Springfield, Ohio – After four seasons as a standout player and five seasons as an assistant coach in Wittenberg University’s field hockey program, Brighid Kortyna ’18 has accepted the head coaching position at her alma mater.

A native of Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, Kortyna replaces Bronwen Gainsford, who resigned from the position to pursue other professional opportunities in December 2023 after posting a 28-23 record in four seasons. Kortyna served as the team’s assistant coach for each of Gainsford’s four seasons on the sidelines at Edwards-Maurer Field.

“I am so excited to take this next step in my career at Wittenberg as head coach,” Kortyna said. “As a ‘double alumni,’ I have always wanted to have my future here. I want to thank President Michael Frandsen and Vice President and Director of Athletics Brian Agler for this opportunity. Once a Tiger, always a Tiger!”

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.

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 served as a nexus coach for USA Field Hockey in 2022.

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-North Coast Athletic Conference (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.

“We are very pleased to elevate Brighid to this position,” Agler said. “She has shown tremendous dedication to the program as a player and as an assistant coach, and I am confident that she is well prepared to excel as the leader of the program.”

Kortyna takes over a Tiger field hockey team that posted a 10-7 overall record in 2023, including a 5-5 mark in the NCAC. Four All-NCAC performers are expected to return to the lineup in 2024.