player, she has shown her coaching abilities with the team, and has a proven ability to recruit to Hartwick. She will be a fantastic head coach.”
Autera has helped the Hawks to back-to-back 10-win seasons, which includes a 13-win campaign and an appearance in the Empire 8 Conference semifinals in 2016. It marked the first playoff appearance for the program since 2009. She has coached three all-region players, a Co-Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, and seven All-Empire 8 players in her three seasons.
