Springfield, OH -- Wittenberg University head field hockey coach, Kelley Hubbell, will be stepping away from her position at the university, effective December 31, 2019. A national search for the next head coach will begin immediately, as announced by Vice President and Director of Athletics and Recreation, Dr. Gary Williams, on Thursday, December 12th.
“Kelley had a wonderful career in her nine years as head coach and most recently as a trusted colleague and administrator for me and our department.” stated Williams, “Even more important than any of her professional accomplishments, Kelley is a wonderful human with amazing character and love for Wittenberg who will be missed on many levels and difficult to replace.”
During coach Hubbell’s nine seasons at the helm of the field hockey program, the Tigers have accumulated an overall record of 86-84, while going 69-54 in North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) action. Hubbell led the Tigers to an NCAC regular season championship with a program-best 11-1 record in her first season on the sidelines at Wittenberg in 2010. That same season, Hubbell was named NCAC Coach of the Year. Since taking the reins of the Tiger field hockey program, Hubbell has guided 46 student-athletes to All-NCAC honors. Wittenberg posted a 7-11 record in 2018, going 7-7 in conference action, just a year after the Red & White made a run to the NCAC Tournament title game in 2017.
Hannah Lipton, who served as the interim head coach for the Tigers during the 2019 season, will remain with the institution through January to assist with the transition of leadership in the program.
“I can’t thank Hannah enough for taking time out of her personal life to accept the interim role with the field hockey program this past Fall.“ said Williams, “Although Hannah was only with us for a short period of time, she exemplified the values and beliefs of the Athletic Department and more importantly had a great impact on the overall student-athlete experience for our field hockey program.”