Widener University Women's Field Hockey

Gillespie is in her 17th season as Wideners head field coach and 23rd overall with the program. She also serves as the athletic departments Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator.   Gillespie owns a 138-117 mark, which includes five straight years with at least 10 victories between 2003 and 2007. In 2006, the Pride broke the school record for victories by winning 13 games and competed in the ECAC Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament for the first time. Gillespie also became the all-time winningest coach by notching her 64th victory in a 5-1 triumph over Neumann. The 2007 squad notched a 12-5 record while facing some of the nations top teams. Under Gillespies leadership in 2006, Kate Heritage was picked first team all-region and Jaime Carr was tabbed second team. It marked the first time the team produced all-region players. Carr was named the Field Hockey Performer of the Year in 2007, and Heritage was selected to play in the Senior All-Star Game.   That individual success continued in 2013 when Nicole Nardone, a two-time second team all-conference pick and a Academic All-Area selection, received the Presidents Award for being the student who contributed the most to campus life through scholarship and participation in extracurricular activities. Class of 2015 salutatorian Maggie Karmeris added to that list a year later when she was tabbed a CoSIDA Academic All-American while also being named to the Academic All-Area Team, and Mikayla Ninos most recently garnered Academic All-Area laurels in 2015.    During Gillespies tenure, Widener has had at least one student-athlete on the Academic All-Area Team in 10 of the last 11 years (2005-11, 2013-15). The Pride have also been presented a National Academic Team Award by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) the last seven years and three student-athletes Laura Giordano, Kameris and Ninos have been recognized as NFCHA Scholars of Distinction. In addition, 13 players have been named first team all-conference during her time and 30 have been tabbed to the second team.   Gillespie has recently taken advantage of multiple professional development opportunities. In 2012, she received an all-expenses paid trip to the NCAA Women Coaches Academy. The convention is run by the NCAA Committee on Womens Athletics (CWA), which started in 2002 and is designed to support an initiative to train and retain women coaches.   She then attended a convention sponsored by the NCAA and the National Association of Collegiate Woman Athletics Administrators (NACWAA). The sessions provided education and information on womens athletics and Title IX, managing issues faced in intercollegiate athletics, improve leadership skills, developing management skills and enhancing self-actualization. Only 80 women across the country in all divisions were selected to participate. Gillespie, who is in her sixth year on the South Atlantic Regional Field Hockey Selection Committee and third year on the Universitys Title IX Committee, received a bachelors degree in sport management from Widener in 1998 and a masters of business administration in 2000. Larissa Gillespie Associate Athletics Director/Senior Woman Administrator Larissa Gillespie is in her 17th season as Wideners head field coach and 23rd overall with the program. She also serves as the athletic departments Associate Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator.   Gillespie owns a 138-117 mark, which includes five straight years with at least 10 victories between 2003 and 2007. In 2006, the Pride broke the school record for victories by winning 13 games and competed in the ECAC Mid-Atlantic Region Tournament for the first time. Gillespie also became the all-time winningest coach by notching her 64th victory in a 5-1 triumph over Neumann. The 2007 squad notched a 12-5 record while facing some of the nations top teams. Under Gillespies leadership in 2006, Kate Heritage was picked first team all-region and Jaime Carr was tabbed second team. It marked the first time the team produced all-region players. Carr was named the Field Hockey Performer of the Year in 2007, and Heritage was selected to play in the Senior All-Star Game.   That individual success continued in 2013 when Nicole Nardone, a two-time second team all-conference pick and a Academic All-Area selection, received the Presidents Award for being the student who contributed the most to campus life through scholarship and participation in extracurricular activities. Class of 2015 salutatorian Maggie Karmeris added to that list a year later when she was tabbed a CoSIDA Academic All-American while also being named to the Academic All-Area Team, and Mikayla Ninos most recently garnered Academic All-Area laurels in 2015.    During Gillespies tenure, Widener has had at least one student-athlete on the Academic All-Area Team in 10 of the last 11 years (2005-11, 2013-15). The Pride have also been presented a National Academic Team Award by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) the last seven years and three student-athletes Laura Giordano, Kameris and Ninos have been recognized as NFCHA Scholars of Distinction. In addition, 13 players have been named first team all-conference during her time and 30 have been tabbed to the second team.   Gillespie has recently taken advantage of multiple professional development opportunities. In 2012, she received an all-expenses paid trip to the NCAA Women Coaches Academy. The convention is run by the NCAA Committee on Womens Athletics (CWA), which started in 2002 and is designed to support an initiative to train and retain women coaches.   She then attended a convention sponsored by the NCAA and the National Association of Collegiate Woman Athletics Administrators (NACWAA). The sessions provided education and information on womens athletics and Title IX, managing issues faced in intercollegiate athletics, improve leadership skills, developing management skills and enhancing self-actualization. Only 80 women across the country in all divisions were selected to participate. Gillespie, who is in her sixth year on the South Atlantic Regional Field Hockey Selection Committee and third year on the Universitys Title IX Committee, received a bachelors degree in sport management from Widener in 1998 and a masters of business administration in 2000.