CHESTERTOWN, Md. — Washington College head field hockey coach Rachel Boyle has announced her departure from the position to pursue other interests. Boyle has spent the past 17 seasons on the Shorewomen's coaching staff, including two as an assistant coach, one as co-head coach, and 14 as head coach.
"I am so thankful for the tremendous opportunities Washington College and the Athletic Department have afforded me," Boyle reflects. "The young women that I've had the great fortune to coach, the many assistants who devoted themselves to developing a successful program, my coaching colleagues, the supportive administration including former Athletic Director, Dr. Bryan Matthews, and former head field hockey coach, Dean Sarah Feyerherm, and of course, my own family, I step away knowing that I've had a wonderful journey with Washington College. The people that I've formed relationships with have made an ever-lasting impact on my life.
"Coaching has provided me with an incredible forum to connect and work at something that I've been passionate about for most of my life while allowing me to engage with aspiring young women who seek to achieve at the highest level with an unwavering spirit. As difficult as it is to let go of something that means so much to me, I leave with a full heart and full confidence in the returning players, the passionate alumni, Athletic Director Thad Moore and the entire athletic department staff, that will continue to carry the pride and success of WAC field hockey forward."
Boyle began her tenure as an assistant coach for the 2000 and 2001 seasons under then head coach Feyerherm, now the College's Vice President and Dean of Students. The Shorewomen went a combined 22-17 over those two seasons, qualifying for the Centennial Conference Tournament both seasons and hosting it as the number one seed in 2001. They also qualified for the ECAC Mid-Atlantic Tournament in 2001.
The following season, Boyle served as co-head coach with Feyerherm, who was moving from Athletics to Student Affairs at the College, before taking over as the team's sole head coach for the 2003 season. In her 15 seasons as co-head coach or head coach, the Shorewomen qualified for the Centennial Conference Tournament seven times.
All told, during her tenure at the College, Shorewomen field hockey players earned All-Centennial Conference recognition 46 times.
"We cannot thank Rachel enough for all that she has done for our department," Moore notes. "From leading our field hockey program for the past 15 years to serving as our Student Athlete-Services Coordinator, Rachel has always gone above and beyond. She will be greatly missed, but we want to wish her the best of luck as she begins the next phase of her professional career."
The College plans to have Boyle's successor in place prior to the start of the team's non-traditional season in the spring.