New Eastern Mennonite University field hockey Coach Ellen-Ashton (E.A.) Jackson likes players who hustle.
The theme for her team this year is “small but mighty,” and that thought gets its legs in the way Jackson describes what the Royals’ biggest strength will be this fall.
“Hustle,” she said. “All heart, all out, all hustle. You can’t train and prepare to beat a team that out-hearts you. That’s what we’ve got going for us this year and that’s how we’re going to have to play every single game on our schedule. We’re going to have to step on the field and not let anyone beat us to the ball and not let anyone out-hustle us and not let anyone out-heart us.”
Named coach a mere four months before the first game of 2015, Jackson has a small squad and is jumping onto recruitment immediately, announcing two dates this fall for a recruit weekend and ID clinic. The dates are Saturday, Sept. 26, and Saturday, Oct. 17.
Each date includes a two-hour clinic with Jackson, lunch/information session with an EMU admissions counselor, an EMU field hockey game and an optional campus tour. Other activities range from attending an EMU men’s soccer game to a team dinner/game night. Fee is $25 for the clinic with an addition $5 for lunch.
Coach thrives on, cultivates energy and intensity
Jackson is the 13th head coach entering the 45th season of field hockey as a varsity sport.
Most recently, she has been the head coach at Albemarle High School in Charlottesville, Va., for five years, while working as a transitional specialist in the special education department there since 2001. Jackson also founded and directs the C’ville United FHC, a travel field hockey club.
“I’m excited to tackle the challenge of coaching in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference,” Jackson said. “It’s a conference with a rich history of strong field hockey programs and fierce competition between schools from season to season. I’m also looking forward to a step up in intensity and commitment that comes from working with athletes at the collegiate level.”
Jackson played collegiately while earning her undergraduate degree from Mary Washington, before adding a masters in education from George Washington University. She was named the district Coach of the Year after her first season at Albemarle in 2009. A number of her players have gone on to play in college, at both the D-I and D-III levels, including two women currently in the ODAC.
The new coach takes over a Royals field hockey program which has won 11 ODAC Championships, second-most in league history, and owns nine NCAA Tournament appearances. EMU has not won a title since 2003, however, and last played in the championship game in 2009.
“I’ve seen the team play; the foundation is here,” said Jackson. “We’ve got a solid core of returning players who are hungry to help me usher in the fall season with a renewed sense of purpose and focus. There’s no way to get around hard work and a focus on the basics skills that every player needs to be able to perform to the best of her ability. I’m excited to see what this group of athletes can do when they work diligently together in pursuit of an ODAC Championship!”
Recruiting passionate players
Jackson’s Virginia roots will help her tap into the area’s recruiting base while expanding the existing reaches up the East Coast.
She is excited to springboard off the prestigious history of EMU field hockey while moving in a new direction.
“Energy, passion for the game of field hockey, a focus on the collective good of the team rather than pursuit of individual accolades,” she said. “I’m specifically interested in working with athletes who want to train with intensity and win with integrity. I’m also excited to work with (and recruit) athletes who respect and understand the tradition of excellence of the EMU field hockey program. I seek students who are willing to push themselves to uphold our core values and the established culture of the program, while at the same time are courageous enough to be a part of something new at EMU.”
Culture shift
Jackson said in late August that she is looking forward to shifting the culture of the program and players.
“I want the players jumping onto the field and not expecting that they have to play a defensive game, with a defensive mindset,” she explained. “I want a team that steps onto the field and attacks. I want a team that steps onto the field and has their shoulders back, and plays from the moment that first whistle blows like they are going to win the game.”
The team will have a void to fill with the loss of all five All-ODAC players from 2014, including the top three goal scorers and two top-notch defenders. Jackson said the focus in not on replacing what was lost, but rather on bringing out the best of the players currently on the team to help them rise up to an All-ODAC level.
Only one senior on the roster
Led by senior Brianna Kauffman (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock) and Melissa Cox (Mountville, Pa./Hempfield), nine women return from last year. Kauffman has played in 54 games in her three years, generally as a defensive midfielder, and scored a pair of goals last fall. Her sister, Janae Kauffman (Harleysville, Pa./Christopher Dock), started all 19 games of her freshman season as a defender and will help provide leadership.
The trio of midfielder Lorraine Armstrong (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim), Emily Augsburger (Lancaster, Pa./Lancaster Mennonite) and goalie Hannah Daley (Lothian, Md./Southern) also drew praise from their new coach.
Jackson said the entire returning group of women, including Mariah Martin (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle-Antrim), Mikayla Martin (Colorado Springs, Colo./Lewis Palmer) and Emily Musselman (Telford, Pa./Souderton), will set the tone for the team.
“All of the returning players are key this year,” she said. “We’ve got a really strong core of players that will be the heart and soul of our team. They’ve committed to returning and committed to each other. I’m excited to see what good things can come out of this team chemistry.”