Gina Buggy Honored by Field Dedication

Noah Ganzhorn ‘24

Aru Venugopalan ‘24

Matt Limaye ‘25

Gina Buggy, a legendary EA Athletic Director and Field Hockey Coach, recently returned to campus to be present for a ceremony that renamed the Varsity Sonje Field in her honor. This field is located next to the Newbolt Smith field, or the football field. 

Macy Szukics ‘22, Co-Captain of EA’s Varsity Field Hockey Team, played under Buggy for several years before she retired. Szukics expresses high praise to her former coach, saying, “She is an amazing mentor and obviously she’s a legend and she coached the team so well. She is an amazing coach and I miss her.” 

Szukics also had the pleasure to be present for the naming of the field ceremony. She recalls, “It was so awesome because it was just great to see her in that light because in my opinion she clearly deserves it. She earned it. And to be there to give her the flowers after she cut the ribbon was so awesome because she was such a big part of my life.” 

Szukics continues, “She[Buggy] holds so much underneath it[her name], so just the field being named after her shows the amount of meaning she has.” 

Mia Garber ‘22 played for Buggy for only a year at EA. Garber states, “It felt so great to have her back on our home turf, she is extremely beloved to the field hockey team and is deeply missed, so it was definitely a wonderful thing to see her honored for all she’s done.” She continues, “I do think it meant more since I got to experience being coached by her, she has left such an impact on me and so many of the other girls who were lucky enough to be coached by her as well.” 

Garber says, “Not only does the field being dedicated to her show the impact that she has made on our team as the former coach, but it also embodies the lasting influence that she has created from being the first woman athletic director ever at Episcopal. Her name over the scoreboard will be a constant reminder of her legacy here.”

Melanie Lim ‘20, an EA Alum and field hockey player at Wesleyan University, was coached by Buggy as well. She states that, “It was really great to see the school recognize Gina Buggy and her legacy of EA’s athletic program and especially the field hockey program.” Lim adds, “She is such a role model to everyone who went through her program. Her impact is much greater than her name on the field.” 

​​ Todd Fairlie, Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at EA, explains that the renaming was initiated by the alumni and development office. An endowment was created which helps with the upkeep of the field hockey field. In addition to this, a scholarship fund was initiated, which, according to Farilie, “helps bridge the financial gap for deserving female athletes to attend EA.” 

Buggy recounts the day she found out about the plan to dedicate the field in her name, sharing, “When Dr. Locke invited me to a Zoom meeting in July, I thought it was my exit interview. He surprised me with this huge Zoom meeting which included a number of past players, coaches, faculty, and other EA community folks and then he announced the naming of the field.” She adds, “I was in absolute shock. In fact, It was difficult for me to even appreciate appropriately what was being said.” 

When talking about the importance of this dedication Fairlie remarks, “Calling the field by her name is a reminder of her and the incredible legacy that she left here at EA.” Farilie finishes by stating, “To honor her in front of friends, past alums, and the team was really special, and will be a day we all remember.” 

T.J. Locke, Head of School, comments, “When we talk about the ideal teacher-coach-mentor at EA, we often describe someone who lives the Stripes and exemplifies our motto. We think of someone who always puts students’ best interests first, who genuinely loves working with young people, who demonstrates humility and selflessness, and who motivates everyone around them to be their best selves. I can think of no better way to describe Gina Buggy.”