Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Ryan Kuttler/Northwestern Athletics
Fuchs, Holland, Byrne Earn Third-Straight National Coaching Staff of the Year Award
1/16/2026 11:52:00β―AM | Field Hockey
EVANSTON, Ill. - After leading Northwestern to back-to-back NCAA Championships, the Wildcats' field hockey coaching staff has been tabbed National Coaching Staff of the Year for the third consecutive season. The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) award, celebrating exceptional performance in each division, was announced Friday morning.
The Northwestern coaching staff, composed of head coach Tracey Fuchs, associate head coach Georgia Holland and assistant coach Will Byrne, brings the honor back to NU for the fifth time (2012, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025).
The NU staff has earned the award, which is given to the best field hockey coaching staff in the country each year, four times in the last five seasons. The program is the second in NFHCA history to win three consecutive Coaching Staff of the Year awards.
The staff led Northwestern to the program's third national championship and a 22-1 record, topping the Big Ten regular season standings and snaring a Big Ten Tournament crown.
The Wildcats led the nation in win percentage (.957), scoring margin (2.82) and assists (83), scoring 84 goals. Northwestern outscored opponents 84-18 throughout the season, posting 12 shutouts and an average of .771 goals-against. Additionally, the Wildcats became the first program to win multiple national titles (2021, 2025) as an unseeded squad since at least 1998.
Eight Northwestern student-athletes (Olivia Bent-Cole, Julianna Boon, Greta Hinke, Laura Salamanca, Grace Schulze, Ashley Sessa, Ilse Tromp and Maddie Zimmer) earned NFHCA All-Region honors, and five Wildcats (Bent-Cole, Boon, Sessa, Tromp and Zimmer) were named All-Americans. NU led the nation with three First Team All-Americans in Sessa, Tromp and Zimmer.
The Northwestern coaching staff, composed of head coach Tracey Fuchs, associate head coach Georgia Holland and assistant coach Will Byrne, brings the honor back to NU for the fifth time (2012, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025).
The NU staff has earned the award, which is given to the best field hockey coaching staff in the country each year, four times in the last five seasons. The program is the second in NFHCA history to win three consecutive Coaching Staff of the Year awards.
The staff led Northwestern to the program's third national championship and a 22-1 record, topping the Big Ten regular season standings and snaring a Big Ten Tournament crown.
The Wildcats led the nation in win percentage (.957), scoring margin (2.82) and assists (83), scoring 84 goals. Northwestern outscored opponents 84-18 throughout the season, posting 12 shutouts and an average of .771 goals-against. Additionally, the Wildcats became the first program to win multiple national titles (2021, 2025) as an unseeded squad since at least 1998.
Eight Northwestern student-athletes (Olivia Bent-Cole, Julianna Boon, Greta Hinke, Laura Salamanca, Grace Schulze, Ashley Sessa, Ilse Tromp and Maddie Zimmer) earned NFHCA All-Region honors, and five Wildcats (Bent-Cole, Boon, Sessa, Tromp and Zimmer) were named All-Americans. NU led the nation with three First Team All-Americans in Sessa, Tromp and Zimmer.
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