Hilton, NY--The Empire 8 Athletic Conference is proud to announce Sandy Augustein Collins of Russell Sage College and Paul Vecchio of Alfred University as its new First and Second Vice Presidents for the next two academic years. 

Augstein-Collins, the Director of Athletics and Athletics Facility Director at Russell Sage will begin her term as First Vice President, having served Empire 8 as the second VP since 2018 alongside outgoing VP Dave Fontaine of Utica College.

"We truly appreciate the exceptional leadership Dave provided the past five years, especially as we successfully navigated competing during a pandemic," said Chuck Mitrano, Empire 8 Commissioner. His counsel and contributions have been immeasurable."
 
Augstein-Collins, who has 25 years of collegiate coaching and administration experience, was named the Russell Sage Athletic Director in the June of 2017. In the following years since assuming that role, she has also helped the department expand to include the addition of seven new sports. Russell Sage now offers 21 varsity programs for the 2021-22 season.
 
"I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue to serve the Empire 8 membership in my new role as First Vice President," said Augstein-Collins, who also serves as Russell Sage's Head Women's Volleyball Coach. "I welcome the opportunity to continue to help the Empire 8 grow and provide an outstanding experience for all of our administrators and student-athletes. I certainly appreciate the leadership that Dave Fontaine has provided as outgoing First Vice President and know I have big shoes to fill but I am ready for the challenge."

Russell Sage has enjoyed plenty of success since joining the Empire 8, culminating with the Spring 2021 Women's Soccer Championship, its first in the league. The Gators have advanced to the conference finals in men's soccer and women's basketball and have had several programs become perennial postseason contenders.
 
"Sandy provides great insight on the broad array of issues we face as a conference and her steady leadership will continue to be a great asset," said Mitrano.

Vecchio, the Alfred University Athletic Director, was elected as the new Second Vice President by his peers. 
 
Vecchio has served as Athletic Director at Alfred since July 1, 2012. During Vecchio's tenure, several major construction projects have been completed, significantly improving the University's athletic facility profile, the athletic programs have seen marked growth and improvement and the standards for academic performance among the University's student-athletes has been raised. In the fall of 2019, Alfred's athletic program had grown for the first time to over 500 student-athletes, while continuing to gain both regional and national recognition for their performances on and off the fields of play.
 
"Paul is a veteran and well respected voice amongst all administrators and coaches," said Mitrano. "He is always looking at how to improve what we do as a conference and his leadership will play a significant role in our growth the next four years."

AU has also enjoyed notable success on the fields of competitive play during Vecchio's tenure, including the following memorable seasons:
    • The 2015 softball team advanced to the College World Series for the first time in school history, compiling a school-record 40 wins along the way. In 2021, the softball team won its second Empire 8 Championship and boasted three All-Americans.
    • The 2016 football team set a school-record by finishing 12-1 and an undefeated 10-0 regular season for the first time since 1981, advancing to the Elite Eight. AU has also claimed ECAC bowl titles in 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2018.
    • The 2018-19 men's basketball team claimed its first Empire 8 title with a 14-2 mark in league play en route to advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 24-5 final record, the second-most wins in program history.

"I am happy to have the opportunity to serve in this role on behalf of the outstanding student-athletes and coaches that represent the Empire 8 and our member institutions," said Vecchio. "I look forward to working with the E8's outstanding leadership team. The Empire 8 does a great job of creating outstanding opportunities for our student-athletes to compete and grow as individuals and I'm thrilled to do my part to assist."

The duties of the First Vice President shall be to serve as the chief liaison to the Commissioner on day-to-day business of the Conference and the AD/SWA Committee. The duties of the Second Vice President will be to assist the Commissioner and First Vice President as needed.

Augstein-Collins and Vecchio will begin their term effective immediately.

ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com.