Drexel University Women's Field Hockey

Zelenak has reshaped the Drexel field hockey program since she took over the team in the in 1995. In 21 seasons, Zelenak has posted 222 wins and has turned Drexel field hockey into one of the nations top programs.   The recent 2015 season saw the Dragons reach the CAA Championships for the third time in the past four seasons. With an overall record of 8-11, Drexel faced No. 16 nationally ranked James Madison in Harrisonburg, Va. in the CAA Semifinals. The Dragons clinched a berth in the conference tournament after defeating No. 14 Delaware on the last weekend of play, 2-1, at Vidas Field. After starting the season 0-5, the Dragons climbed back into playoff contention by going 8-5 to cap off the regular season. The 2014 campaign brought yet another 10-win campaign to University City as Zelenak guided the Dragons to a 10-8 overall record. The year was highlighted by a 1-0 overtime victory over crosstown rival Temple, at the time ranked No. 13 in the nation. That sparked a three-game winning streak as Drexel won four of five heading into CAA play. The Dragons closed the season strong as well, winning two in a row over conference foes Towson and Delaware.   The 2013 season saw Zelenak and the Dragons notably defeat No. 10 Iowa, 2-1, in double OT prior to conference play. Zelenak recorded her 200th career victory when the Dragons topped Hofstra, 3-2, in the squads' first Colonial Athletic Association win of the season. After the Dragons 4-0 win over Towson, they advanced to their sixth Colonial Athletic Association Championship tournament. The team finished the season 13-7 overall and 4-2 in the league.   The Drexel field hockey team was recognized as a recipient of the National Academic Team Award in 2013. The Dragons were among the top 5 on the 2013 Gladiator by SGI / NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad.   In the fall of 2012, Drexel Field Hockey won its first-ever Colonial Athletic Association Championship title at Buckley Field and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 2012 field hockey squad is only the second Drexel team to win a CAA title. Over the last five years, Zelenak and the Dragons went 29-10 in conference play. The 2012 squad finished the year with a 15-7 overall record. Drexel went 5-2 in the CAA and clinched the top-seed and hosting rights to the conference championship. The Dragons went on to defeat conference rival Delaware 2-1 after a diving play by Margaux Lourtie in the final four seconds of regulation. In the final contest, Amanda Fleischut passed the ball off to Christina Conrad, who scored the game-winning goal off of a corner in the 73 rd minute of play to lead Drexel past Northeastern for the championship crown. The Dragons historic year concluded with a 5-0 loss to No. 2 Princeton, who went on to win the national championship, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. On the year, Drexel faced nine nationally ranked programs, including wins against No. 5 Duke, No. 22 California, No. 15 New Hampshire, No. 21 William and Mary and No. 10 Northeastern.   Also in 2012, the Dragons received a program-high with three All-CAA Rookie Team Awards and had a program-record with four players named to the CAA All-Tournament Team, including the first-ever Most Outstanding Player Award named to Drexel standout Amanda Fleischut. Five Drexel field hockey players were named to the 2012 Longstreth/NFHCA Division 1 All-Region team. Fleischut was also named Second Team All-American by the Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association and shared the prestigious 2013 Mary Semanik Award with Hollie Mershon of womens basketball. Zelenak also coached Fleischut at the 2012 NFHCA Senior Game.   In 2011, the Drexel Dragons faced six nationally ranked field hockey programs, including No. 1 Old Dominion, reigning national champions, No. 3 Maryland, and No. 4 Connecticut. Drexel finished 10-9 overall and went 3-5 in conference play. The Dragons also picked up five All-CAA honors.   In 2010 season, the Dragons finished the season 15-5 and advanced to the title game for the fourth-straight season. Zelenak also guided senior Christina Mastropaolo, a two-time NFHCA All-America selection and a two-time CAA Player of the Year.   In 2009, Zelenak led the Dragons to an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament, which marked the first team of any sport at Drexel to be awarded an at-large selection to the national championships. The squad finished regular season with a 17-2 record, claimed the regular season CAA conference championship, and went on to defeated No. 5 UConn to advance to the Elite Eight before falling to top-ranked Maryland. For her remarkable season, Zelenak was selected as the Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year and also picked up her second career Mid-Atlantic Region Coach of the Year honor after leading Drexel to a 19-4 mark and a No. 10 ranking in the final NFHCA poll.   In 2008, she led Drexel to a 16-4 season and a 7-1 mark in conference play. Zelenak has had 12 All-Conference selections in the past two seasons, including six First Team picks. For the first time in program history Drexel had two All-America picks in one season as Christina Mastropaolo and Carolina Gibernau became the first Drexel teammates in any sport to be All-Americans since 1960.   The 2008 squad showed signs of the big things to come over the next two seasons as the team rewrote the Drexel record books after shattering the previous mark of 45 goals by totaling 74. The 16 wins and seven conference triumphs also set program bests while a mid-season eight-game winning streak was longest in Drexels Division I history.   The 2007 squad had their best season since joining the Colonial Athletic Association as Drexel earned its first ever berth in the CAA Tournament. Zelenaks squad defeated Hofstra in the first round before falling to eventual tournament champion James Madison in the semifinals. In her Drexel coaching career, 12 of her players have received a combined 24 Regional All-America awards, including six National All-Americans.   In 2006, she guided Drexel to a blistering start as the Dragons opened the season with a five-game winning streak. In 2005, Zelenak led Drexel to a 10-9 record, including a 4-1 mark against Philadelphia-area schools. In 2002, Zelenak posted 11 wins overall and two victories in the CAA, narrowly missing the conference tournament but qualifying for the Eastern College Athletic Conference Tournament for the second-straight year. That year also included a first-time win over Boston University and a record-setting six consecutive victories. In 2000, Zelenak led her team to a school-record 13 victories and the program's first postseason appearance since 1992. Her efforts earned her the 2000 Dita/NFHCA Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year as one of the five coaches to be honored regionally by the NFHCA.   Only the fourth head coach in Drexel's 28-year Division I history, Zelenak began her coaching career as an assistant at the University of Pennsylvania in 1990. She spent the next two seasons as an assistant coach at Drexel before returning to West Chester University, her alma mater, for two seasons (1993-94). In May of 2013, Zelenak coached the Pennsylvania Team at the 2013 Senior Women's National Championship Tournament hosted at Old Dominion. The PA squad featured Fleischut, Lindsay McArdle and Danielle Grassi. In March, she guided the U.S. Womens Indoor Team to a victory over Argentina, 4-3, on the final day of the South American Tour. The squad went 3-3-1 against Argentina, Argentina U-19 and Uruguay. In January, Zelenak led the U.S. Senior Women's National Indoor Team to a 4-1 finish, including the championship title at the 33 rd annual RohrMax Cup in Vienna, Austria. The squad defeated Slavia Prag 3-2 in the final match.   In June of 2012, Zelenak, helped guide the Pennsylvania High Performance team to the Womens National Championships final after remaining undefeated in their pool. The PA team featured five Drexel Dragons including Amanda Fleischut, Lindsay McArdle, Elise DiDonato, Susan Ciufo 10 and Kimberly Tunell 10. Following the championship game, Fleischut was named to the U.S. Field Hockey Developmental Squad.   Zelenak also earned USAFHs Level III Coaching Certification June 2012, the highest U.S. coaching certification currently available.   In October of 2011, Zelenak was selected to coach the USA Field Hockey Women's National Indoor Team. Later that December, she guided the Women's Senior National Indoor team as well as the Women's Junior National Indoor team in the squads' debut tournament in Dundee, Scotland. Former Drexel standouts Rachael Bloemker Milne '05, 10 and '10 were three of 12 field hockey players that represented the nation at the Grove Menzieshill Invitational Indoor Hockey Tournament. Most recently, she guided the womens national indoor team to third place at the Pan American Games in Uruguay in April before resigning that position.     In June of 2011, Zelenak led the New Jersey High Performance team to its first Junior Women's National Championship title at Virginia Beach, Va. Zelenak also coached for the United States Men's East Coast Junior Team for four years, and won the national championships at the U.S. training center in Chula Vista, California multiple times.  She has also coached in the U.S. Field Hockey Association (USFHA) Futures program and more recently with the Futures Elite Academies.   Zelenak, a seven-year member of the All-America committee and the chairperson in 2003 and 2004, was a part of the ECAC committee from 1999-2002 serving as its chair in 2000 and 2001.  She also served as a Regional Ranking All-America Committee member for seven years. Zelenak's extensive field hockey résumé is highlighted by her outstanding achievements on the field as well. At the collegiate level, she was a member of a highly successful West Chester program that ranked in the top 20 in Division I throughout her playing career. Zelenak earned Regional All-America recognition and was an Olympic Festival participant. In 1989, she played for the U.S. National Reserve Team before graduating in 1991 with a degree in health and physical education.   Zelenak's post-collegiate playing career has been equally impressive. Most recently, she played in the 2016 FIH Over-45 Masters World Cup in Canberra, Australia with associate head coach Nicky Hitchens. Zelenak served as the head coach of the over-40 and over-45 teams in Asutralia for the United States. She earned a spot on the Masters World Cup over-40 team and represented the United States in Rotterdam, Netherlands in June 2015. Zelenak captained the United States National Indoor Field Hockey team from 20042011 and led the Americans to a silver medal at two Pan Am Games. A USFHA National Indoor Tournament All-Star in 1994 and 1995, she led her team to the 1998, 2001, 2009, 2011 and 2012 National Indoor Championship. She also competed from 1998-2001 in the U.S. United Airlines Summer League for the Metro Rush and in 2003 for the Fury. In 2000, she served as the team's player-coach. Zelenak was also a member of Philadelphias North Atlantic Premier Indoor League.   A former captain of the Puerto Rican National Team, Zelenak represented PR multiple times in 2002-2003.  In 2003, she was honored with Puerto Ricos Female Athlete of the Year Award. A native of Warminster, Pa., Denise and her husband James reside in Wilmington, Del. with their three sons, Paul, Gray and Jack. Both Paul and Gray attend Drexel.  Paul was a member of the Field Hockey practice squad in 2013-14.    

Hitchens recently completed her 13th year at Drexel under head coach Denise Zelenak. She was promoted from assistant coach to associate head coach in May of 2007. In her nine years as the associate head coach, the Dragons have made appearances at the CAA Championship seven times, including three of the last four.   Recently in the summer of 2016, she and Zelenak played in the FIH Masters World Cup on the over-45 team in Canberra, Australia, finishing in third place. Both scored in the shootout against South Africa in the bronze medal game. In March of 2013, she served as the team manager to the U.S. Womens Indoor Team, who went on to win the programs first-ever victory over Argentina, 4-3, on the final day of the South American Tour. The squad went 3-3-1 against Argentina, Argentina U-19 and Uruguay. In 2012, Hitchens helped lead the Dragons to their first-ever Colonial Athletic Association Championship title and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. In June of 2012, she was the site administrator for Zelenak and the Pennsylvania High Performance team at the Women's National Championship. While serving as the site administrator, the PA team went undefeated in their pool and advanced to the championship game.   She also served as Site Administrator for the USA New Jersey Junior High Performance Center in 2010 and 2011. The NJ team won the 2011 Junior Womens National Championships held in Virginia Beach. In November of 2011, Hitchens was named the Manager of the Womens National Indoor Program. The program is comprised of Senior and Junior squads and a Development squad that was added in April, 2012.  Hitchens was named head coach for the Futures Level 1 Site 5A for the 2011-12 season and also coached at the Southeastern PA Futures Elite Academy site. She was also the site administrator/assistant coach for USA Futures Level 1 Site 5A in 2011 and served as U19 head coach for USA Futures Site 7B in 2010. In 2009, Hitchens was awarded Level II coaching accreditation from USA Field Hockey. She is also the Drexel Field Hockey Camp Co-Director, and Partner, EZ Hockey LLC. A 1989 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Hitchens was a four-year starter for the Quaker field hockey team. During her career at Penn, she was a three-time First Team All-Ivy League selection and was named the 1985 Ivy League Rookie of the Year. She was also the Gail Lipstein Award winner as Penn's top freshman. As a senior, she was named the 1988 Ivy League Player of the Year. A two-time All-American and three-time Penn MVP, she led her team to three Ivy League Championships and was a member of the 1998 NCAA semifinalist team that was ranked fourth in the nation. She is still ranked second all-time at Penn in goals and third in career points. Hitchens has a degree in anthropology. In 1999, Hitchens was selected to the Ivy League Championships Silver Anniversary Honor Roll. The Honor Roll honored the top female athletes in the first 25 years of Ivy League Championship play. Hitchens was inducted into the University of Pennsylvania Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000, the first year she became eligible. A two-sport athlete at Penn, Hitchens was also an outstanding lacrosse player. She received All-Ivy League honors and was named Ivy League Rookie of the Year in 1986.  

Deckard recently completed her first year at Drexel. She joined the Drexel field hockey staff as an assistant coach in the summer of under head coach Denise Zelenak.   Before that, Deckard served as the graduate assistant coach at Temple University from August 2013 through May 2015 where she also obtained a masters degree in sport business.   We are thrilled to have Danica join our Drexel field hockey coaching staff, said Zelenak. Her stellar playing career and prior coaching experience will be a great asset to our team and overall program.   Prior to her two-year stint at Temple, Deckard attended Ohio State University and was a four-year letterwinner for the Buckeye field hockey program. While serving as team captain during her senior campaign in 2012, Deckard was named to the NFHCA All-Region First Team and All-Big Ten Conference Second Team. In her junior season, she earned NFHCA All-Region Second Team honors while helping her team clinch the conference regular-season title as well as a NCAA Final Four appearance.   In her four seasons as a student-athlete at Ohio State, Deckard and the Buckeyes advanced to three NCAA Tournaments and four Big Ten Conference Tournaments. She also led the team in goals in both her junior and senior seasons. The forward tallied 34 goals and 10 assists for 78 points in her career.   In the classroom, Deckard was a two-time NFHCA National Academic honoree, a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and a four-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete. She received a bachelors degree in sport and leisure studies in May 2013.   In the summer of 2015, Deckard also worked for the U16 Mainline Mayhem Field Hockey Club as an assistant coach for the travel team.   Deckard joins head coach Denise Zelenak and associate coach Nicky Hitchens.