Kristiina Castagnola – Staying in the Game
By Cassidy Strittmatter, NFHCA Digital Communications Team
Glassboro, NJ – Fate brought her full circle—back to the university where she first left her mark as a standout student-athlete. She chose to stay in the game not only for her love of field hockey, but because of the coaches in her life that have shaped her into the person she is today.
Following her college graduation in 2023, Kristiina Castagnola was hired as the first full-time assistant field hockey coach for the Rowan University Profs. Her journey to coaching began well before her playing career ended. In 2020, she joined Uprise Field Hockey Club in New Jersey, where she discovered her passion for coaching. Reflecting on that experience, she shared “The things I learned from coaching truly allowed me to elevate my own game.”
Growth Within the Game
Leveraging her early coaching experiences and applying those lessons on the field, Castagnola achieved remarkable success during her collegiate career with the Profs:
- NFHCA Division III National Player of the Year (2022)
- Division III Honda Athlete of the Year Field Hockey Finalist (2022)
- 3x NFHCA All American: First Team (2021, 2022) Second Team (2019)
- 2x NFHCA Region IV Player of the Year (2021, 2022)
- 4x NFHCA All-Region IV Team: First Team (2020, 2021, 2022) Second Team (2018)
- 2x NJAC Midfielder of the Year (2021, 2022)
- 4x All-NJAC First Team (2018, 2019, 2021, 2022)
- Division III Commissioner’s Association (DIIICA) Region IV 2020-2023 Female Student-Athlete of the Year
- 2x NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team (2021, 2022)
As one of the most decorated athletes in Rowan University history, Castagnola became the Profs’ all-time leading scorer with 66 goals and 31 assists. As team captain from 2021-2022, she led Rowan to back-to-back NCAA semi-final appearances. Not only an athletic powerhouse, Castagnola was also a four-time NFHCA National Academic Squad honoree and a three-time NJAC All-Academic Honorable Mention recipient from 2019-2022.
Staying in the Game
For Castagnola, the decision to pursue a career in coaching is a tribute to the incredible field hockey coaches who helped shape her journey. “If it wasn’t for my middle school field hockey coach, Jessica Rosetti, creating a positive and solid skill foundation; if it wasn’t for my high school field hockey coach, Danyle Heilig, instilling the discipline and the winner’s work ethic; and if it wasn’t for my college coaches, Michelle Andre, Erin Small, and Danielle Altersitz, believing in me then I would not be the person and coach I am today,” she shared.
Castagnola also credits her father, Kevin Castagnola, whose lifelong dedication to coaching wrestling inspired her own path.
Today, she draws upon those lessons and experience to guide the next generation of field hockey players. By blending the lessons of mentors with her own authentic leadership style, Castagnola leads with patience, passion, and purpose—continuing to stay in the game in a new and impactful way.
Stories like Castagnola’s remind us that the game doesn’t end after the final whistle. Through the NFHCA’s Stay in the Game campaign, coaches, umpires, and former players can find new ways to stay involved in the sport—whether it’s leading from the sideline, officiating the next big matchup, or mentoring the next generation of athletes.
Learn more about how you can Stay in the Game.
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