Kiki Chesterton
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Wittenberg University Field Hockey Head Coach Kiki Chesterton has resigned her position in order to accept a teaching position at Hopatcong High School in New Jersey.
Chesterton came to Wittenberg from Montclair State University in New Jersey, where she was an assistant women's lacrosse coach and a student in the post baccalaureate teacher certification program in physical education. She spent just one eventful season prowling the Edwards-Maurer Field sidelines, leading the Tigers to their third consecutive North Coast Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships. In posting a 15-5 overall record and a mark of 9-3 in the NCAC regular season, Wittenberg extended its streak to 23 straight non-losing seasons.
Chesterton was an all-conference and all-region field hockey goalkeeper and a record-setting All-American women's lacrosse goalkeeper at Roanoke College before graduating in 1991. The Massachusetts native began her coaching career at Kenyon College and followed that with stints at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Kean University and Montclair State. As a head field hockey coach at Kenyon, Kean and Wittenberg, Chesterton has a career record of 41-33 in four seasons. As a head women's lacrosse coach at Kenyon and Kean, Chesterton's career record stands at 21-53-1 in five seasons. She also founded the women's lacrosse program at Fairleigh Dickinson in 1997 but never coached the team in a varsity game.
Chesterton succeeded Marianne Beshara, who resigned in February 2004 to pursue other professional opportunities. The Tigers advanced to the seventh NCAA Division III Tournament in school history in 2004 under Chesterton's direction before dropping a second-round decision to fifth-ranked William Smith College, 5-2, on Nov. 13. Chesterton is the fourth different coach to lead Wittenberg into the national tournament.
Wittenberg Director of Athletics and Recreation Garnett Purnell said a national search for a new field hockey head coach will commence as soon as possible.
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