Wittenberg Welcomes Kelley Hubbell As New Field Hockey Coach
After a collegiate playing and coaching career spent frequently battling against the Wittenberg Tigers, former College of Wooster field hockey and women's lacrosse standout Kelley Hubbell has accepted the field hockey head coaching position at Wittenberg.
Kelley Hubbell
Springfield, Ohio — After a collegiate playing and coaching career spent frequently battling against the Wittenberg Tigers, former College of Wooster field hockey and women's lacrosse standout Kelley Hubbell has accepted the field hockey head coaching position at Wittenberg.
She replaces Diana Goggins, who resigned in February after posting a 56-36 record between 2005 and 2009. Most recently, Hubbell served as a graduate assistant coach at Ithaca, helping the Bombers to a 5-12 record in 2009. She also currently serves as head coach for Ithaca's women's lacrosse club team.
"I'm looking forward to joining the staff at Wittenberg and building upon the great field hockey tradition at the university," Hubbell said. "This is a great opportunity, and I cannot wait to get started."
For Hubbell, this is her first full-time head coaching opportunity, although she did lead Wooster's program on an interim basis from June 2008 through August 2009 while long-time Head Coach Brenda Meese took a sabbatical. Under Hubbell in 2008, the Scots captured the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) regular season title with an 11-1 record and added the first conference tournament title in program history.
That year, Wooster made its first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance since 2001, finishing with an overall record of 16-6. In addition to her coaching duties that year, Hubbell taught physical education classes, served as an advisor to two student organizations and performed a variety of other duties assigned by the director of athletics, including event management during the 2009 NCAC Swimming and Diving Championships.
As an assistant field hockey and women's lacrosse coach at Wooster from 2006-08, Hubbell helped guide the field hockey squad to back-to-back NCAC regular season titles, including a perfect 12-0 record in 2006. In women's lacrosse, the 2007 team shared the NCAC regular season title and reached the NCAA Division III Tournament.
As a collegiate player at Wooster, Hubbell earned All-NCAC honors in 2001 and 2004, capping her career with first-team All-Great Lakes Region and third-team All-America honors as a senior. A four-year starter on defense, Hubbell served as team captain in 2004 as well.
Interestingly, during Hubbell's four years as a Wooster field hockey standout, the Scots won two NCAC regular season titles and Wittenberg won the other two. The Tigers won the first three NCAC Tournament titles in 2002, 2003 and 2004, beating Wooster in the title game in 2002 and 2003.
Hubbell was also a two-year starter on defense for the Wooster women's lacrosse team. As a senior captain in 2005, she earned first-team All-NCAC and second-team All-West Region honors.
Hubbell graduated from Wooster in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in history and a geology minor. As a senior, she was the university's Maria Sexton Award recipient, which recognizes athletic leadership. She is currently finishing coursework for her master's in sports management from Ithaca. A Sigma Iota Epsilon honor society member, Hubbell will graduate in May.
Hubbell takes over a Tiger field hockey team that posted a 12-6 overall record in 2009, including a 10-2 mark in the NCAC. After winning the NCAC regular season title but losing in the NCAC Tournament semifinals, the Tigers were selected to compete in the program's eighth NCAA Division III Tournament. Wittenberg was defeated by seventh-ranked Lebanon Valley in the first round.
Five All-Great Lakes Region performers return for the Tigers in 2010, including two of the top five scorers in school history: Boo Vernon, class of 2011 from Lake Bluff, Ill., and Tori Casanta, class of 2011 from Mason, Ohio.
Written by: Ryan Maurer
Photo courtesy College of Wooster
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