SUNY Oneonta Community Remembers Elaine Sortino

Elaine Sortino, a 1971 graduate of SUNY Oneonta and a member of the college's athletics Hall of Fame, passed succumbed to a lengthy battle with cancer Sunday.

Sortino, who was entering her 35th season as the head softball coach at the University of Massachusetts, was 64 years old.

"We are deeply sorry to hear about the death of Elaine Sortino," said SUNY Oneonta Director of Athletics Tracey Ranieri in a release by the university. "Elaine was a pioneer and advocate for women's athletics at our college and throughout her professional life as a coach, teacher and mentor. She was a three-sport athlete at Oneonta and portrayed her passion for sport at the regional, national and international level. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends and the entire University of Massachusetts community."

Liz Wagner, who recently stepped down after seven seasons as the softball coach at Oneonta played for Sortino.

"Elaine Sortino was a woman that commanded and earned a tremendous amount of respect over the past few decades. Most of her former players still refer to her as Coach, not Elaine, ten and fifteen years after they have graduated," Wagner said. "That's just it, she was and always will be 'Coach' to us, not Elaine Sortino, not Coach Sortino, not Associate A.D. Sortino...always 'Coach.'"

"She had this way of pushing us to unbelievable heights, making us believe there are no limits. She brought her players to the highest level possible whether in our physical game, our mental game, our academics, and even in our personal lives in some cases," Wagner added. "She was certainly my biggest critic back in my playing days, but when all was said and done she was also one of my biggest fans and in her own quiet way, she made sure that I knew that."

Wagner said that Sortino instilled pride in the teams she coached and trusted her players. Sortino did have have children. Instead, she looked to her players as family.

She pushed for female equality long before Title IX.

"Coach has left an imprint on more lives than I could ever imagine and I know that her legacy will live on," Wagner said. "She built a powerhouse Division I softball program at UMass and more importantly has given opportunities to more young women from around this country than any one woman that I know of."

Sortino played volleyball, basketball and softball at SUNY Oneonta and was part of the college's inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame Class in 1999.

Longtime Oneonta basketball and softball coach and personal friend, Don Flewelling, remembers Sortino drive and competitiveness.

"Elaine was a tremendous athlete and was a tough, fiery competitor. At that time there weren't a lot of opportunities for women to compete at a high level, but she knew that she wanted to be a coach," he said. "She would spend time with Don Axtell and myself at baseball practices and take notes. She had a brilliant mind and could teach the fundamentals."

One of the all-time great coaches in collegiate softball, Sortino coached 34 seasons at UMass, where she compiled a 1,185-508-6 (.705) record, led the Minutewomen to 21 NCAA Tournament appearances and three trips to the WCWS. Sortino, who was the third-winningest active NCAA Division I coach at the conclusion of the 2013 campaign, led the Minutewomen to 23 Atlantic 10 regular-season titles and 23 tournament championships. Her 1,185 wins placed her eighth in NCAA history and seventh all-time among Division I ranks.

"We have lost a very special and amazing person in Elaine," said UMass Director of Athletics John McCutcheon. "We loved her tremendously. She was a true gift. It's hard to envision UMass without her and there is no way we can express the loss that we feel."

A native of Yonkers, N.Y., Sortino posted a 218-134-1 record as UMass' volleyball coach from 1979-1986. She earned her master's degree from the University of Bridgeport in 1973 and was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame in 2004.

Sortino also served as Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator with direct oversight of several sports as UMass. She oversaw student-athlete services, sports medicine, strength & conditioning, athletic health enhancement and the life skills program.

Sortino served as tournament manager for the 1995 NCAA women's volleyball championship and was a key member of the NCAA Certification Committee in 1995-1996. She also served on the NCAA Softball Committee in 2003 and 2004 and has been an active voting member of the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 Poll.