Fueled by fresh talent and unwavering enthusiasm, William and Mary field hockey looks to continue its success in 2024. With two new assistant coaches, five freshmen and a graduate student transfer, the 2023 Coastal Athletic Association champions remain optimistic about the upcoming season.
Hailing from Virginia, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the incoming squad includes three midfielders/forwards, one defender and one goalkeeper.
“We’ve got some really good, talented freshmen who are just super full of energy and ready to learn,” graduate student goalkeeper Maddie George said. “All of our returners have really stepped up since last spring, and everyone’s really open to the new coaching staff we have.”
Head coach Tess Ellis echoed this sentiment, emphasizing changes in the team’s structure since last fall.
“They’re very excited to see if they can repeat last year’s effort, effort being performing each week and not jumping ahead,” Ellis said. “When you lose eight players, nothing is the same out there.”
In addition to the eight graduates, assistant coach Rachel Gantz ’22 and associate head coach Hillary Fitts parted ways with the team after the 2023 season. Fitts now serves as the head field hockey coach at Hofstra, where she works alongside assistant coach Lauren Curran ’23. Prior to her time at Hofstra, Curran played as a forward/midfielder for the Tribe.
Ellis hired assistant coaches Christina Walker and Mimi Smith in May.
During her collegiate career, Walker played goalkeeper for Maryland, helping the team to consecutive national championships in 2005 and 2006. Walker coached at Virginia Wesleyan for nine years, leading the Marlins to two Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournaments.
Having coached in the Virginia Beach area, Walker was familiar with many Tribe field hockey players before taking on the assistant coach role.
“From that point of view, it was a lovely transition,” Ellis said.
Smith played for Old Dominion, where she helped lead the Monarchs to two national title games and three CAA championships. Following her collegiate career, Smith played for the U.S. Women’s National Team from 1999 to 2004, where she was coached by Ellis for three years.
“We’ve had a friendship of 20-odd years or more, but we speak the same language,” Ellis said.
Before joining Tribe field hockey, Smith coached at the Garrison Forest School in Baltimore, Md. Under her leadership, the team won back-to-back state championships.
Though Walker and Smith only started working with the team in the fall, their impacts have already been visible.
“They’ve really helped us embrace our growth mindset and bring a whole lot more confidence in each and every one of us in terms of our self-talk and our team talk,” George said. “Even after one week, everyone seems completely more on board with being able to take risks just for the sake of learning.”
Ellis highlighted Walker and Smith’s determination.
“They’re very aware of supporting people to achieve their goals,” Ellis said. “They’ve both still got that strong competitive edge that they want to bring to this team.”
Graduate student defender Ellie Taylor also joins William and Mary field hockey this season. A transfer from Davidson, Taylor was a four-year member of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Academic Team.
“Ellie just brings a whole different kind of perspective in terms of experience,” George said. “Obviously her college experience was a little different, but I think she fits in really well.”
In addition to Taylor and George, graduate students Mollie Schuma and Maddie McGaughey are using their fifth year of eligibility to play with the Tribe.
“Having all the people with strong experience out there, it’s like, ‘How can I pull this young group of players together to try to repeat what we did last year?’” Ellis said.
As an older member of the team, George hopes to focus on her leadership this season.
“Overall, I’m just really positive with the group of girls that we have and the growth every single person has shown since the last time I’ve seen them,” George said.
Both George and senior midfielder Pyper Friedman earned spots on the 13-player Preseason All-CAA Team. Sophomore forward Josie Mae Gruendel secured a place on the honorable mentions list.
Friedman finished her junior season with 24 points on eight goals and eight assists. Her assist total ranked No. 2 in the CAA and No. 64 nationally.
As a freshman, Gruendel was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team, starting 15 of the Green and Gold’s 21 games.
In fall 2023, George recorded a career-high 16 saves against No. 1 North Carolina, the most for a William and Mary goalkeeper in the NCAA Tournament in program history. George also earned a place on the CAA All-Tournament Team.
“I think anyone being named to the roster is a win for the team,” George said. “If we can get a win just by another William and Mary player being on the list, then that’s great.”
With a 12-9 overall record and a 4-2 conference record last season, CAA coaches ranked William and Mary at No. 2 in the preseason poll vote. Drexel tied with William and Mary for second, with both teams receiving two first-place votes. Monmouth received three first-place votes to take the top spot.
“We’d all like to win the CAA again and go back down to North Carolina and perform bigger and stronger,” Ellis said. “It’s always there in the back of our minds.”
George emphasized the importance of embracing change while setting ambitious goals.
“Our new identity is something that we’re looking to find right now,” George said. “I think what we’re trying to frame our mind around is this group of 24 plus three coaches earning a CAA championship is going to be different from how our last squad earned a CAA championship.”
As Tribe field hockey opens its season Friday, Aug. 30 against Duke at Williams Field in Durham, N.C., Ellis hopes players will remember to take the season game by game.
“If we get ahead of ourselves, then we’re really going to miss the journey to get there,” Ellis said. “We just need to be where our feet are and get through each day, and everything else will happen accordingly.”
