Washington College Athletics
Kate Fowler Named Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach
CHESTERTOWN, Md. — Three-time NCAA Division III National Champion Kate Fowler is the new head coach of the Washington College women’s lacrosse team. Fowler, who won her first national championship as a student-athlete at Hamilton College, had served as an assistant coach at Gettysburg College for the past five seasons, helping lead the Bullets to back-to-back national titles.
“I am honored and beyond excited to be named the next women’s lacrosse coach at Washington College and would like to extend my appreciation to Director of Athletics Thad Moore and the entire search committee for offering me the opportunity to stay in the Centennial Conference and lead this outstanding group of young women,” states Fowler.
“We are very happy to welcome Kate to our family,” remarks Moore. “During her interview, it became very apparent that she is a tremendous fit for not only our women’s lacrosse team but our department and college as a whole. She has been successful during every step of her athletic career and we are looking forward to her continuing that success as she leads our women’s lacrosse team.”
In Fowler’s five seasons as an assistant coach at Gettysburg, the Bullets went 94-15, winning Centennial Conference Championships in 2014, 2016, and 2018, and NCAA Division III National Championships in 2017 and 2018. During that span, Gettysburg women’s lacrosse student-athletes earned a total of nine All-America and 31 All-Centennial Conference honors. Fowler assisted in all aspects of the program, including practice planning and execution, scouting, recruiting, academic oversight, and strength and conditioning. She also was directly responsible for oversight of the team’s goalkeepers and her work there paid great dividends; the Bullets finished in the top five in all of Division III in goals-against average each of the past three seasons and led the nation in save percentage this past spring.
“I would be remiss in not thanking Carol Cantele, Barb Jordan, and the rest of the athletic staff at Gettysburg College,” Fowler reflects. “I’m indebted to them for their mentorship and would not be where I am today without their support for the last five years.”
Prior to arriving at Gettysburg, Fowler spent two seasons as an assistant women’s lacrosse coach at Connecticut College, overseeing the team’s defense and goalies. In her second season, she directed the Camels’ defense to its lowest goals-against average in 12 years. While at Connecticut College, she also served as a goalkeeper coach for the women’s soccer team for one season and served as an athletics department intern, assisting with facilities management and game management.
Fowler’s lacrosse coaching and instructional experience also includes time working at a number of camps, clinics, and showcases in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. During her time at Gettysburg, she was responsible for organizing and executing the Bullets’ annual 5v5 Tournament, Fall Prospect Day, and Summer Girls’ Lacrosse Camp.
A two-sport collegiate student-athlete, Fowler played four years as a goalkeeper in both lacrosse and soccer at Hamilton College, serving as a team captain in both sports as a senior. In lacrosse, she helped lead the Continentals to four consecutive Liberty League Championships and three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division III Semifinals. The Continentals won the 2008 NCAA Division III Championship and finished as the national runners-up in 2010; Fowler was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team during both of those postseason runs. She was also a three-time All-Liberty League selection in lacrosse and earned Liberty League All-Academic Team honors in both sports. In 2010, she was honored with Hamilton’s Gelas Memorial Prize, which is awarded to the senior that has shown the greatest development in strength of character, leadership, and athletic ability. She graduated with a B.A. in Economics that spring.
Fowler takes over a Washington College women’s lacrosse team that has competed in each of the past eight Centennial Conference Tournaments, the second-longest current streak in the conference. The Shorewomen finished last season 13-5, their most wins in five years, and advanced to the Centennial Conference semifinals. All five of their losses came at the hands of nationally-ranked teams, two of which were against Gettysburg. Madison Schutz was named a third-team All-American and the Centennial Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the team’s first-ever conference player of the year. Schutz and and fellow first-team all-conference selection Cecily Docktor are among 10 starters who will return for the 2019 season.
“Washington College is a truly special place with a unique combination of academic achievement and athletic excellence in a beautiful historic setting,” says Fowler. “I cannot wait to meet the student-athletes and get to work delivering a transformative experience where we will pursue excellence on and off the field.”
Fowler succeeds Heidi Pearce as the Shorewomen’s head coach. Pearce accepted the position of Women’s Athletic Director at St. Andrew’s School in Middletown, Del., earlier this summer. Fowler is the eighth head coach in the history of the Washington College women’s lacrosse program since its first varsity season of 1982.
“We will build on the strong tradition emblematic of Shorewomen Lacrosse and elevate the program to new heights while continuing to develop young women who are ready to leave Chestertown and make a difference in the world.”
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Cody Hunsicker Named Assistant Field Hockey Coach
CHESTERTOWN, Md. — Washington College head field hockey coach Anne Kietzman has announced the hiring of Cody Hunsicker as the team’s new assistant coach. Hunsicker finished up an impressive four-year collegiate playing career at Division I Lafayette College last fall.
Hunsicker garnered All-Patriot League second-team honors as a senior in 2017, when she also served as a team captain for the Leopards. She was also a three-year starter and participated in the 2017 Young Women’s National Championship and was a 2017 New Jersey High Performance Center Training athlete. She participated in Lafayette’s Oaks Leadership Academy for three years and was named a 2018 Oaks Leadership Academy Leader of Distinction.
Hunsicker worked as a field hockey instructor for the Lafayatte College Field Hockey Camp and the Lafayette College Field Hockey Clinic throughout her collegiate career. She has also served as a volunteer field hockey instructor at Tulpehocken High School in Bernville, Pa.
Hunsicker received a B.A. in Biology with minors in Anthropology and Sociology from Lafayatte this past May.
The Washington College field hockey will open its 2018 season on the road against Wesley on August 31st. The Shorewomen went 9-9 last season in Kietzman’s first year at the helm and qualified for the Centennial Conference Tournament for the first time in three years.
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Aimee Petrides Named Assistant Volleyball Coach
CHESTERTOWN, Md. — Washington College head volleyball coach Jamie Leventry has announced the hiring of Aimee Petrides as the team’s new assistant coach. Petrides spent the past two years as an assistant volleyball coach and assistant athletic trainer at Frostburg State University, where she previously played four years of collegiate volleyball.
As a volunteer assistant coach during her time as an athletic trainer at Frostburg, Petrides aided in running practices, worked specifically with the team’s hitters, and assisted in recruiting prospective student-athletes. She also spent three seasons as the head 17U and 16U coach for Frostburg Volleyball Club and has worked several volleyball camps. In addition to being a certified athletic trainer, she is also an American Red Cross certified lifeguard.
Petrides was an outstanding overall student-athlete during her playing days for the Bobcats. She was Frostburg’s 2016 NCAA Woman of the Year nominee and was named the school’s 2015-16 Scholar Athlete of the Year. A five-time Dean’s List qualifier, she earned a Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) All-Academic Award during each of her four years. She served as a team captain and was named her team’s Most Valuable Player in 2014. She was also a member of Frostburg’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) all four years, serving as Vice President of Community Service and, later, as President. In addition, she served on Frostburg’s President’s Leadership Circle, a select group of student leaders who worked with the university’s president to discuss community improvements and lead on-campus events.
Petrides graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.S. in Athletic Training from Frostburg State in May 2016 and went on to earn an M. Ed. in Interdisciplinary Studies (Business/Sports Administration, Health, and Physical Education) from the school two years later.
The Washington College volleyball team will open its 2018 season August 31st and September 1st at the DeSales Invitational. The Shorewomen turned in a 17-11 record last year, their fourth winning record in Leventry’s five seasons as head coach.