Women's Soccer | 9/21/2023 10:45:36 AM
Gail Mann is currently in her 31st season as Nazareth's women's soccer head coach in 2023. Mann is Nazareth's longest-tenured head coach and is one of a few head coaches to be a part of the complete 25-year Empire 8 history to date. During her tenure, the Golden Flyers have become a perennial power not only in the conference and regionally, but have also emerged as one the nation's elite Division III women's soccer programs.
Mann has led the Golden Flyers to 12 Empire 8 Championships and 13 appearances in the NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship Tournament. Her 30-year coaching record of 350-156-69 computes to a .669 winning percentage and ranks among the top active coaches in Division III. She has a record of 140-21-17 (.834) in conference games. Since 1995, she has coached 67 regional All-Americans and nine national All-Americans. Mann is a five-time Empire 8 Coach of the Year.
Mann enters the 2023 season 11th among all active Division III women's soccer coaches in career wins (350) and is 23rd all-time.
In 2015, Mann was honored by the Rochester Press-Radio Club with the Jean Giambrone Community Service Award that is presented annually to a local person who has made an exemplary lifetime commitment to Rochester-area women's sports.
Mann arrived at Nazareth in 1993 after five seasons as an assistant coach at SUNY Brockport. She was head coach of the New York West Olympic Development U15 team from 1992-1998 and led the team to the Region 1 championship in 1995. A standout student-athlete, Mann played soccer at SUNY Cortland and was a starting striker on the 1986 team that reached the Division III Final Four.
At Nazareth, in addition to coaching soccer, Mann was an assistant coach for the Golden Flyers' women's lacrosse team for 10 seasons (1995-2004) and helped the team to three NCAA tournament berths. She served as Nazareth's Senior Woman Administrator until 2021 and is currently the staff advisor to the Student Athlete Advisory Committee.
Empire 8 Associate Commissioner Joe Venniro says: "Gail has forged an indelible legacy at Nazareth and in the Empire 8. Her teams have not only proven to be champions on the field but embrace the true Division III identity, serving as campus leaders, while excelling in the classroom. A natural leader, Gail's mentorship with Nazareth's SAAC has enriched the collective student-athlete experience. She is a most deserving Empire 8 legend."
School: Nazareth University
Title: Women's Soccer Head Coach
Year at Current Institution/Total in College Athletics: 31st Season at Nazareth/36th in College Athletics
College Attended/Class Year: SUNY Cortland ’87
Years associated with the Empire 8 Conference: 1999-present
Favorite Professional Athlete/Pro Team: Michelle Akers/United States Women's National Soccer Team
Favorite Movie: It’s a Wonderful Life
Last TV Show You Binge Watched: The Morning Show
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate Almond from Abbotts
What Do You Enjoy Doing When Away From College Athletics? Being by water, beach, boating, anything that involves water and the beach.
Favorite or Dream Vacation Spot: Hawaii
Favorite Athletic Memory as a Coach: There are too many to count. A few that come to mind are defeating William Smith in 1999 to advance to the NCAA National Quarterfinals and hosting the NCAA first and second round games in 2014, advancing to the Round of 16 on penalty kicks.
Who Was Your Greatest Mentor and Why: Former RIT and Nazareth men's soccer coach Doug May. He taught me how important it is to form relationships with your players. The importance of teaching players to be good human beings and to live your values. Culture and leadership are more important to winning than the X’s and O’s of the game.
Most Rewarding Aspect of Being a Coach: Forming lasting relationships with my student-athletes and attending their weddings.
What is your favorite aspect of Division III Athletics? The balance between athletics, social and academic life. The ability and time to be part of other things outside of your sport.
What is your favorite memory from your time in the Empire 8 Conference? Forming rivalries is always fun. It was Ithaca for so long. We competed in the finals for seven of the first eight years of the conference, It was so intense!
How Does The Empire 8 Stand Out Among Other Conferences? We value sportsmanship and I feel our coaches and players in the E8 truly embrace the true spirit of competition and respect for one another.
In your opinion, what would you say the league has done a great job of during your association with the Empire 8 Conference? Keeping respect and sportsmanship at the forefront of our mission.
If you could use just one word to describe the Empire 8 Conference, what would it be? Competitive
If you had to describe the Empire 8 to someone who knew nothing about it, what would you tell them? It is a conference that places the values of respect and sportsmanship over winning. The culture of the E8 is all about mutual respect for one another.
Finally, 25 years from now, what do you hope people are saying about the Empire 8 Conference? I hope people will describe the E8 as a conference that is competitive and holds student athletes and coaches to a higher standard of respect and sportsmanship.
Advice for Aspiring Student-Athletes (Youth/High School and Incoming Collegians): Work hard and have a growth mind set.
Advice for Graduating Student-Athletes: Always have a growth mindset and chase your dreams. Anything is possible if you believe in yourself. Always live your core values.
The Empire 8 is celebrating its 25th anniversary season in 2023-24 and will be celebrating various coaches, administrators and former student-athletes throughout the year as part of the Empire 8 25th Anniversary Legends series. In addition, the league will honor various championship teams and former Players of the Year on social media platforms throughout the 2023-24 season. The conference will also be using the #E825 and #E8Anniversary hashtags on its Twitter and Instagram platforms as a way for fans to follow along throughout the year.
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.
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