Steve Jennings has been a well-known figure in national and international field hockey for two decades. This year, entering his 10th season as head coach of AU women's field hockey, Jennings performed on the biggest stage of all--the Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he served as assistant coach for the U.S. National Women's Field Hockey team. Jennings previously helped guide the U.S. team to a 6-0 record in winning the Olympics qualifying tournament in Kazan, Russia, and earn a berth in Beijing. At another qualifying "Being involved in the Olympic team is such a tremendous honor--definitely a peak life experience that is hard to put into words," Jennings said. "In the end it means getting a chance to see if you can be the absolute best and the power of being surrounded by people who have given literally everything they have to be there." Jennings' involvement with the Olympic team is no surprise considering his outstanding career. He has an overall record of 120-55 [.687] and has been named Patriot League Coach of the Year four times, including each of the past three seasons, since the Eagles joined the league in 2001. Last fall American University wrapped up another successful season, going 16-5-0 after remaining undefeated in league play for the fifth consecutive year and winning its fifth-straight Patriot League Championship. The Eagles fell short in their quest for a fifth-straight NCAA Tournament berth, falling to Ohio University, 3-2, in double overtime in the play-in game. The Eagles have consistently been academic champions as well. As a team, Jennings' squad ranked second in the nation in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Top Team GPA Award for the second straight year with a 3.51 and had 13 individuals recognized by the NFHCA for their academic excellence. The Eagles also placed 15 student-athletes on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. Shining a Light Jennings' international coaching experience has helped boost the Eagles' success in all aspects of the game. "I have been extremely fortunate to work with the U.S. team for a number of years now, and I try to absorb every detail in order to help my players as athletes, students, and people," he said. "The obvious things I try to implement at AU from this level are details on physiology, tactics, and technical skills; however, I think nothing is more important than the capacity to inspire. Connecting our team to the athletes and teams at the Olympics gives them role models for excellence and shines light on the possibilities that lie inside them." In the 2007 Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where Jennings served as an assistant coach, the United States claimed the silver medal after falling 4-2 to No. 2 world-ranked Argentina. He performed the same role as the U.S. team competed in an Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Kazan. The U.S. team went on to win the qualifier in Kazan, Russia, defeating Belgium, 3-1, in the gold medal game to clinch a berth to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Former AU field hockey standouts Javiera Villagra, Camila Infante, and Denise Infante were important contributors to the Chilean National Team throughout a separate qualifier, but their team was unable to advance and finished third. Jennings was also a member of the National Team's coaching staff in 2001 and 2002, helping the United States earn the bid for the World Cup. In November 2002, he traveled to Perth, Australia, where the United States finished ninth out of 16 teams at the World Cup. Jennings has also coached the national team at the Championships Challenge in South Africa and more recently in Virginia Beach along with the World Cup Qualifier in England. His other destinations with the national team have been Holland, Germany, New Zealand, India, Argentina, Chile, and Italy. He was with the team at the World Cup in 2006, where the U.S. finished sixth in Madrid, Spain. In addition to his work with the National Team, Jennings did a series of professional development/coaching certification courses last year. In November, he took part in the inaugural Level III coaching course sponsored by U.S. Field Hockey, which is the highest level. Jennings was one of four candidates to earn certification and get recommended for FIH (the world governing body of field hockey) coaching courses. In May, he was accepted into an FIH Finals coaching course held in conjunction with the Champions Trophy in Monchengladbach, Germany and was one of eight individuals selected to be evaluated for the rating of FIH coach. Jennings also gave a presentation at the National Coaches Forum as part of the national staff in May to elite level coaches in the U.S. and helped conduct a Level II course to certify coaches as part of a US hockey development initiative. A Winning History At AU, Jennings has enjoyed a long record of success. In 2006, after his squad won its fourth consecutive Patriot League Championship, the Eagles earned their fourth straight berth in the NCAA tourney. For the second season in a row, Jennings had three All-America selections (Camila Infante, Denise Infante, and Irene Schickhardt) and five All-Region and All-Patriot League selections. Under his guidance, the 2006 graduating class went undefeated in Patriot League play in each of its four seasons. The 2005 season was Jennings' best as a coach. He led the Eagles to a 20-2 record, the most wins in program history, with their only two losses coming against eventual national champion Maryland. AU's .909 winning percentage was third best in all of Division I as the Eagles captured their third consecutive Patriot League crown and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. AU finished the season ranked sixth in the NFHCA Coaches Poll. Other 2005 highlights: • The Eagles were ranked first in the NCAA in margin of victory, outscoring opponents by an average of 2.68 goals per game. • AU's 3.90 goals per game was second in the country, with its 1.22 goals per game allowed finishing seventh in all of Division I. • Senior Javiera Villagra became the team's first two-time First Team All-American and the program's only three-time All-American. Senior Maureen Daniel, a Second Team All-America selection, was the Patriot League's Scholar-Athlete of the Year in addition to being named Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year. Junior Camila Infante earned Second Team All-American honors while being named ECAC Division I Player of the Year and Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, and freshman Irene Schickhardt earned the league's co-rookie of the year award. • Jennings was named the Patriot League Coach of the Year. In 2004, after guiding the team to its most successful season up to that point, Jennings was named NFHCA Division I National Coach of the Year. With a 19-3 overall record and after finishing seventh in the NFHCA poll, the Eagles garnered their first NCAA Tournament victory, a 2-1 opening round win over Iowa. The Eagles were perfect in the Patriot League for the second consecutive season, outscoring conference opponents by a 25-5 margin in the regular season. Junior Javiera Villagra was named First Team All-America, with Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Camila Infante capturing Second Team All-America honors. Freshman Maggie Hall was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year. In 2003, the Eagles finished the season ranked ninth in the country on the NCAA Field Hockey Ratings Percentage Index. Named DITA/NFHCA Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year and the Patriot League Coach of the Year, Jennings led his team to its first Patriot League Championship and the team's first berth in the NCAA Tournament. Academically, the AU field hockey team placed third on the NFHCA's Academic Team list with a 3.37 grade point average. Other 2003 highlights: • With eight new players, including two international standouts, Jennings led his team to a 17-4 overall record and a 6-0 Patriot League record. • Competing against some of the nation's top teams (Maryland, Richmond, and Duke), the Eagles were recognized on the STX/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll Top-20 for the final five weeks of the season. • Villagra became the program's third All-American, as well as a member of the STX/NFHCA Division I All-Region First Team. Joining Villagra on the All-Region First Team was another newcomer, freshman Camila Infante, who was also honored by the Patriot League as the Rookie of the Year for her eight goals and 11 assists. Playing at the Highest Level Jennings knows a bit about playing field hockey himself. He was a member of the U.S. Men's National Team from 1991 to 1999 and played in 91 international test matches. He also represented the United States in the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, where he was the team's vice captain. In the 1995 Pan American Games he took a bronze medal and helped the United States to fifth place in the 1999 Pan American Games. He also participated in eight United States Olympic Festivals and won three gold and two silver medals. In addition, he was the first U.S. athlete to compete in the highest Dutch club division. Jennings was an athlete representative to the U.S. Field Hockey Association Board from 1993 to 2000 and chaired a clinic on video analysis at the 1999 and 2000 NCAA Field Hockey Final Fours. Jennings began his career playing with the Greenwich Field Hockey Club in New York. In 1987 he was selected to the U.S. Junior National Team and participated in the 1989 Junior World Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia. Jennings is a native of Bethesda, Maryland, and attended Walter Johnson High School. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a bachelor's degree in psychology.