Hansbury Named Field Hockey Head Coach

Bryant assistant and former UMass Lowell student-athlete becomes Skyhawks sixth coach in program history

EASTON, Mass. (February 28, 2019) – Stonehill College has announced the hiring of Anne Hansbury as its next head coach of the field hockey program. The announcement was made today by Dean O'Keefe, '94, Director of Athletics at the College.

"We are thrilled to announce that Anne Hansbury will join the Stonehill College family as our new head field hockey coach," said O'Keefe. "Coach Hansbury possesses an impressive background coaching at the NCAA Division I, II and III levels, and her contagious energy and passion to teach the game will serve our program well. In addition, Coach Hansbury's experience and success as an NCAA Division II student-athlete will provide our student-athletes a mentor who will foster a culture of personal growth and development in the pursuit of academic and athletic excellence.

"We are excited for Coach Hansbury to arrive in Easton, and are confident her appointment will build upon the program's strong foundation and lead our student-athletes to new heights."

Hansbury, a 2012 graduate of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, where she was a member of a River Hawks field hockey program that competed in the Northeast-10 Conference, winning a Division II national championship, brings experience as a coach and student-athlete from all three levels of NCAA field hockey, as well as overseas coaching and playing experience. She takes over as the sixth head coach in the Stonehill field hockey program's 23-year history, after Susan Ciufo recently took over as head coach at Temple University in Philadelphia after four years in Easton.

"I am honored and beyond excited to begin my journey at Stonehill, and am eager to begin working with these incredible student-athletes," said Hansbury. "I want to thank Dean O'Keefe, (Senior Associate Director of Athletics) Cindy MacDonald, and the rest of the search committee for giving me the wonderful opportunity to lead this program. I am not only thrilled to be back in the NE10 but lucky to be at a special place like Stonehill."

Hansbury comes to Stonehill after spending the 2018 season as an assistant coach at Bryant University. She served as head coach Joppe de Vries top assistant coach, coordinating all aspects of daily operation for the Bulldogs NCAA Division I program, was the team's recruiting coordinator, and oversaw academic advising.

Prior to returning to New England, Hansbury was an assistant coach at Division I Central Michigan University for two years from June 2016 through the 2017 season. She assisted in running the daily operation of the program, including game day operation, practice organization, player and leadership development and social media coordination. Hansbury was responsible for all video coordination and was the team's academic liaison and compliance coordinator.

Hansbury spent four seasons as an assistant coach at NCAA Division III Colby College, helping the Mules to 31 wins from 2012 through the 2015 season. She has been head field hockey coach and club administrative assistant for Northeast Elite Field Hockey Club in Windham, New Hampshire, since 2009. Following her playing career at UMass Lowell, Hansbury traveled to Melbourne, Australia, and was head junior coach and administrative assistant for Doncaster Hockey Club, running a junior program for ages 9-14 and was co-director for the midweek ladies' program, while also playing for the club, competing in the Victorian Premier League, the top league in Australia. She also was an official and U14 head coach for the regional development team for Hockey Victoria.

Hansbury, a Plaistow, New Hampshire, native, was a four-year letterwinner for coach Shannon Hlebichuk at UMass Lowell, helping the River Hawks to four-straight NCAA Division II Championship game appearances. The River Hawks won the 2010 National Championship, finishing 24-0, while winning a pair of NE10 Championships in 2010 and 2011. Hansbury was a two-time All-American as a midfielder for UMass Lowell, earning a pair of All-NE10 honors, as well as NE10 All-Rookie accolades in 2008.

Stonehill wrapped up its 2018 season with a 13-7 record overall, including 8-5 in the NE10, making its NE10 record matching 20th appearance in the Conference Tournament and reaching the semifinal round. The Skyhawks were ranked eighth in the final Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II poll. 

What they are saying about Anne Hansbury: 

Joppe de Vries (Bryant head coach)

"A huge congratulations from Bryant athletics to Anne and Stonehill College. We thank Anne for her passionate hockey knowledge and commitment to Bryant field hockey, and look forward to see Stonehill continue to be successful in Division II." 

Shannon Hlebichuk (UMass Lowell head coach)

"I've been fortunate to have coached a number of outstanding women during my 17 year career at UMass Lowell and Anne Hansbury is no exception. She has proven to be one of the hardest working young professionals in coaching. Anne's knowledge of the game; her diverse coaching experiences; combined with her passion for winning, inspiring and developing young women will certainly be a great fit for Stonehill's nationally ranked program. She will, without question, be a successful head coach and a great addition to the staff at Stonehill College."  

TRANSACTIONS:

Stonehill: Named Anne Hansbury field hockey head coach. 

With 21 intercollegiate sports, Stonehill boasts one of the top athletic and academic programs in the country. In addition to finishing in the top three of the Northeast-10 Conference Presidents' Cup standings for overall athletic performance 14 straight years, the Skyhawks have received the NCAA Division II Presidents' Award for Academic Achievement each of the first eight years of the program's existence of honoring institutions with an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 90-percent or better. Stonehill has earned a 96% Academic Success Ranking (ASR) by the NCAA, which considers the academic success rate of the institution based on the graduation rate of student-athletes, good for seventh among all NCAA Division II institutions, with eight Skyhawk teams receiving a perfect rating of 100%. In addition, the Skyhawks are ranked 11th in the National Collegiate Scouting Association (NCSA) Power Rankings for Division II used to assess the academic and athletic standards of all NCAA and NAIA athletic programs.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.