Hall of Fame
JENN (HANSEN) CHITTENDEN
- Sports: Track and Field
- Graduation Year: 2008
- Highlights: Seven-time PSAC champion in the pole vault, six-time NCAA Division II All-American, still owns SRU pole vault record, two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American, five-time PSAC Top 10 Award winner, 2007-08 PSAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, perfect 4.0 GPA for undergrad and graduate degrees.
Jennifer (Hansen) Chittenden is among the most decorated track and field athletes in Slippery Rock history after graduating in 2008 as a six-time All-American and a seven-time PSAC champion in the pole vault.
She claimed three PSAC titles indoor and swept all four PSAC outdoor titles in the pole vault during her career. She also set the SRU and all-time PSAC records in the pole vault. Chittenden picked up All-America honors for top-eight finishes at the National Championships two times indoor and all four seasons outdoor during her career.
Her career-best outdoor clearance of 4.10 meters in 2008 still stands as the SRU record and is both the PSAC all-time and championship meet record to this day.
Chittenden was named the PSAC Rookie of the Year her freshman year was named the Most Outstanding Field Athlete of the PSAC Championships her junior season.
In addition to her excellence in competition, Chittenden was also among the best student-athletes in the country during her career. She finished both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Slippery Rock with a perfect 4.0 GPA and would go on to earn her doctorate in special education from Northcentral University in 2016.
That academic excellence led her to being named the PSAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the 2007-08 academic year. She was named to CoSIDA Academic All-America honors twice and was selected to five different PSAC Top 10 teams in recognition of her combined performances in the pole vault and in the classroom. Chittenden was also named the Atlantic Region Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was a four-time All-Academic selection by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
After finishing her master's degree at Slippery Rock in 2010, Chittenden embarked on a special education teaching career for eight years, most recently at Mossyrock High School in Mossyrock, Washington. She and her husband, Matthew, who owns Chittenden Woodworks, are the proud parents of four boys: London, Micah, Judah and Kendrick.
