NAME: Nancy Mollenhauer
UNIVERSITY: Victoria
CATEGORY: Student-Athlete
SPORT: Field Hockey
YEARS ACTIVE: 1980-1984
HIGHLIGHTS:
Two-time CIAU Athlete of the Year (1983, 1984)
1984 CIAU champion
Field Hockey World Cup silver (1983) and bronze (1986)
Two-time Olympian (1984, 1988)
BIOGRAPHY:
The captain of the University of Victoria’s first national championship field hockey team, Nancy Mollenhauer also excelled on the international stage.
As a member of the Vikettes from 1980 to 1984, Mollenhauer was a two-time CIAU Athlete of the Year and twice named an All-Canadian. In her final season, she led Victoria to a 1-0 win over York in the CIAU gold medal final. She also won a silver (1981) and bronze (1983) medal at nationals.
The native of Victoria played for the national team from 1982 to 1989, and was an integral part of what is regarded as Canadian women’s field hockey’s greatest period. Throughout the 1980s, Canada qualified for every world-class event, including the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympic Games. Canada won multiple medals during the decade, highlighted by silver at the 1983 World Cup and bronze at the 1986 World Cup. The team also won bronze at the 1987 Pan-American Games in Indianapolis, where Mollenhauer served as Canada’s flag-bearer for the opening ceremonies.
Upon retiring from playing, Mollenhauer became a physical education teacher at St. Michaels University School in Victoria, where she is the driving force behind the field hockey program. She remains a key member of the city’s field hockey community as both a coach and organizer at every level of the game. Her daughter Anna currently plays field hockey for the Vikes. Anna followed in her mother's footsteps, leading UVic to the 2018 national title while being named U SPORTS Player of the Year, before making her national team debut in 2019.
Mollenhauer is a two-time inductee into UVic’s Sports Hall of Fame as an individual (2003) and with the 1984 women’s field hockey team. In 2015, she was part of inaugural class for the Field Hockey Canada Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Great Victoria Sports Hall of Fame.