Dawn Hill, former head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University and an All-American player at Old Dominion University, begins her seventh season with the Blue Hen field hockey staff in 2008. She was promoted to the position of associate head coach prior to the 2004 season.
Hill has helped the Blue Hens advance to the Colonial Athletic Association championship game twice and helped lead the Blue Hens to their first-ever Colonial Athletic Association title in 2004 when Delaware posted a record of 15-7 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1988.
Hill, who served as head coach at VCU from 1997-2001, helped lead Delaware to a record of 10-10, a No. 14 national ranking, and a berth in the Colonial Athletic Association semifinals during her first season on the staff in 2002 and the squad followed with a 14-7 record, a No. 11 national ranking, and CAA tournament runner-up finish in 2003.
"Dawn is an outstanding addition to our coaching staff and program," said Delaware head coach Carol Miller in announcing Hill's hiring in August, 2002. "We are extremely fortunate to have secured her for this position. Her experience as an extremely talented player in an elite program and her tenure as both an assistant and head coach at the Division I level speaks for itself. Dawn possesses an in-depth knowledge of the game, experience as a distinguished player at the collegiate and U.S. Team level, and a personality that I have come to know as patient, intense, and confident, all of which will allow her to compliment our program and University and provide the student-athletes a wonderful experience."
A four-year standout at Old Dominion, Hill led the Monarchs to three straight national titles in 1982-84 and a second place national finish in 1985 when she earned All-American honors. The team compiled an incredible mark of 82-9 during her four years with the team. She was also a member of the U.S. National Team in 1989-90 after four years on the U.S. Reserve National team. In addition, she competed at the U.S. Olympic Festival five times, earning one gold medal and three silver medals, and one bronze medal. She was inducted into the Old Dominion Hall of Fame in 1992.
After coaching two years at the high school level, Hall began her college coaching career as an assistant coach at Old Dominion in 1988-91, leading ODU to national titles in 1988 and 1990 and a second place finish in 1989.
She became interim head coach at the University of Maryland for the 1991-92 season, guiding the Terrapins to a 17-5-1 record and a third place national finish. For her efforts at Maryland, she was named Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year, Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year, and College Field Hockey Coaches Association National Coach of the Year. She took over the interim position in place of former University of Delaware All-American Missy Meharg, who had taken one year off to pursue a spot on the U.S. National Team.
Hill returned to ODU as an assistant coach from 1992-97, helping the Monarchs win another national title in 1992. In 1997, she took over a VCU program that had won just six games the previous two years combined. After a 2-18 record her first season, she led the squad to an 8-12 mark in 1998. Her five-year record of VCU was 36-65-1 and her overall six-year mark as a head coach is 53-70-1.
In addition to her collegiate coaching career, Hill served as assistant coach with the U.S. National Field Hockey Team in 1990-92 and was head coach of the U.S. National Under-21 Team in 1992.
A 1987 graduate of Old Dominion with a degree in health and physical education, Hill completed graduate classes while at ODU with an emphasis in exercise science and wellness. She has co-written three different pieces on that topic that have appeared in various publications.
Associate Head Coach Dawn Hill