SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (Oct. 22, 2011) – With her victory over Clark University this afternoon, longtime field hockey head coach Andy Whitcomb reached 150 wins in her career at Mount Holyoke College. One of the top coaches in the northeast, she has posted an impressive 150-116-1 (.564) record since taking over the reins of the program in 1998. Her teams have qualified for the NEWMAC Tournament in each of the past 12 seasons.

Whitcomb is just the third coach in school history to reach the 150-win milestone. Current tennis coach Aldo Santiago has amassed 166 victories in his 19 seasons at the helm. Meanwhile, former volleyball coach Penny Curtis came out on top 273 times in her 18 years with the Lyons.

"Coach Whitcomb has built a field hockey program that speaks for itself," said Mount Holyoke Director of Athletics Laurie Priest. "The entire athletic department and college are proud to celebrate this important milestone with her."

Under Whitcomb's direction, the Lyons claimed NEWMAC Tournament Championships in both 2001 and 2003. Each of those squads advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament before eventually falling to Skidmore University and Salisbury University, respectively. Whitcomb was named NEWMAC Coach of the Year and NFHCA New England East Region Coach of the Year for her efforts in both seasons. Her 2001 team was the first in program history to advance to the NCAA National Tournament.

In 2002, Whitcomb led Mount Holyoke to its first ever ECAC New England Division III Championship and its first Seven Sisters Championship in 18 years. Her squad also moved on to the ECAC Tournament title match in 2005.

Whitcomb has coached several individual standouts, including four National All-Americans and 23 Regional All-Americans. Two of her players have earned NEWMAC Rookie of the Year honors, and over 100 have claimed NFHCA All-Academic status.

During her tenure, the Lyons have traveled abroad to England, Argentina and South Africa.

Prior to joining the Mount Holyoke staff, Whitcomb served as head coach for the Montclair State University field hockey team. In two years, her teams broke school records for wins in a season, goals in a season, shutouts and longest winning streak. Whitcomb collected NJAC Coach of the Year honors in 1997 before departing for Mount Holyoke. Under her tutelage, the Red Hawks posted an overall record of19-17-0 (.528).

Whitcomb is the NCAA Division III National Representative for the NFHCA, the National Chair of the NFHCA Division III Senior All-Star Game and a member of the NEWMAC Sportsmanship Committee.

In addition to her coaching duties at the College, she is also a Senior Lecturer in its Department of Physical Education. She teaches a variety of racquet sports, weight training, fitness for life and ultimate frisbee. Whitcomb completed her undergraduate work at SUNY Cortland and received a Master of Science Degree in exercise and sports studies from Smith College.

Whitcomb will enter the final weeks of the 2011 season with a career record of 169-133-1 (.559).

Whitcomb Through the Years