Steve Jennings

Steve Jennings has been a well-known figure in national and international field hockey for two decades both as a coach and player, including serving as a coach on the 2008 United States Olympic Field Hockey Team. Jennings is entering his 11th season as the head coach of AU's women's field hockey program, where he has amassed a 133-62 (.682) career record. Under Jennings' leadership, the Eagles have claimed an unprecedented six consecutive Patriot League Championships, and have won 43 consecutive games against Patriot League opponents. Jennings has been named Patriot League Coach of the Yeah five times, including each of the past four seasons.

Living the Olympic Dream Prior to the 2008 AU field hockey season, Jennings performed on field hockey's grandest stage - the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He served as assistant coach for the U.S. National Women's Field Hockey team, which captured eighth place in the event. Jennings helped guide the U.S. team to a 6-0 record in winning the Olympics qualifying tournament in Kazan, Russia. In the title match, the U.S. team defeated Belgium, 3-1, to clinch a berth in Beijing. Additionally, at another Olympic qualifying tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan, former AU field hockey standouts Javiera Villagra '06, Camila Infante '07, and Denise Infante '08 were important contributors to the Chilean National Team. "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 meant 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." Other International Coaching Experiences In addition to the Beijing Olympics, Jennings has assisted in two World Cups helping the US in 2002 to a ninth place finish in Perth, Australia, and earning a sixth place finish in 2006 in Madrid, Spain. At the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Jennings helped earn the U.S. a silver medal after falling to No. 2 world-ranked Argentina 4-2 in the title match. An international coaching career that began in 2000 has also seen him travel to with the national program to Holland, Germany, New Zealand, India, Argentina, Chile, Japan, Bermuda, England and Italy. In addition to his work as an assistant coach with the national team, Jennings holds a Level III coaching certification - the highest level for field hockey in the United States. In May 2008, he became the first U.S. citizen to be awarded the title of FIH Coach - High Performance after an FIH finals course held in conjunction with the Champions Trophy in Monchengladbach, Germany.

2008: Another Patriot League Championship The 2008 season was another stellar campaign for Jennings' Eagles. AU claimed the Patriot League Championship with a 5-2 victory over Bucknell. The Eagles went on to defeat Lock Haven in the NCAA Play-in Game to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16, where they were defeated by second-ranked Wake Forest. AU finished the season with a 13-8 record, including a perfect 5-0 in Patriot League play, the sixth straight-season that AU has marched through the Patriot League unscathed. In addition to the team's success, many of Jennings' student-athletes took home individual hardware for their efforts during the 2008 season. Irene Schickhardt was named a Longstreth/NFHCA Division I First Team All-American, and Christine Fingerhuth earned Third Team Honors. Schickhardt and Anne-Meike De Wiljes were named the Patriot League Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, while Tatum Dyer was honored as the league's Rookie of the Year. Five AU student-athletes were selected to All-Region Teams, including three to the First Team (Schickhardt, Fingerhuth, and De-Wiljes) and two to the Second Team (Kirstin Gebhart and Anne Van Erp). Under Jennings' leadership, the Eagles have also consistently performed well in the classroom. The 2008 season was no exception, as Jennings' squad earned a 3.48 Fall GPA. As a team, the Eagles ranked fifth in the country in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Academic Squad Rankings. Additionally, 15 AU field hockey student-athletes were honored to the NFHCA Division I Academic Honor Squad, while 17 earned spots on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll, the most of any Patriot League field hockey team.

Building a Remarkable Legacy at AU Since beginning at AU in 1999, Jennings has transformed the field hockey program into a national powerhouse. Here are some of Jennings' numerous accomplishments while at American:

• 12 NCAA All-American selections over the past six seasons
• 28 Players named to All-Region Teams in the past six seasons
• 6 consecutive years ranked in the national top 20 in both the coaches' and RPI polls
• Program-high ranking of #4 in the nation in 2005 season
• 5 NCAA tournament appearances in the past six years
• 2 NCAA Elite Eight appearances (2004, 2005)
• 4 times in the past six years AU field hockey has finished in top 5 of all D-I field hockey GPAs
• 5 of last 6 years AU led the league in selections to the Patriot League Academic Team
• AU field hockey has earned 5 of the last 7 Patriot League Scholar Athletes of the Year
• 118 Patriot League Academic Team selections since joining the league in 2001
• 2-time Regional Coach of the Year (2003, 2004)
• 2004 NFHCA Division I Coach of the Year

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 over 90 international test matches. He competed in two Pan American Games - winning the bronze in 1995 during the event held in Mar Del Plata, Argentina, as well as the 1989 Junior World Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia. The highlight of his career came in 1996 when he represented the United States in the Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta where he served as the team's vice captain. Jennings is a native of Bethesda, Md., and attended Walter Johnson High School. He graduated from the University of Maryland in 1997 with a bachelor's degree in psychology.