The Saint Rose College

ALBANY – Cathy Cummings Haker, Director of Athletics and Recreation, has played an instrumental role in shaping athletics at The College of Saint Rose, and now, the Softball Field at the new Christian Plumeri Sports Complex is named in her honor. Former Saint Rose student-athletes Judy Calogero ('80) and Karen Manor ('81) enlisted fellow student-athletes to raise funds and surprise Haker with the field naming, recognizing her as someone who has played a significant role in their lives and in the life of the College.

“The Plumeri Sports Complex fulfills a three decade dream for Saint Rose home athletics fields and I am honored and appreciative to be recognized in this special place, which holds great potential for positive growth and opportunities in the future,” said Haker.

With Haker’s outstanding leadership and guidance, the Saint Rose intercollegiate athletics program has flourished from one that consisted solely of men's and women's basketball teams to one that currently sponsors 18 programs that successfully compete at the Division II level of the NCAA. During her 34-year tenure, several of those teams have grown to national prominence and today the entire program is considered to be among the fastest growing in the East.

Haker has been instrumental in directing the expansion of the Saint Rose athletics program from membership in the small-college regional Northeastern Athletic Conference (NAC), to national affiliation with the NAIA and the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. She also directed the College’s transition into the NCAA and the East Coast Conference (formerly the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference) and played a vital role in the College's successful bid for membership into the Northeast-10 Conference in 2000.

Haker, who attended Bethlehem Central High School and was a three-sport standout at Hartwick College, arrived at Saint Rose in 1976 as head coach of women's basketball, a position she held for 12 seasons while compiling a 186-124 (.600) record.