Ohio Wesleyan University Women's Field Hockey

Brenda Semit completed her 11th year as head field hockey coach at Ohio Wesleyan University in 2025. The Red and Black finished the regular season as North Coast Athletic Conference Regular Season Tri-Champions with an 8-1 conference record, tying with Denison and DePauw. The Battling Bishops ultimately took the top seed in the NCAC Tournament on tiebreak and advancing the the conference title game before falling 2-1 to Denison in overtime, ending the season with an 11-6 overall record. In 2024, the Bishops shared the North Coast Athletic Conference championship with a 9-1 record, won the NCAC tournament, and advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament. Ohio Wesleyan finished with a record of 17-5. The 2023 Battling Bishops went 17-1 overall, won the NCAC title with a 10-0 record for Ohio Wesleyan's first NCAC title since 2019 and its first outright conference crown since 1995, and advanced to the championship game of the NCAC tournament. The Bishops won their first 17 games, with the final 14 victories coming by shutout. Ohio Wesleyan led NCAA Division III teams in shutouts per game (0.78), saves percentage (.894), and fewest goals allowed (5); shared the Division III lead in shutouts (14); tied for second in winning percentage (.944); and ranked fifth in scoring margin (+3.52). In 2022, Ohio Wesleyan finished second in the NCAC championship race with a 7-1 record, then won the NCAC tournament for second straight year to win the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III tournament on the way to a 16-3 overall record. Ohio Wesleyan led NCAA Division III teams in shutouts (17), shutouts per game (0.89), and saves percentage (.857), tied for eighth in winning percentage (.842), and ranked 10th in scoring margin (+2.81). The 2021 Bishops finished fourth in the NCAC championship race with a 5-3 record, then posted road wins over top-seeded Kenyon and third-seeded Denison to become the first No. 4 seed to win the NCAC tournament and the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III tournament. In their first NCAA appearance since 1995, the Bishops recorded a 2-1 win at Cortland State in the first round for Ohio Wesleyan's first-ever NCAA tournament victory and went on to finish with an 11-6 overall record. 2019 saw the Bishops finish with a 13-4 overall record, tying for the NCAC championship with a 7-1 mark. It was Ohio Wesleyan's first conference championship since the 1995 season. The Battling Bishops advanced to the NCAC tournament for the first time since 2012. Semit was named NCAC Coach of the Year in recognition of the team's accomplishments. In 2018, the Bishops finished with a 10-7 record, an increase of 4 wins over the previous season, and tied for fourth place in the NCAC standings, missing the final spot in the conference tournament on a tiebreaker. In her head coaching debut in 2015, Semit guided the Bishops to an 8-11 overall record, including a 6-8 mark in the NCAC, good for a fifth-place finish in the conference championship race. Semit came to Ohio Wesleyan after spending 3 seasons as an assistant at nearby Kenyon College, where she helped the team improve each season. In 2014, Kenyon went 19-3, won the NCAC championship, and advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament. Kenyon compiled a 40-20 overall record during Semit's 3 seasons. She serves as a futures coach for the National Field Hockey Coaches Association, and has completed Level 1 USA Field Hockey certification. Semit began her coaching career as a volunteer assistant at her alma mater, the State University of New York College at Cortland, in 2011. The Red Dragons won the State University of New York Athletic Conference championship and advanced to the NCAA Division III tournament that season. Semit graduated from Cortland in 2011. She was a 2-time All-America selection for the Red Dragons, and was a 3-time, first-team all-region and All-SUNYAC pick. She ranked eighth on Cortland's all-time list for total points and fifth on the Red Dragons' all-time assists list. Semit served as team captain, helped one Cortland team finish the regular season undefeated, was a member of 3 SUNYAC championship teams, and competed in the NCAA Division III tournament all 4 years. She is a native of Holland Patent, N.Y.   SEMIT'S CAREER COACHING RECORD Conference Overall Year School W-L % W-L % 2015 Ohio Wesleyan 6-8 .429 8-11 .421 2016 Ohio Wesleyan 3-11 .214 5-14 .263 2017 Ohio Wesleyan 2-12 .143 6-13 .316 2018 Ohio Wesleyan 7-7 .500 10-7 .588 2019 Ohio Wesleyan 7-1 .875 13-4 .765 2020 Ohio Wesleyan season canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic 2021 Ohio Wesleyan 5-3 .625 11-6 .647 2022 Ohio Wesleyan 7-1 .875 16-3 .842 2023 Ohio Wesleyan 10-0 1.000 17-1 .944 2024 Ohio Wesleyan 9-1 .900 17-5 .773 2025 Ohio Wesleyan 8-1 .889 11-6 .647 Ohio Wesleyan (11 Seasons) 64-45 .587 114-70 .620 Career (11 Seasons) 64-45 .587 114-70 .620 Last Updated: Dec. 12th, 2025

Thomas is in her second season as assistant field hockey coach at Ohio Wesleyan University. Thomas came to Ohio Wesleyan from DePauw University, where she served as an assistant coach for one season.  She helped the Tigers to a 16-3 overall record while working with all facets of the program, including recruiting, academic check-ins, and scheduling. She also coached at the 2015 USA Field Hockey Futures site in nearby Dublin, working with the U-16 and U-19 teams. Thomas is a 2014 graduate of Elmira College, where she played field hockey for 4 years.  Thomas was the Soaring Eagles' starting goalkeeper for 4 years, twice earning All-Empire 8 honors.  She finished her career ranked second on the school lists for saves and minutes played, and was third all-time in saves percentage (.780).  She was the president of Elmira's Student-Athlete Advisory Board and was a student-athlete representative at the 2013 NCAA Leadership Forum.  Thomas majored in psychology and has continued her education by pursuing a master's degree at Indiana State University. She is a native of Marshfield, Mass.