“When I joined [in Fall 2021] there were only six other people on the team,” says Amanda Wheeler, a senior at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and co-president of the women’s ice hockey team. “For our games we had to borrow players from other teams because we often didn’t have enough [of our own] to start the game.”

The �鶹Ƶ��University women’s club ice hockey team claimed the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) College Hockey Women’s National Championship and finished the year 20-0.

Now, in the Spring 2025 semester, the team is fresh off of an undefeated (20-0) season and celebrating their recent win at the Women’s National Championship, a conference the team joined this academic year. “In the short time that I’ve been here, the team went from a relaxed, low-level program to one of the best women’s club hockey programs in the country,” says Elise Herrick, a junior at SUNY ESF and co-president alongside Wheeler.

Taking the team from a casual approach to being national champions in such a short amount of time is a credit to both the coaching staff and the players themselves. Christina Beam began coaching the team two years ago, and within those two years, she noticed the drive and commitment within the team change.

“The players are passionate about the game of hockey and the commitment to each other and the program,” says Beam. “At the end of last season, we did an ‘end of the year’ meeting with each of the athletes. We took their feedback seriously and developed a plan for this season. We shared our plan and expectations early on; this allowed us to all be on the same page and develop the program together.”

Team captain Leah Landry ’26 (left) and coach Christina Beam hold the National Championship trophy after the Orange defeated the University of Tampa.

Along with implementing player feedback into the team strategy for the 2024-25 season, joining the AAU may have been the special ingredient needed to help the team truly take off. “Joining the AAU this year gave the team an opportunity to compete for a title; it may not sound like much to some, but to have an end goal is huge when you play competitive sports,” says Beam. “The women took our commitment seriously and it is evident by the season we played this year.”

The Orange completed their 2024-25 season in the College Hockey North Women’s Division undefeated, easily securing their place in the AAU National Championship, held March 6-9 in Jacksonville, Florida. But clinching a spot in nationals didn’t mean the work stopped.

“We spent a lot of time before the tournament setting expectations for ourselves, working our on-ice systems and mentally preparing for the games,” says Herrick. “We had never played [some of the teams], so we had no way of knowing how good they were going to be, but we knew that we had the skill to beat any team we faced as long as we played our game and stayed focused.”

Along with perfecting their skills on the ice, the team had to block out naysayers. “Despite being undefeated, there were a lot of people who didn’t think we would win, with some predicting that we wouldn’t even make it to the championship game,” Herrick says. “But the negative attention fueled us and made us even more determined to win.”

After winning their playoff games, including a close call against their opponent in the championship game , the University of Tampa, the team was nervous to get on the ice, but still as focused as ever on winning a title. “The score from that game [against Tampa the day before] was close and we all knew that Tampa would be coming out hard [in the championship] because of that,” says Wheeler. “I don’t think anyone [on our team] sat down during the entire game. It was constant cheering, singing and dancing, no matter what the score was. We just needed to calm our nerves and keep the energy up.”

The strategy to “keep the energy up” was a winning one. Near the end of the game. Ivy Dietrich ’27, assistant captain and a member of the team’s first line, scored a short-handed, empty net goal to put �鶹Ƶ��up 4-2 and secure the championship. “It was a real full-circle moment for me since I’m the only person still on the team from that original seven-person roster,” says Wheeler. “Being there holding the trophy with everyone who’s helped build this team and supported us for the past few years was incredible.”

The team is already planning how to keep the momentum going into next season. “We keep moving forward, we continue to build on what we’ve done right and work on things we’d like to do better,” Beam says. “We stay humble, committed and remember the joy we get from playing ice hockey.”

As Herrick prepares to move into her senior year and assume full presidential duties, she wants to see the team continue to flourish, both on and off the ice. “I hope that we can maintain the values of our program and continue to provide a welcoming environment for female hockey players looking to continue their careers and find a supportive community,” says Herrick. “One of the most important parts of a hockey team is the energy, and I want us to continue having good energy for as long as the program is around.”

Students interested in joining the women’s club ice hockey team can learn more on the .

Barnes Center at The Arch

has received reaccreditation from the through October 2032. The IACS is the premier leader in setting the standard for the full range of professional counseling services on college and university campuses worldwide.

“IACS standards have long been recognized as the benchmark providing us with best practices and evaluating quality within the field of counseling services,” says , director of counseling. “Having been successfully reaccredited means a lot to the staff as it reflects the quality of their work and is a stamp of validation that we meet the highest established standards in the field.”

IACS’ rigorous accreditation process involves detailed documentation, a comprehensive site visit evaluation and multiple peer reviews in five areas:

• relationships within the University community,
• counseling and clinical services,
• ethical standards,
• personnel and
• resources and infrastructure.

Approval by the IACS is also dependent upon evidence of continuing professional development as well as demonstration of excellence of counseling performance. After being evaluated, the IACS found that Barnes Center Counseling offered competent and reliable professional services to the �鶹Ƶ��University community.

“Having this accreditation illustrates that the staff and services of Barnes Center at The Arch Counseling have been evaluated by external experts in the field and that we meet the highest standards of the profession,” says Brown. “For students, family members and our campus community, it is reassuring to know that we are providing high-quality mental health services and have been determined to meet the gold standards established in the field.”

The Barnes Center offers and to �鶹Ƶ��University students, which are covered in full through the Health and Wellness Fee. For more information or questions, please visit the or call 315.443.8000.

Counseling Center waiting room

The CPN Seal of Prevention represents the highest standard for online prevention education, with a rigorous set of criteria to ensure colleges and universities are taking action to create a safer, more inclusive campus through comprehensive, evidence-based digital prevention education across critical areas, including sexual assault, alcohol misuse, mental health and discrimination. The CPN Seal of Prevention establishes guidelines for discerning quality online prevention education and implementation practices, and positions prevention as central to key institutional outcomes.

“O�ܰ� for incoming first-year and transfer undergraduate students are directly related to this award,” says Veronica Whalen Jones, director of Barnes Center at The Arch Health Promotion. To fulfill the University’s Community Wellness Requirements, incoming students are required to take three online training modules on alcohol education, sexual assault prevention and diversity, inclusion and belonging prior to arriving on campus for their first semester.

These required education modules help positively impact the campus community and help students thrive. “The programs that make up the Community Wellness Requirements are focused on equipping students with knowledge to create a safer, supportive and inclusive community for students to live and learn,” says Whalen Jones.

Expanding on education for returning sophomores, juniors and seniors, the Barnes Center Health Promotion team helped to implement the last summer. This is an annual sexual and relationship violence prevention training requirement that builds upon the Community Wellness Requirements.

To learn more or with questions, please visit the Barnes Center at The Arch , call Barnes Center at The Arch Health Promotion at 315.443.8000 or email communitywellness@syr.edu.

’Cuse Works encouraged campus community members to nominate student employees and supervisors that have improved the student experience through their hard work and dedication throughout the 2023-24 academic year. This year, 65 students and nearly 20 supervisors were nominated for awards. All nominees are reviewed and winners are selected by the .

Jovanni Mosca

Undergraduate Student Employee of the Year: Jovanni Mosca ’24, Student Engagement

Nominated by members of Student Engagement, Mosca is described as one of the most dedicated and driven employees the team has ever worked with. He radiates an infectiously positive and good-hearted energy that brightens up the entire office, even in the face of obstacles and challenges, and he always takes the time to train any person interested in technical event skills, regardless of their skill level.

In his role as a student lead, Mosca directly mentors about 20 student staff members and ensures they are having a worthwhile experience while employed with the Event and Technical Services (ETS) team in Student Engagement.

In addition to his managerial duties, Jovanni has developed many new and innovative ideas to simplify ETS processes and educate organizations that use their services, as well as helped produce a number of big events in support of student organizations and departments on campus. He is continuously complimented by event sponsors, artists and visiting technicians for his technical knowledge, professionalism and overall attitude.

Shivani Sadare

Graduate Student Employee of the Year: Shivani Sadare ��’24

Sadare was nominated by two different campus departments for her work with them: the Center for International Services and �鶹Ƶ��University Libraries. As the English Conversation Group coordinator for the Center for International Services, Sadare impressed the staff with her data and analytical skills as well as her communication skills. Even when faced with the challenges of juggling over 100 group participants’ schedules, she is able to take everything in stride with a smile on her face.

The �鶹Ƶ��University Libraries echoed the same sentiments in Sadare’s role on their team as a graduate assistant, and added that she is reliable, responsive, produces quality work and provides great insight into the student experience, especially the international student experience, and how it relates to work done in the campus libraries. Sadare always contributes to meetings and provides a level of professionalism that impresses the team.

Supervisor of the Year: Jeremy Pope, Bird Library Access Services

Jeremy Pope

Nominated by numerous student employees, Pope is skilled at fostering a sense of community between all employees. He is consistently friendly and personable with employees and library patrons alike, setting a great working example through each interaction he has with others. In his position, Pope oversees undergraduate and graduate student employees as well as library staff and, as of January, has been completing the work of two supervisors until the second supervisor role can be filled.

While working to coordinate three distinct groups of people—staff, graduate student, and undergraduates—is occasionally challenging, Pope treats everyone with respect and empathy. He encourages his entire team to make connections and channel their individual skills and experiences into improving library services and welcoming all members of the University community.

Department of the Year: Barnes Center at The Arch Recreation

Barnes Center at The Arch Recreation

Under the direction of Matthew Hackett, the Barnes Center at The Arch’s Recreation team is one of the largest student employers on campus, hiring hundreds of students to work in a variety of roles, including lifeguards, fitness attendants, referees, challenge course facilitators and guest services attendants.

Barnes Center Recreation provides valuable wellness services to faculty, staff and students every day, seven days a week, and their student employees learn professional skills that will be invaluable in their future professional endeavors, such as leadership, service and teamwork.