Head Coach - Caroline Gillich
"We have reached our goal of winning a conference championship on more than one occasion! This team and our alums now have our sights set on the big prize... the NCAA championships. We've been to the elite eight, and now we know what it takes to win it and that is what we are going to do."
- Juniata Field Hockey Coach Caroline Gillich
Caroline Gillich wants her players to perform to their maximum potential, but she also wants them to have fun.
Of course, nothing is more fun than winning, which makes Juniata College’s last two seasons all the more special to Coach Gillich.
Gillich's 2008 Juniata squad repeated as Landmark Conference champions, dispatching top-seeded Catholic University 2-1 in double overtime in the championship match on Catholic's Cardinal Stadium.
The previous season, in 2007, the Gillich-guided Eagle field hockey squad, ranked in the top 20 throughout the entire season, posted a 21-3 record on its way to the first conference championship in program history.
The 2007 campaign ended with Juniata making its third appearance in the NCAA championship, hosting Johns Hopkins in a first round contest – the first outdoor NCAA competition hosted by Juniata since the early 1970s. The Eagles knocked off Johns Hopkins, 2-1, and dispatched defending national champion Ursinus College 2-0 in the regional semifinal, the program’s first NCAA tournament victories.
Over her 11 years on College Hill, Gillich has elevated Juniata field hockey to new levels of success, developing a program where competing for conference championships and NCAA tournament berths are the expectation, not the exception. Since taking the reins of the Juniata field hockey program prior to the 1998 season, Gillich’s teams have posted a combined record of 122-97. In three of the last five seasons, her teams have advanced to NCAA Championship play.
Gillich’s 2006 squad finished with a 16-5 mark, eclipsing a school record for wins that had been set three years earlier. In 2004, Gillich guided the team to a 14-5 record, and earned the program’s first-ever berth in the NCAA Division III Championship. Juniata spent most of the season ranked among the top 15 teams in Division III, and went through the regular season with just one conference loss.
Five times under Gillich’s leadership, Juniata has closed the season with a .500 record or better. The 1998 team finished with a mark of 9-9 while the 2002 squad ended the season with a 13-8 record. The Eagles then posted a 15-8 mark in 2003, and qualified for the conference postseason for the first time since 1990.
Gillich came to Juniata from The College of William and Mary, where she worked primarily with the goalkeepers on the field hockey surface.
An All-American in field hockey and lacrosse at Lock Haven, Gillich was the starting field hockey goalie for the Bald Eagles in 1994 and 1995. She helped Lock Haven to the Division II national championship both years. In addition, she captained the 1995 unit, which went 21-0.
She graduated with a B.S. in health and physical education with a concentration in sports administration in 1997. She worked at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center during the summer of 1996 as a program specialist. In that capacity, she organized 30 camps involving more than 500 athletes as well as scheduled facilites, housing and transportation for athletes.
In the summers of 1997 and 1998, Gillich assisted with the Nike Sports Leadership Camps, working with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America in Atlanta, Georgia.
Coach Gillich can be reached at gillicc@juniata.edu.
Assistant Coach - Kim Wagner
Kim Wagner joins Gillich on the bench in 2009 after having the most successful four years the Juniata field hockey program has ever had. Her main focus is working closely with the forwards and midfielders, helping them put points on the board. She also has a hand in recruiting, writing practices, film breakdown and game analysis.
A forward under Gillich from 2004-07, Wagner finished her career in the top three in all offensive categories, including single season goals, assists and points as well as career goals, assists and points.
Her senior season, she helped lead the team to the best season the program has had dating back to the inaugural season in 1973. The team finished 21-3, reaching the Regional Final in the NCAA Division III National Championships. Wagner tallied 25 goals and a career high 11 assists pacing the offense en route to being one of the last eight teams remaining fighting for a championship.
Throughout her illustrious four year career, Wagner amassed 184 total points, breaking down into 81 goals and 22 assists. She is the career leader in points and goals, and tied for third in assists. She also has single season records in goals, assists and points. Her total of 31 goals as a junior ranks first for Juniata, as her senior season goals ranks second. She also finished with 16 goals in 2004, putting her in a three way tie for third in a single season.
She also has three of the top five single season records for total points in a season. Wagner recorded 68 points in 2006, adding six assists to her 31 goals to sit atop the rankings. In 2007, she posted 61 points, placing her second among the ranks. As a freshman in 2004, she scored 16 goals and contributed an assist, giving her 33 points and a fifth place ranking.
She graduated from Middletown Area High School in Middletown, Pa., in 2004 before coming to Juniata College. She was a three sport athlete at Middletown, competing in field hockey, swimming and softball. She was selected to the Mid-Penn All Conference team all four years for field hockey as well as being voted on three years in a row in softball.
Contact Kim at wagnerk@juniata.edu
Updated 10/20/2009
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