Jan Kasnevich was a pioneer for women’s athletics over her 33 years at Slippery Rock University. Now, following the 50-year anniversary of Title IX last summer, her alma mater is paying it forward.
Slippery Rock renamed its on-campus softball field “Kasnevich Field” in honor of the former player, coach and SRU Hall of Famer during an on-campus dedication ceremony on Oct 1. The university also announced the formation of a scholarship in her name, as well as a commitment to renovating the field with artificial turf and new dugouts that align with similar Division II facilities in the region.
Kasnevich, a 1964 graduate of McKees Rocks High School, was the quintessential embodiment of what it means to champion women’s athletics. Joining the institution shortly after the landmark passing of Title IX, she helped break barriers at SRU — making a steadfast commitment to expanding opportunities for female inclusion across intercollegiate athletics.
Today, Slippery Rock fields 10 NCAA women’s teams — ranging from basketball, volleyball, soccer and field hockey to softball, lacrosse, tennis, indoor track, outdoor track and cross country. Kasnevich Field is now the only active competition facility on Slippery Rock’s campus named after a woman. Given the ripple effects of her 30-plus year footprint on SRU, the tribute is both well-timed and well-warranted.
“This is such a fitting time to be recognizing the contributions of Jan Kasnevich as it coincides with the 50th anniversary of the passing of Title IX,” said SRU director of athletics Roberta Page. “Jan played such a vital role in helping to provide sports opportunities for women at Slippery Rock for more than three decades. I can speak directly to that because I had the privilege of having her as my coach. Her contributions to the university as a professor, coach and mentor were immeasurable.”
Kasnevich, who could only compete in intramural sports during high school, developed into a standout four-year member of the Slippery Rock women’s basketball, volleyball, tennis and field hockey teams over the course of her collegiate playing career.
“I’m blessed to be able to experience the sports I did at Slippery Rock,” Kasnevich told the Post-Gazette. “I had the best coaches in the world, all of whom were women by the way. The coach and person I am today is because of them. They enabled me to experience what it meant to be a college athlete. You know, traveling for away games — albeit in station wagons — and just experiencing the values of sport and the life lessons it can teach you through competition, loyalty and commitment.”
After graduating from SRU, she spent two years as a member of the U.S. Field Hockey National Team while teaching and coaching at Montour High School as she obtained her master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh. In 1976, Kasnevich returned to Slippery Rock to join the physical education department and serve as head coach of a rising softball program.
“At that time, it was just a club team,” she said. “It was not elevated to a varsity sport yet. With the onset of the Title IX ruling, all institutions needed to bring more gender equality to the table. Since there was already a tremendous baseball program [at Slippery Rock], the sport of softball was given a small budget and an opportunity to play at the collegiate level.”
The next decade featured arguably the best run in program history under Kasnevich’s guidance. The softball team won 64.8 percent of its games — 127 in total — amidst her 10 years at the helm. Under her tutelage, The Rock made three Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) national tournament appearances and won a PSAC title in 1981.
“That was an extreme honor to be able to go back and help start the program and continue to see it move forward alongside advancements in all women’s athletics at the collegiate level,” she said. “I’m very pleased with the progress that has been made at leveling the playing field for women. The progress is certainly there.”
Then, Kasnevich shifted her focus to field hockey in 1985 — assuming control of a Slippery Rock program that had won just 10 games over the previous five seasons. She orchestrated a total rejuvenation of SRU field hockey, posting a record of 33-22-3 (.595) over her first four years highlighted by a school-record 14 wins and the program’s lone NCAA tournament appearance in 1987. Kasnevich spent nearly another decade as head field hockey coach before stepping down prior to the 1998 season. She was inducted into the Rock Athletics Hall of Fame in 1998, and officially retired as a faculty member in 2004.
“Looking back, I have a great appreciation for the opportunity to play and coach at the collegiate level,” she said. “It’s a privilege that requires accountability. You’re not entitled to it. To be able to pass that on to former students, and see them have wonderful careers in teaching, coaching and business, is a remarkable feeling.”
Kasnevich Field is the second SRU athletic facility ever named after a woman, with the first being Zimmerman Field named after former field hockey coach Patricia Zimmerman. That facility was used for SRU field hockey games until 2003, when field hockey was moved to the turf at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium. Zimmerman Field now serves as a practice and recreation field on campus for the student body.
Joining Zimmerman’s company is an honor Kasnevich certainly doesn’t take lightly.
“[Zimmerman] was my field hockey coach when I was an undergraduate there,” said Kasnevich. “She was a role model of mine. I spoke at her dedication when her name was put on the field hockey field. I’m just following in her footsteps. She was a great mentor and still a wonderful friend to this day. She taught me everything I know.”
The tentative plans for Kasnevich Field’s renovation will begin following the 2023 spring softball season. A timeline for the project will be announced at a later date.
First Published: October 11, 2022, 6:00 p.m.