SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – After 25 seasons on the sidelines and more than 400 career victories, Beth Hallenbeck, the architect of Skidmore College's nationally respected field hockey program, will retire at the end of the academic year.
 
Since taking over the program in 2001, Hallenbeck built the Thoroughbreds into a perennial Liberty League powerhouse and a fixture on the national stage. Her teams captured nine conference titles, earned 13 NCAA Tournament berths and advanced to three NCAA Final Fours. Four additional squads reached the national quarterfinals, and four others advanced to the round of 16.
 
Hallenbeck is one of just 23 coaches across all NCAA divisions to ever reach the 400-win plateau, which she did in Skidmore's October win over Ithaca. She joined an elite list of only five other active coaches in the Division III 400-win club.
 
Twenty of Hallenbeck's athletes earned All-America honors over her tenure at Skidmore with three College Sports Communicators Academic All-Americans. Under her guidance, Skidmore had a National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Player of the Year and a pair of NFHCA Regional Players of the Year. Skidmore boasted eight Liberty League Players of the Year under Hallenbeck, a Defensive Player of the Year, and two Rookies of the Year with dozens of All-Region and All-League honorees.  
 
Ten of her players, and three of her teams, have been inducted into the Skidmore Athletics Hall of Fame to date.
 
"With 25 years of outstanding service to Skidmore College, Coach Hallenbeck's impact on Skidmore field hockey extends far beyond wins and championships," said Gail Cummings-Danson, Skidmore's assistant vice president for student affairs and director of athletics. "She built a culture of excellence, resilience and integrity that shaped generations of student-athletes.
 
"Her legacy will be measured not only in championship banners, but in the confident, compassionate leaders her players have become. We are profoundly grateful for the standard she set and the lives she transformed."
 
A three-time Liberty League Coach of the Year, and also three-time Regional Coach of the Year, Hallenbeck said the program's championship moments will always stand out. Especially competing on the sport's biggest stage.
 
"Winning league titles and representing Skidmore in the NCAA Tournament, especially those Final Four runs, were incredibly special," Hallenbeck said. "To compete with the best in the country and see our players rise to that level is something I'll always cherish."
 
Yet for Hallenbeck, the most meaningful victories often unfolded away from the spotlight.
 
"What I'm most proud of is watching our student-athletes grow over four years," she said. "They come in as talented players, but they leave as confident, thoughtful young adults ready to make a difference. Being part of that journey has been the greatest reward."
 
Hallenbeck said she will miss the daily rhythm of college athletics. The collaboration with colleagues, and the relationships that extended well beyond the field or the office.
 
"I'll miss working alongside such dedicated staff, coaching driven and passionate student-athletes, and building connections with their families," she said. "Those relationships are what make this profession so special."
 
Committed to expanding her players' experiences, Hallenbeck led international trips to England, Scotland, Italy, the Netherlands, China, Australia, Argentina, Greece, Spain and Portugal over her tenure. The travel provided opportunities to compete abroad while strengthening the bonds that defined her teams.
 
She also made community engagement central to the program's identity. Through camps and clinics, Hallenbeck and her players welcomed thousands of local youth athletes to campus, growing the sport and inspiring future generations and deepening Skidmore's ties to the region.
 
Two of her teams (2021, 2025) were also honored with the Skidmore Athletics Community Service Award at the department's year-end Sports Recognition Night.
 
Hallenbeck also amassed 108 women's lacrosse coaching victories over 13 seasons, including three double-digit win seasons at Skidmore (2002, 2005, 2006). Before coming to Saratoga Springs in 2001, Hallenbeck spent 10 years as head coach of field hockey and lacrosse at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and eight years as an assistant coach in both sports at Union College. Her impressive playing career culminated in her serving as a two-sport captain at Colgate University.
 
Over her four decades of coaching, Hallenbeck's teams competed with intensity and represented the College with pride. When she steps away at the end of the academic year, she leaves behind more than a championship legacy. She leaves a standard of excellence, a culture grounded in integrity and a network of former players who will forever carry her lessons with them — long after the final whistle sounds.
 
Hallenbeck will officially retire at the end of May.