Volleyball 10/27/2022 12:01:00 PM Omar Ricardo Aquije

McKenzie: Champion, Star and Pioneer

The most decorated volleyball player in Raider history was also a trailblazer for women on campus

Autumn McKenzie '97 wasn't interested in Colgate when she and her mother drove up from their home in Vestal, N.Y., for a campus tour.

McKenzie, a high school student, grew up in Southern Tier and wanted a dramatic change. She saw herself enrolled at a college in a big city.

But her mother, Patricia, had heard enough about Colgate to insist on a visit. After a tour and a sit-down with coaches, her mother was sold — and wouldn't take no for an answer.

Like it or not, McKenzie was going to Colgate, where her life would change in ways she never imagined. Not only did she become a star on the volleyball court, she became a pioneer for women in maroon and white.

And she had her mom and her mom's prayers to thank.

"I credit my mom with having the vision to know that Colgate was where I needed to be," she said. "After we met with coaches and toured the campus, she was quite adamant that this was the place for me. And clearly I warmed up to it."

McKenzie, a neuroscience major, became the most decorated volleyball player in Raider history. She broke program records and earned multiple league honors.

As a senior, she led the team to victory in the NCAA play-in round, clinching a ticket to the Big Dance. It was the first time a women's team from Colgate advanced to the NCAA tournament.

The milestone came 27 years after Colgate transitioned to coeducation. Women began playing sports at the club level the moment they arrived in 1970. Three years later, volleyball along with basketball, field hockey, lacrosse, swim and dive, and tennis gained varsity status.

Autumn McKenzie

Everyone on the 1996-97 volleyball team knew they had achieved something remarkable at the moment they advanced to the tournament.

"We celebrated like nobody's business," McKenzie said. "That moment was huge."

McKenzie piled up awards for her performance on the court. She won Patriot League Rookie of the Year in 1993. She was a First Team All-Patriot League selection in her final three seasons in a Raider uniform.

She took home the Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year and Tournament MVP as a senior. She finished her career by owning several program records, including Colgate's kills leader with 1,461.

McKenzie blossomed as a student-athlete and leader at a time when women were still striving to equal their male counterparts in some areas. Coeducation was well established when McKenzie arrived as a first-year student-athlete, but women still had ground to gain in the success of their teams.

Through hard work and commitment on the court and in the classroom, McKenzie played a large part in setting the foundation for the success of women's athletics at Colgate.

In September, McKenzie was one of five women to be honored as Colgate Trailblazers of Distinction. The recognition is part of the University's celebration of the 50th anniversary of Title IX and five decades of women's athletics at the University.

President Richard Nixon signed Title IX in 1972, paving the way for women who sought the same opportunities men had on college campuses.

After volleyball's first tournament bid, the program would make four more appearances on the big stage over the years while continuing its tradition of success. In the last four seasons, Colgate reached the tournament twice, including last December.

Today, Colgate Volleyball is ranked No. 1 in the Patriot League, with a 16-4 record as of Oct. 20 and an 11-game winning streak.

Volleyball isn't the only successful Colgate women's program. The women's hockey team entered the 2022-23 season ranked No. 4 in the nation, and has been among the best in the ECAC for years.

Women's soccer was dominant in the 90s, finishing with a winning record in each year in that decade and winning several conference titles.

Colgate women's athletics has grown by leaps and bounds since the first six club teams became varsity programs in 1973. Today, 13 of the 25 varsity sports are women's teams.

Women account for nearly half of all Colgate student-athletes. They play in modern facilities and receive the same resources as do men's programs — and it was achieved through the effort and vision of women.

McKenzie said she's grateful for the women who pushed for change as Colgate adjusted to coeducation.

"Women's sports at the collegiate level is necessary," McKenzie said. "Everything needs to be done to continue to support women. Athletics is one of those things where people treat it as a separate entity. But it's so important to life. I draw so much from it.

"Because of the work I did on the court, athletics has made so many things in life that were seemingly unrelated, very possible because of the physical and mental discipline I had to go through to be part of the team. Being an athlete does something special to people and as women, we need every access just like men."

McKenzie credits various people for enriching her Colgate experience and helping her to excel.

The names include Victoria M. Chun '91, MA '94, who coached the volleyball team on its run to the NCAA tournament and was honored as a Trailblazer of Distinction along with McKenzie.

"I am inspired by the work she continues to do," McKenzie said. "We had a great relationship. She knew how to push me and helped me feel like I was included in important decisions. I could not have performed at the level I did without her help."

Off the court, McKenzie's academic advisor, Jun Yoshino, an associate professor of psychology and neuroscience, was another important figure in her life.

Yoshino was present at McKenzie's games. He knew volleyball and academics were equally significant to McKenzie, and worked with her in balancing the two.

"He saw it in my eyes and said, 'OK, we are going to figure out a way to make this happen,'" she said.

Her experience as a Colgate student-athlete also led to bonds and friendships that exist today.

McKenzie is still in touch with Janet Little, who coached volleyball for 17 seasons, becoming the program's leader in career head coaching wins with 385. Little was McKenzie's coach in her freshman year.

"She is tremendous," McKenzie said of Little's influence. "She has been a wise voice in my life."

There were also her fellow seniors on the team — Julia Civardi '97, Tory Rodger '97, and Emilie Marsh '97, who were together for all four years at Colgate. They were the best of friends and knew how to challenge each other.

Even in the years after Colgate, her teammates rallied around each other in times of need. When McKenzie lost her husband to cancer in 2014, her volleyball teammates came to her aid.

"My team folded around me in such a powerful and wonderful way," she said. "When I say everybody showed up for me, I mean every one of them. They all showed up in some way or form."

After Colgate, McKenzie earned a Masters of Health Science from Duke. Today, she's an emergency medicine physician assistant at Johns Hopkins in Maryland.

She's a public speaker and blogger who encourages people to effect change and pursue life with bold faith. And she's a mother of four.

McKenzie has often returned to Hamilton for events, and has spent time at volleyball practices, meeting with student-athletes and helping in any way. In addition, she has met with alumni and student groups outside of athletics.

"There are so many ways that Colgate continues to add value to my life, so I always look for ways to give back to Colgate," she said.

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