HARRISONBURG, Va. – EMU Director of Athletics Carrie S. Bert, recently announced the hiring of Chardonnay Hope as the Royals new Head Field Hockey Coach.
"The search committee noted Chardonnay's passion for the game of field hockey and her proven record to recruit both quality and number of student athletes," Bert said. "Having coached previously in the ODAC, she knows the conference and level of play required to compete. Coach Hope articulated the strong history of EMU field hockey and her desire to continue to build on the work of the last few years. She brings a desire to connect with the EMU community beyond athletics, highlighting her commitment to the Division III philosophy."
Prior to coming to EMU, Hope was the head field hockey coach at fellow ODAC school Ferrum College. In her first season at the helm of the Panthers, Ferrum won four games, their most since the 2017 season. The Panthers also had a player named to the All-ODAC team at season's end.
Academically, seven field hockey players were named to the All-ODAC academic team in 2022 and Faith Bibbo was one of six Panthers named to the VaSID All-State Academic Team.
Before Ferrum, Hope had stints as an assistant coach at Haverford College (2021-22), a member of the Centennial Conference, as well as Widener University (2020-2021), part of the Mid-Atlantic Conference. During her time at Haverford, the Fords advanced to the Centennial Conference playoffs, winning a first round game. In 2021, while at Haverford, she was named a Tara Vanderveer Grant Recipient through the Women in Sports Foundation.
Her focus as a coach was practice planning, team travel, scouting opponents, and game day preparation. In the off-season, recruiting was her primary focus along with team fundraising, volunteering, and camps and clinics.
On the field, she was a two-year starting goalkeeper for Kutztown University. In her two seasons as a starter, she amassed 21 wins while racking up 184 saves. In 2017, had a .98 GAA on her way to being named All-PSAC First-Team and NFHCA All-American Second Team. Her career GAA of 1.45 puts her at fourth all-time in Kutztown history.
Hope points to the EMU community and the competitive history of the Royals field hockey program, as reasons this position was so appealing to her.
"The hiring process made it very clear how special and community-oriented EMU is," Hope said. "During my campus visit I felt so welcomed. I encountered so many people especially the team, who made this process feel very rewarding. EMU field hockey historically is a competitive program and has made positive steps to get back on top in recent years. This group of student-athletes is clearly passionate and I am so grateful for this opportunity to be a Royal."
Hope will officially take over the reins of the field hockey program on February 1.
