Massino and Fickert Selected as NFHCA Coaching Impact Award Recipients

The NFHCA Coaching Impact Award recognizes club and scholastic coaches who have made a significant and positive impact on players, teams, and the field hockey community beyond the pitch. The award celebrates coaches whose leadership and mentorship foster personal growth, strength of character, and lifelong influence on the athletes and communities they serve.

Kelly Massino | Our Lady of Good Counsel High School (MD)

Kelly Massino has built a coaching career defined by purpose-driven leadership, mentorship, and community impact. As head varsity field hockey coach at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School since 2016 and a coach with Warhawks Field Hockey Club in Olney, Maryland, Massino has cultivated an environment where athletes are challenged not only to excel competitively, but also to grow as confident, compassionate leaders.

Massino holds a 121-78-5 overall head coaching record, including a 105-64-1 mark at Good Counsel. Across more than 15 years of coaching experience, Massino has established a culture centered on whole-athlete development, emphasizing mental health, confidence, leadership, and personal connection alongside on-field performance.

Massino’s programs are rooted in mentorship and service. Through initiatives such as breast cancer awareness games, tributes honoring members of the school community, community outreach efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, and creative team-building traditions, student-athletes are encouraged to lead with empathy and purpose. Those experiences have helped shape a team culture built on teamwork, selflessness, and giving back.

Beyond her own teams, Massino has made a positive impact on the broader field hockey community through coaching mentorship, clinics, and leadership opportunities designed to expand access to the sport and support the next generation of coaches and athletes. Massino also serves as an NFHCA Campfire Mentor and currently serves as president of the Field Hockey Coaches Association of Maryland.

Massino’s leadership and impact have earned widespread recognition throughout the coaching community. A four-time Washington Catholic Athletic Conference Coach of the Year recipient, Massino was also honored with the 2025 Field Hockey Coaches Association of Maryland All-State Impact Award and the Regional Positive Coaching Alliance Double-Goal Coach Award.

Lissa Fickert | Oakwood Jr./Sr. High School (OH)

Lissa Fickert’s influence on the sport of field hockey spans generations. A transformational coach, educator, official, and leader, Fickert devoted more than 25 years to coaching and more than five decades to officiating, helping shape the landscape of field hockey throughout Ohio and beyond.

A graduate of Oakwood High School, Fickert was a multi-sport athlete before continuing her field hockey career collegiately. After returning to Oakwood as a physical education teacher, Fickert was hired as the school’s varsity field hockey coach in 1985 and quickly transformed the program into one of sustained excellence and integrity.

Fickert coached Oakwood High School from 1985-2000 and again in 2002, leading the program to four state tournament appearances while compiling a career record of 143-110-44, the most wins in program history. Following time away from the sidelines to support her sons’ athletic pursuits, Fickert returned to coach the junior high program from 2016-2023, continuing to invest in the development of young athletes.

While her accomplishments on the field are significant, Fickert’s impact reaches far beyond wins and championships. In 1991, she founded the State of Ohio Field Hockey Coaches Association and later served as its president. Fickert also served on the Ohio High School Athletic Association Field Hockey Advisory Committee and chaired the All-Ohio Committee for 10 years.

As an educator and mentor, Fickert became known for her ability to teach the game with clarity, discipline, and passion. Her influence inspired numerous former players to remain involved in the sport as coaches, officials, and leaders within the field hockey community. Many former athletes have returned to coach within the Oakwood program and beyond, extending the legacy of leadership she helped create.

Fickert has also dedicated more than 55 years to officiating field hockey and lacrosse, serving as a respected educator and international official. Her lifelong commitment to teaching, mentoring, and serving the sport continues to leave a lasting impact across multiple generations.

In recognition of her extraordinary contributions to athletics and coaching, Fickert was inducted into the Oakwood Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012.

The 2026 NFHCA Coaching Impact Award recipients will be honored during the NFHCA Coaches Appreciation & Awards Luncheon on January 14, 2027 in Lake Mary, Florida, as part of the 2027 NFHCA Annual Convention.