Denison University Women's Field Hockey

Soteriades will be taking maternity leave in the fall of 2016. In 2014, the Big Red posted a 13-7 record highlighted by wins over No. 15 Rochester and an upset over No. 19 DePauw in the semifinals of the NCAC Tournament.  Denison would advance to the NCAC Tournament championship before falling to Kenyon, 1-0.  Alex Berman, Molly Chapman and Allie Bacon were named to the all-region team. In 2012, Soteriades and the Big Red posted a 15-6 record while placing second in the NCAC with a 10-4 league record.  The 15 wins were the second-most in her tenure. The 2011 season will go down as one of the most successful seasons in Denison field hockey history.  Soteriades was named the regional and conference Coach of the Year after leading Denison to an 18-2 record, its first NCAC title since 2000, and its first-ever NCAC Tournament crown.  After receiving a first-round bye in the NCAA Tournament, the Big Red suffered a 4-1 setback to MIT in the second round.  Goalie Brittany Benson was named NCAC Defensive Player of the Year to highlight seven all-conference honorees.  In addition, six athletes earned all-region honors, including sophomore Katie McMahon who received All-American recognition. Soteriades also spent the spring of 2011 as the interim women's lacrosse coach.  After the team was predicted to finish six out of seven teams in preseason conference poll, Soteriades guided the team to a 6-0 record in conference play and the program's first NCAC Tournament Championship since 2006.  The team qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the 14th time in school history. Soteriades is Denison's career leader in wins (152) and is also Denison's longest tenured field hockey coach. A 2000 graduate of Ohio University with a bachelor of science degree in organizational communication, Soteriades has gained considerable field hockey experience at the college level. After competing for Mid-American Conference champion and NCAA Tournament participant Ball State University as a first-year student, Soteriades completed her collegiate career as a three-year member of the Ohio University Bobcat varsity squad. Included among her honors at Ohio U. was being selected to serve as team captain during her senior season. A Dean's List student, Soteriades was also the recipient of OU's Scholar-Athlete Award, and she earned membership in Lambda Pi Eta, the national communication honor society. Within the athletic department, Soteriades also serves as the advisor to the Denison Student Athlete Advisory Council.

Blackhurst returns for her third year as the assistant field hockey coach at Denison in 2016. Last season the Big Red posted a 13-7 record highlighted by wins over No. 15 Rochester and an upset over No. 19 DePauw in the semifinals of the NCAC Tournament.  Denison would advance to the NCAC Tournament championship before falling to Kenyon, 1-0.  Alex Berman, Molly Chapman and Allie Bacon were named to the all-region team. Blackhurst came to Granville after a stellar four-year career at Skidmore College.  The North River, N.Y. native was a three-time All-American at Skidmore, including first-team honors in 2011 and 2013. Additionally, Blackhurst was named the 2013 Longstreth/NFHCA Division III National Player of the Year after helping the Thoroughbreds reach the NCAA Semifinals. The three-time first-time All-North Atlantic Region honoree earned North Atlantic Region and Liberty League Player of the Year honors in both 2011 and 2013. She was a four-time first-team All-Liberty League recipient and the Liberty League and ECAC Mid-Atlantic Rookie of the Year in 2010. Blackhurst left Skidmore as the programs all-time leading scorer with 105 goals and 54 assists in 85 career games. She also set program records in career goals and career game-winning goals (20). In 2013, Blackhurst set single-season school marks in points (79), goals (32) and game-winning goals (8). She finished her collegiate career ranked fifth all-time in career points in Division III (264). In addition to her achievements on the field, Blackhurst also received numerous academic accolades. She landed on the Liberty League All-Academic team three times and was a two-time honoree on the Gladiator Division III National Academic Squad. Blackhurst graduated from Skidmore in May of 2014 with a Bachelors Degree in Business and Management.