By Kayla Zapcic
Elm Staff Writer
Washington College field hockey welcomed new Assistant Coach Cody Hunsicker, alongside returning Head Coach Annie Kietzman this preseason.
Before coming to WC, Hunsicker played Division I field hockey for Lafayette College. While attending Lafayette, Hunsicker started over 40 games in the backfield and was named to the All-Patriot League second team her senior year. She graduated in 2018, earning a bachelor’s degree in biology and minors in anthropology and sociology.
With experience in success in the backfield, Hunsicker hopes to bring her defensive knowledge to the team for this fall season.
Though she only started her new position a few weeks ago, Hunsicker said she is ready to dive in. She hopes to help the team get farther in the Centennial playoff tournament than last year.
With the team’s preseason coming to an end, Hunsicker said she is excited and ready to start conference and non-conference play.
Hunsicker said she already feels a sense of community and closeness with the team. She said she feels at home here.
She was originally drawn to WC because it reminded her of her alma mater.
“WC is a lot like Lafayette, since both are small liberal arts colleges and both give the students and staff a sense of community,” she said.
The Shorewomen experienced many new coaching shifts since 2017. The team said goodbye to former Head Coach Rachel Boyle after their 2016 season and said hello to current Head Coach Kietzman and Assistant Coach Taylor Fisher in the 2017 season.
Though the team experienced a change in assistant coaches over the summer, the Shorewomen are excited to welcome Hunsicker to their family.
“I knew Coach Hunsicker would mesh with our team from the beginning. Her energy and knowledge of the game are a great addition to our team,” senior forward Clare Ingersoll said.
Hunsicker’s defensive knowledge is valuable for team members like sophomore defender Parker Wolf.
“I’m really excited about the plans she has for our defensive corners and defensive play. She gives good insight on where we should be positioned and is always open to questions. She makes it exciting to learn new ways to defend that I never thought of,” she said.
The Shorewomen finished the 2017 fall season with an overall record of 9-9 and a Conference record of 6-4, but Hunsicker is confident they can improve their record this upcoming season.
Hunsicker said she is looking forward to the first few games and plans to bring energy and strategy to the sideline.
The Shorewomen will have their first game on the road at Wesley College on Friday, Aug. 31 at 4 p.m. Their home opener is the following night, on Saturday, Sept. 1 at 7 p.m.