HAMILTON – Jen Hughes '97 and hall of fame honors have a strong connection.
The former Colgate women's soccer standout has added another honor – this time as an inductee to the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame, announced on Tuesday.
The Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame announced eight inductees into the Class of 2021 at a press conference that was held at the Sports Hall of Fame Showcase in Cicero, N.Y. The 34th Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony will be held on Monday, Nov. 1, 2021 at the Ramada by Wyndham (formerly the Holiday Inn) in Liverpool on Electronics Parkway.
Colgate Career
Hughes was a four-time First Team All-League selection and garnered the Patriot League's Offensive Player of the Year in 1996. She played on three Patriot League championship teams and twice landed conference tournament MVP honors.
Named to the Patriot League's All-Decade Team for the 1990s, Hughes graduated in 1997 as the program's all-time leading scorer with 40 goals and 26 assists for 106 points.
Making History
Hughes helped guide Colgate to one of the best seasons in program history in 1996. The Raiders finished 19-2, with their only losses coming to top 10 opponents Connecticut and Virginia. Colgate knocked off Army 3-2 in overtime to win the Patriot League championship – the third of six straight titles during the Raiders' magical run in the mid-to-late 1990s.
Hughes was a 1997 NCAA Woman of the Year nominee and a winner of the ECAC Merit Medal for excellence in academics and athletics. Hughes had her No. 2 jersey retired in 2002 – one of just two women's soccer players to have their jersey retired – and she was inducted into Colgate's Hall of Honor in 2006.
Professional Career
Following her senior season, Hughes was selected to play on the Region 1 team at the 1998 U.S. National Soccer Festival and earned a spot on the W-League team for the New York Magic of the United Systems of Independent Soccer Leagues (USISL).
She went on to play professionally for Tyreso FF of the Damallsvenskan Futbol League in Stockholm, Sweden, and was one of 250 players worldwide invited to the inaugural Women's United Soccer Association (WUSA) combine and player draft.
Continuing Championship Success in Coaching Ranks
In 2020, Hughes completed her 17th season as the head coach of the Amherst women's soccer team, which has become one of the elite programs in Division III. Hughes has been named the conference's Coach of the Year twice (2011, 2016) and earned NSCAA New England Coach of the Year laurels in 2011.
Since arriving in 2004, Hughes has led Amherst to a 194-59-33 (.736) record with three NESCAC championships. Amherst has advanced to 11 NCAA tournaments, including three quarterfinal appearances.
Hughes and Amherst engineered a tremendous season in 2011. The Mammoths set several records while winning their first 20 games, including the NESCAC title and first three rounds of the NCAA tournament. Amherst finished 20-1-0 after falling to eventual national champion Messiah in the quarterfinals.
Hughes got her start in the coaching ranks as an assistant coach at Colgate. She spent two seasons with the Raiders before earning master's degrees in business administration and sport management from UMass-Amherst.
Local Star
Hughes attended nearby East Syracuse-Minoa High School, where she was an All-State high school soccer player and became the first student-athlete at ESM to top the 1,000-point career scoring mark in basketball. One year after being inducted into the Colgate Hall of Honor, Hughes was named to ESM's inaugural Hall of Fame class.
