On The Record with Ashleigh Huckins, Water Polo Lifer

It’s been three years since Hartwick abruptly shut down its women’s water polo program, for two decades one of the East’s best. The impact was felt immediately; players either gave up intercollegiate polo, formed a club team or transferred to programs all over the country.

[Broken Trust: Hartwick College Eliminates Women’s Water Polo]

For Hawks head coach Alan Huckins and his assistant coach (and wife) Ashleigh, the change in 2018 meant uprooting their growing family from upstate New York and moving west to Colorado. Alan took the assistant men’s coaching position at the Air Force Academy, joining head coach Ryan Brown in a rebuild of Falcons’ polo.

Ashleigh remains involved with the sport as a supportive spouse, raising two children in the rarified environs of Colorado Spring. But her absence for the pool deck is a loss for the sport; not only because of the passion she brought to the sport as an outstanding water polo athlete at Hartwick and as a successful head coach. Her resume includes five years (2014-18) working alongside her husband steering Hartwick to 111 wins, including a 30-11 record in the program’s final season.

She was the last coach to get Marist to an NCAA tournament before this year’s squad accomplished the feat; it was 2010 when the Red Foxes captured the last of three straight NCAA berths during Huckin’s six-year tenure (2008-13).

I recently corresponded with Coach Huckins for her take on Maris’s’ return to NCAA tournament play after more than a decade, how life in Colorado Springs suits her and how the years have tempered (or not) her feelings about ‘Wick polo.

- Marist WWP qualified for the NCAAs (and just won a match in the national championship) for the first time since 2010, when you were the head coach. What sorts of memories does this bring back?  

We actually qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2008, 2009, and 2010. We earned our first tournament win in 2009 vs. Cal Lutheran (16-11) and our second NCAA tournament win in 2010 over Pomona-Pitzer (6-5). I was so happy to follow Marist's success this season, Chris and company do an excellent job of utilizing social media connecting past, present, and future Red Foxes.

[On Deck with Chris Vidale, Marist Women’s Water Polo’s Head Coach]

It brought back so many special memories of training with my teams, competing against MAAC opponents, and all the hard work that goes into winning a championship. The NCAA tournament experience is what every coach / athlete dreams of and strives for. It’s no easy feat and an experience that you carry with you for the rest of your life. 

- Are there any players from your Marist stint that you remain in touch with?

First, I will use all maiden names as I truthfully can't keep up with current names :). Social media is a great tool to "stay in touch" with past athletes. We are all spread out around the country and world so I have not had much face to face interaction in quite a while.

However, I have played in a few master's tournaments with some of my previous athletes—Angie Rampton, Agnes Konopka and Jessica Getchius, followed coaching careers of Kelly Kline, Colleen Lishwe (we actually coached against each other at Brown in 2017 and 2018), Kristen Barnett, Kaitlyn McMurray, and Jackie Puccino.

Followed marriages, birth announcements, travels, triumphs, close family losses, careers, the list goes on and on. Most recently I got to see Marge Davis and her family while reffing a tournament in New Mexico. I absolutely love following every one of my past players on social media and even more so when I bump into them and get to catch up face to face. 

- Given your experience with Marist and Hartwick you know how hard it is to qualify for NCAAs from the East. What is your fondest memory of competing for a national championship?

My fondest memory comes from my playing days in 2004, my senior year at Hartwick, when my team defeated University of Michigan 5-2 to qualify for the Final 4 NCAA Tournament. I will never forget the overwhelming feeling of accomplishment hugging my teammates, family, and friends in the Bucknell pool after taking the CWPA title. It was the most memorable moment of my sports career. The culmination and exclamation point of a game I had been playing for 14 years.

Winning a championship is never guaranteed. All of your opponents are playing and training with the same intentions, hopes, and dreams. All teams face adversity with personnel, coaching, injuries, etc. It takes a special team and an unwavering amount of work and belief to get it done all the way to the end.

After three disappointing finishes my freshmen, sophomore, and junior years, to complete our final goal of a CWPA conference championship and an NCAA berth in 2004 was only magnified and complicated when our college's administration told us our program was to be dropped. We were faced with all the adversity collegiate sports could muster up.

Instead of letting it break us down, we played with the proverbial chip on our shoulder the size of a boulder. We worked harder than we ever had before, and we bonded as a team in the punishment with absolute belief in one another. This experience is what propelled me into coaching and motivating the teams I coached to achieve and push themselves to reach that same pinnacle of their own careers. I wanted my athletes to experience what I had experienced with my own teammates. I knew that if their friendships with teammates and collegiate experience could be anything like mine, it was worth them hating me while they were in the trenches.

The 2007-08 team that I inherited at Marist was one of the most special teams I had the pleasure of coaching. They had talent, they had a chip, they had chemistry in and out of the pool, and they were an absolute blast to work with. From Libby Davis unapologetically inciting the pre-warm up dance ritual, to Maggie Hatcher playing for her 3rd coach in 4 years, Kate McCahill playing in the memory of her late father, a talented rambunctious and dedicated sophomore class of 9, and one of my best friends as my assistant coach. It was a really special team. 

- How hard is it to get past teams from Michigan, Harvard, Wagner and Princeton and capture an NCAA berth?

I think winning a championship anywhere is incredibly difficult, but it took a long time for folks to understand the dog fight East Coast teams fight each and every year with power houses and big budget schools such as Michigan, Indiana, recruiting against prestigious Ivy's, traveling nearly every weekend, scholarship and budget restrictions, and coaching 18-22 year old athletes that are often a long distance from any family.

It took a long time to convince the water polo world that yes, it is possible for teams outside of California to be good, worthy, and that we could play. There is still a stigma but I feel the successful East Coast schools are able to pick up that chip and place it rightfully on their shoulder. 

- It's now three years since Hartwick President Margaret Drugovich decided to terminate Hawks' polo. How much has this decision impacted your / your family's life? What do you know of the players denied an opportunity to continue competing for the Hawks?

Well, the decision to terminate the program impacted my family greatly. We were and are surrounded by great friends and family that were supportive and positive throughout our transition.

2018-2019 was an intense and stressful time for Alan and I trying to navigate what was next. When Alan was hired on as the assistant coach for the US Air Force Academy men's water polo program it was a huge relief and the seed to our next stage of life. Since then we have found our rhythm and are very thankful for the life we have in Colorado Springs. Once again, we find ourselves surrounded by a wonderful community of friends and supportive colleagues.

Geographically we are closer to our families and we enjoy the lifestyle Colorado has to offer. Our kids are busy with sports and activities 10 days a week and are loving it. Although I am currently not coaching collegiate water polo, I have really enjoyed coaching ODP in the mountain zone and working with a great group of coaches and athletes. I love my day job teaching USAFA cadets swim and water survival courses. It is a healthy, busy, and happy life. 

Drugovich's decision to terminate the program created such a sad and turbulent time for our team and players. Those that stayed at Hartwick started up a club team and competed in the CWPA.  It was sad to see so much talent wasted but they tried to make the best of it.

Two of our players Chloe Woodbine and Maryanna Antoniou went on to play at Salem University, where Chloe led the team to a WWPA Championship and NCAA tournament berth this past season. Tori Wilson went on to play 2 seasons and graduated from CSU Northridge in 2020. Finally, Lena Kotanchyan went on to play at Long Beach State, where she utilized her red shirt year and will compete in her final season next year. It was not the experience we had hoped for our athletes when we recruited them to play for Hartwick but we were happy to see them make the best of it and we enjoy following their careers.

- You and Alan + your children have a new life in Colorado Springs. How has this worked out - especially being involved with the Air Force Academy—one of the world's premier military training institutions?

Going from liberal arts institutions to teaching and coaching at the Air Force Academy was definitely a shift in pace. It is an honor to work with the cadets and the community that works here. While the cadets are still faced with challenges all young adults face in maturing into "the real world", their attitude of service before self and commitment to serving one's country is humbling and an honor to be part of. I'm thankful that my kids will grow up surrounded by a hard working military community.

- How do you stayed involved with the game you played / coached / loved (I assume!) your whole life?

Unfortunately, like for many others, COVID greatly impacted my involvement in the game over the last year. However, I have stayed involved in the game through playing in master's tournaments, coaching with the USA ODP Mountain Zone, officiating collegiate club as well as USA Club events, lunch swimming and shooting around with some local retired players. I'm excited to work towards the continued growth of water polo in the mountain zone and I am hoping my kids will get a chance to play the greatest game ever created as well :)!