Bio

After four seasons as a standout player and five seasons as an assistant coach in Wittenberg University’s field hockey program, Brighid Kortyna was elevated to the head coaching position at her alma mater in January 2024.

A native of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, Kortyna served as an assistant coach in the program for four seasons on the sidelines at Edwards-Maurer Field. Kortyna earned her bachelor’s degree with cum laude honors from Wittenberg in sport management and a minor in business in 2018, and she completed her master’s degree in athletic coaching at Wittenberg in 2021. As an undergraduate, Kortyna gained valuable experience as a student-worker in athletic training at Wittenberg, and she also completed an internship with the Mario Lemieux Foundation in 2017.

In Kortyna's first year at the helm, the Tigers got off to a tremendous start, winning the first nine games of the 2024 season. Wittenberg finished in the top four in the league standings to qualify for the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) standings before falling in a tight game to top-seeded Denison. After the season, Kortyna and Assistant Coach Maddie Passarella were named NCAC Coaching Staff of the Year.

Kortyna has served in several different roles with Field Hockey Life Club since 2020, including as a coach of select and regional teams from 2020-22 and as the Columbus regional coordinator since November 2023. Her first experience as a coach came in 2018 as a varsity assistant at North Allegheny High School in Pennsylvania, and she also serves as a nexus coach for USA Field Hockey.

As a midfielder for Wittenberg, Kortyna started 76 of 78 games between 2014 and 2017. A two-year team captain, she earned honorable mention All-NCAC honors in 2014, in addition to All-Academic Squad recognition from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) following multiple seasons during her career.