Katie (Becofsky) Potter, class of 2008, was inducted into the State University of New York at New Paltz Athletic Hall of Fame Oct. 12 for her impact on the women's volleyball team. Potter's arrival to SUNY New Paltz in 2004 marked the beginning of a new chapter for the women's volleyball team with success that continues to define the Hawks as a strong force today.
 
"Katie is without a doubt the most impactful player that has ever come here to play for me in my 17 years at this college," said Hawks women's volleyball coach Matt Giufre.
 
Potter had an immediate influence on the Hawk's women's volleyball program upon her arrival from Schalmont High School. "We were looking for a face for our program that was willing to put in the work to be better than what was good enough, inspire others to do the same, and have the credibility to back up their words with actions," Giufre said, "That [was] what Katie brought to us in 2004."

In the two seasons prior to Potter's arrival, the Hawks had won only 31 matches, but in her first year alone, the team won 27 games, which was the highest win total for the women's team since 1999. By Potter's sophomore year she led her team with 1,227 assists, which already placed her seventh in program history at the time. She moved up the ranks to third all-time following her senior year after totaling 1,269 assists in 2007. Ultimately, Potter compiled 4,434 assists from 2004-2007 and finished her four-year career with a total of 109 wins.
 
Additionally, Potter was the catalyst of one of the most pivotal moments in Hawks women's volleyball history -- defeating perennial power SUNY Cortland for the first time in school history back in 2005 -- which set the tone for the future of the program.
 
"Back when I was there my team had never beat SUNY Cortland, they were the untouchable champs and by far the best team in the SUNYAC," Potter said. "We beat them for the first time when I was a sophomore and I think that was a turning point in the program. We went absolutely ballistic."
 
With Potter at the helm, leading by example with her consistent effort and performance, the team that once had sporadic appearances in the conference tournament began to establish themselves as contenders in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Tournament year-after-year.

Potter's senior season the Hawks defeated SUNY Geneseo in the quarterfinals, 3-0 advancing to the semifinals where they lost, 3-1 to SUNY Fredonia. Although Potter and her teammates never brought home the SUNYAC title in 2007, they were contributing factors to the new era of the Hawks women's volleyball program. Since 2009, SUNY New Paltz has won three conference championships, hoisting the SUNYAC trophy in 2009, 2014 and most recently this past fall in 2018.
 
Potter saw the potential of the Hawks program before they started making waves in the SUNYAC tournament. During her recruit trip she recalled meeting an energetic and fun group of girls with a lot of potential for growth and success, which proved to be true throughout the span of her career. "New Paltz just seemed like an up and coming team that I could just plug in and help the team as soon as I got there and it worked out," Potter said. "I felt like it was my team for four years."
 
Potter definitely plugged right in, as she received the SUNYAC East Division Rookie of the Year Award after ranking fifth all-time at SUNY New Paltz in single-season assists through five sets with 60. Two years later she broke her own single-season record with 63 assists to set the team's new all-time record.
 
Along with her SUNYAC Rookie of the Year award, Potter went on to earn First-Team All-SUNYAC honors in 2005 and was the SUNYAC East Division Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008. She was also a SUNY Chancellor's Scholar-Athlete Award winner, was a Second-Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Women's Volleyball Team recipient, as well as the SUNY New Paltz Heinz Ahlmeyer Award winner in 2007 and the Donald Bishko Award winner in 2006 and 2008.

Potter was a phenomenal athlete with extensive skills and knowledge of the game with achievements on the court as well as in the classroom, which is why she is a role model for many of the current players on the SUNY New Paltz women's volleyball team. Many of her former teammates recognized her skills, but especially credited her work ethic and grit for her induction into the Hall of Fame.
 
"Her strength, determination and perseverance is what set her apart," said former Hawks teammate Kendra Korkus '07.  "I remember a game where she was injured and her shoulder popped out of place. As painful as I am sure it was she took the time for herself, came back stronger and finished out the season, literally carrying us on her shoulders. So proud to have played with her and she is so deserving of this honor."
 
With all the accolades she collected during her tenure, Potter remains humble even at the podium during her Hall of Fame enshrinement, crediting Giufre and her teammates for all the success she had during her time as a Hawk.  
 
"I am a setter, people literally have to pass me the ball and then somebody has to put the ball down for me to get an assist," she said during her Hall of Fame speech. "So, it's a little weird to get an individual award, but it's really neat to be back. Those are some of my most cherished years."
 
Since graduating from SUNY New Paltz in 2008 with a degree in Psychology and Interpersonal Communication, Potter went on and earned her Masters of Science degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and eventually earned a PhD at the University of South Carolina with a postdoctoral fellowship at The Mariam Hospital and the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. And most recently, married former Hawks baseball player Zachary Potter '08.
 
"I just followed opportunities that presented themselves and many of them were in the academic line," Potter said. "Doors kept opening and I kept taking that route and it's amazing that if you keep doing that you end up with a PhD."
 
Potter continues to thrive in her academic career as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Along with 20 published peer-reviewed articles, she was invited as a guest speaker at several events from 2013 to 2018. In fact, when Potter returned to New Paltz for her induction into the Athletics Hall of Fame, she was also invited as a guest speaker for the New Paltz Evolutionary Psychology Lab for an informational conversation, as she continues to keep close ties to the New Paltz community where her career began.
 
Although no longer involved in the athletic realm, Potter still has volleyball on her radar. When asked about her plans for the future she said, "Immediate future I am a college professor, but I hope volleyball enters the scene one way or another, hopefully at the college level."
 
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