Nancy Stevens

Head Coach
17th season
at Connecticut: 241-96-8 (.710/16 yrs.)
Career Record:  421-145-24 (.734/27 yrs.)

E-mail Coach Stevens

University of Connecticut field hockey coach Nancy Stevens and the word success are synonymous.

Entering her 17th season at Connecticut and her 28th overall as a head coach, Stevens has secured the tradition of UConn field hockey among the nation’s best.


Recognized as one of the top collegiate field hockey coaches in the nation, she has compiled an impressive 421-145-24 record for a .734 winning percentage over her previous 26 seasons. Overall, she ranks second among Division I coaches in overall wins and ranks first in games coached. She became the fourth coach in NCAA field hockey history to reach the 400-win plateau when the Huskies defeated Cornell 6-0 on October 24, 2004. Stevens collected her 300th win during the 1998 season.

Stevens has taken two Division I programs to a No. 1 ranking (Connecticut in 1999 and Northwestern in 1985). Her record at UConn over 16 years stands at 241-96-8 (.710).
Under Stevens, the Huskies have qualified for the BIG EAST Tournament in 15 of her 16 seasons, with a league record eight different squads (2005, 2004, 2002, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1996 and 1992) winning the conference tournament title. The 2005 team, which captured both the BIG EAST Tournament and Regular Season crowns, was the 10th UConn squad under Stevens that earned a berth to the NCAA Division I Championship, as her 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996 and 1990 teams qualified as well.

Since beginning BIG EAST play in 1989, the UConn field hockey team has captured eight of the 17 BIG EAST Tournament titles, including three in a row (1998-2000). The Huskies have played in the championship game 13 times. In addition, the Huskies earned nine of the last 10 regular season titles, including five in a row from 1996-2000 and the last four consecutive crowns (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005).

A six-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year, Stevens was also named the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Mideast Coach of the Year in 1996, 1998, 2003 and 2004.
Of UConn’s 10 NCAA Division I Tournament appearances under Stevens, she twice led the Huskies to the NCAA semifinals (1998, 1999).

The UConn field hockey program has been ranked among the nation’s elite consistently throughout Stevens’ career. In 1999, the Huskies sat atop the national poll for five consecutive weeks. After opening the year No. 6 in the nation, UConn defeated then top-ranked Penn State to take over at No. 1. Connecticut remained undefeated through the end of the regular season, before losing to eventual national finalist Michigan.

Before taking over at Connecticut, Stevens served as the head coach at Northwestern University for nine years. She led the Wildcats to eight consecutive NCAA Division I Championship quarterfinal appearances (1982-89), three NCAA semifinal games (1983, 1985 and 1989) and four Big Ten Championships (1983, 1984, 1985 and 1988).

During her final season in 1989, Stevens directed her Wildcat field hockey team to an 18-4-1 record and a third-place finish in the NCAA Championship. Her 1985 team also finished third at the NCAA Championship.

In 1988, she was voted Big Ten Coach of the Year when her team went 17-2-1, winning the league title and making an appearance in the NCAA Quarterfinals.
In her nine-year career at Northwestern, Stevens’ teams had an overall record of 152-35-12, for an impressive .764 winning percentage. Her student-athletes also maintained a perfect 100 percent graduation rate while at NU.

Stevens has developed 19 first team All-Americans, 10 at Connecticut and nine while at Northwestern. Additionally, three of her players at Northwestern were finalists for the Honda Broderick Award, with forward Jennifer Averill voted the winner in 1985. Former UConn All-America Kristen Kelly was named a finalist for this award in 1994. The program’s all-time leading scorer, Lauren Henderson, was a finalist for the prestigious honor in 2004.

Stevens also acted as Northwestern’s assistant lacrosse coach for nine years and helped guide the Wildcats to five NCAA Championship appearances in her final seven seasons.

She has been a part of the U.S. Field Hockey National Coaching Staff, serving in that capacity from 1982-1990. In 1997, she took over as coach for the U.S. Under-19 National Team - named “Team of the Year” by U.S. Field Hockey.
She was head coach of the U.S. Junior National Team from 1982-84, while coaching in the U.S. Olympic Developmental Program. Stevens has been a U.S. Olympic Festival head coach five times since 1985, leading her team to a gold medal in 1986 and to a silver medal in 1985.

Prior to coaching at Northwestern, Stevens was head field hockey and lacrosse coach at Franklin and Marshall College for two seasons. Her 1979 F&M team placed second at the AIAW National Championship, while her 1980 team reached the quarterfinals.
A member of the U.S. National Team from 1974-79, she competed in the 1975 World Championships in Edinburgh, Scotland. That team was captained by former UConn coach Diane Wright.

Originally from Lancaster, Pa., Stevens received her bachelor’s degree in education, summa cum laude from West Chester University in 1976. She captained the 1975 field hockey team at West Chester that won the AIAW National Championship. She was a 2003 inductee into the West Chester University Hall of Fame.

In 1979, she received her master’s degree in sports psychology from Penn State. There, she also served as assistant field hockey and lacrosse coach from 1977-79, with the lacrosse squads winning AIAW National Championship titles in 1978 and 1979.
Stevens holds annual summer camps at UConn and is a longstanding member of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA).

Stevens has also served on the U.S. Olympic Committee's Athlete's Advisory Council and the U.S. Olympic Committee's Membership Committee. In addition, Coach Stevens has held the positions of Vice President in the U.S. Field Hockey Coaches Association and was a former Vice President of the National Field Hockey Association.
 

Stevens’ Coaching Highlights

- Five NCAA Semifinal Appearances
- 16 NCAA Quarterfinal Appearances
- Nine BIG EAST Regular Season Titles
- Eight BIG EAST Tournament Titles
- Six-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year
- 1997 U.S. Under-19 National Coach
- 1996, 1998, 2003 & 2004 Mideast Region Coach of the Year
- 1988 Big Ten Coach of the Year
- U.S. Field Hockey Team National Coaching Staff (1982-90)
- U.S. Junior National Team Head Coach (1982-84)
- U.S. Olympic Festival Head Coach North Team (1985-87) & (1989-90)
- National Team Trials Assistant Coach (1982-2000)
- 19 First Team All-Americans
- Six U.S. National Team members
- 58 First-Team All-Conference selections
- Guided Huskies to five consecutive NCAA Tournament berths from 1996-00 with two national semifinal and three national quarterfinal appearances
- 2003 inductee into the West Chester University Hall of Fame

Stevens’ Playing Highlights
- U.S. National Team member & World Cup Team player
- Captain, National Collegiate Champions - West Chester University
- Gold Medal, U.S. Olympic Festival