GENEVA, N.Y. - The University at Albany field hockey coaching staff has been named the Northeast Region Coaching Staff of the Year by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA). Each honoree was selected by a majority vote of their regional colleagues.
Head coach
Phil Sykes, associate head coach
Andy Thornton, and assistant coach
Dana Bozek came together to guide the Great Danes to its second Elite Eight appearance in program history.
The Great Danes finished the season 16-5 overall and 6-2 in the America East Conference after being picked to finish second in the league in the America East Coaches Preseason Poll.
UAlbany defeated three nationally-ranked opponents this season - #16 Boston College (Oct. 2, 4-3 (OT)), #18 UMass (Oct. 16, 2-1 (2OT)), and #4 Michigan (Nov. 11, 2-1 (OT)). The Great Danes had five players earn postseason conference awards and four players earn Northeast Region honors. First Team All-Northeast honorees
Alison Smisdom and
Floor de Ruiter are now eligible for All-America honors while Northeast Region Player of the Year,
Alison Smisdom, is eligible to be named the National Player of the Year.
Five Great Danes scored five or more goals this season and three with at least three goals and three assists.
UAlbany competed in its first NCAA Tournament game since 2018 with a 2-1 win in shootouts over Stanford in the America East Championship game. The Great Danes continued their historical season with a 2-1 overtime upset over host and fourth-seeded Michigan to advance to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time since 2014.
For the full release from the NFHCA,
click here.
The 2022 NFHCA Division I National Coaching Staff of the Year will be announced on Thursday, January 15, 2022, at the NFHCA Awards Dinner sponsored by AstroTurf at the 2023 NFHCA Annual Convention.
For more information on the University at Albany field hockey team, follow the squad's official social media accounts shown below.
Twitter - @ualbanyfh
Instagram - @ualbanyfh
Facebook – facebook.com/UAlbanyFH
