NFHCA names inaugural Honorary Member class

Sep 2, 2022 | 2022-2023

Sally Scatton

CHAMPAIGN, IL — The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) is proud to announced the inaugural class of Honorary Members. The Honorary Member designation was created with the adoption of the new NFHCA bylaws in January 2021. The structure of the new member group was specially designed by the NFHCA Bylaws Committee to leverage the knowledge and experience of former coaches, administrators, and other leaders, ensuring that our coaching body stays connected to, and continues to learn from, former coaches and important members of our field hockey community.

The 13-member class includes former coaches, administrators and supporters that paved the way for the sport and the NFHCA. The group is comprised of eight NFHCA Hall of Fame members, 12 former field hockey coaches, former NFHCA board members, two current athletic administrators, and three umpires.

The inaugural Honorary Members are:

  • Beth Anders, former head coach at Old Dominion University and NFHCA Hall of Fame member
  • Beth Beglin, former head coach at the University of Iowa, NFHCA Hall of Fame member, and former NFHCA president
  • Marlene Bjornsrud, former executive director at the Alliance of Women’s Coaches (now WeCOACH), consultant on special NFHCA projects, and leading expert on gender equity in sports
  • Beth Bozman, former head coach at Duke University and Princeton University, NFHCA Hall of Fame member, former NFHCA president, and umpire
  • Beth Gottung, former head coach at Montclair State University and former NFHCA Division III group representative
  • Jan Hutchinson, former head coach at Bloomsburg University and NFHCA Hall of Fame member
  • Lesley Irvine, former head coach at Stanford University and current vice president and director of athletics at Colorado College
  • Penny Kempf, former head coach and current associate athletic director at Rowan University, and NFHCA Hall of Fame member
  • Patti Kletcha-Porter, former head coach at Wesleyan University and umpire
  • Heather Lewis, former head coach at Bucknell University, former NFHCA president, former NFHCA interim executive director
  • Cheryl Murtagh, former head coach at Northeastern University, NFHCA Hall of Fame member, and current NFHCA board member
  • Kathleen Parker, former head coach at Syracuse University, NFHCA Hall of Fame member, and umpire
  • Sally Scatton, former head coach at William Smith College and NFHCA Hall of Fame member

According to the NFHCA bylaws, the Honorary Member designation can be extended to those coaches who are no longer actively coaching and meet the following criteria: were inducted into the NFHCA Hall of Fame, are recipients of the NFHCA Lifetime Achievement Award, have coached field hockey for 25 years or more, were previously designated as “Lifetime Members” of the NFHCA, or were approved by the NFHCA Board of Directors for outstanding service to the sport of field hockey. A new class will be added to the member rolls annually. Honorary members enjoy a lifetime of membership to the NFHCA, an opportunity to attend NFHCA meetings and vote on motions and in elections, and eligibility to serve the NFHCA on committees or to be elected as the honorary representative on the Board of Directors, in addition to receiving access to member resources and benefits.

The NFHCA is honored to have the inaugural class continue to engage with the association and the sport — the organization will look to honorary members to continue to be leaders within the NFHCA.

The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) is a nonprofit organization serving field hockey coaches and supporters of the game from across the United States. The mission of the organization is to stimulate the professional development of coaching leadership within the sport of field hockey. The NFHCA strives to cultivate and recognize the professional contributions of its membership and to foster and promote the growth of the sport. The NFHCA is responsible for providing a recognizable presence and voice in regard to legislation affecting the sport as well as interscholastic and intercollegiate programs.