The United States Coach of the Year
For some people entrusted with such things, a Coach of the Year citation is often an honorarium given perfunctorily to a team with the best record within the voting body's purvey.
TopOfTheCircle.com, however, thinks a little differently. The award should be given to a coach who is able to make a marked difference in the way a team plays throughout a particular season. The coaching performance is not limited to progress made in the year which the award is given.
A coach who wins the award should bring a team to, and beyond, even its own expectations. But what is more important, we think, is the process to which the team finds its success, rather than the sheer matter of finding it. The following men and women have been not only coaches, but developers and refiners of talent within their programs:
Year | Coach | School | State | Notes |
1993 | Pat Toner | Newtown Council Rock | PA | Won first of three District titles and gained AAA final |
1994 | Mike Shern | Lacey | NJ | Beat "invincible" West Essex team to win Group III title |
1995 | Nancy Fowlkes | Virginia Beach Frank W. Cox | VA | Won seventh straight state title |
1996 | Tracey Paul | Escondido San Pasqual | CA | Transformed Cali hockey with sectional-winning effort |
1997 | Maryellen Clemencich | Allentown | NJ | Perennial also-rans won Shore Conference and Group II title |
1998 | Diane Chapman | Garden City | NY | Shut out all opposition in a perfect season |
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Brenda Beckwith | Winslow | ME | Won all games by shutout |
1999 | Amy Wood | Bethesda-Chevy Chase | MD | Overcame distraction of losing home field and good senior class |
2000 | Eileen Allan | Pompton Lakes | NJ | Good little team won second straight title |
2001 | Amanda Janney | Ft. Worth Trinity Valley | TX | Showed value of Texas hockey through outside competition |
2002 | Slade Gormus | Midlothian James River | VA | Wrested state title away from Virginia Beach monopoly |
2003 | Kearney Francis | Silver Spring Springbrook | MD | In four years, took program from depths to first state title |
2004 | Monica Dennis | Grosse Pointe South | MI | Won state title in first year as a funded varsity program |
2005 | Robin Woodie | Stafford | VA | In 3 days, beat 3 teams with 14 of the last 16 VHSL crowns |
2006 | Barb Dwyer | Ladue Horton Watkins | MO | Won 19 games and had historic postseason run |
2007 | Wendy Reichenbach | Palmyra | PA | Team won seven straight postseason games after player's death |
2008 | Dr. Elizabeth Mitchell | Pewaukee Trinity Academy | WI | First-year varsity program with 22 female students wins state final |
2009 |
Danyle Heilig | Voorhees Eastern | NJ |
Dominant program finished a
decade of dominance |
2010 |
Sarah
Catlin |
Cincinnati Saint Ursula |
OH |
Became first Cincinnati team to
win OHSAA state title |
2011 |
Lil Shelton | Severna Park |
MD |
Won 20th state title in her
final year as head coach |
2012 |
Ashly
Fishell-Shaffer |
Edgemere Sparrows Point |
MD |
Blue-collar team overcame
obtacles in historic postseason run |
2013 |
Jim Larkin | Fredericksburg Chancellor |
VA |
Team became a symbol of hope for
small-school Va. programs |
2014 |
Eileen Donahue | Watertown |
MA |
Won sixth straight state title without yielding a goal |