Field Hockey
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- fieldhockey@kent.edu
- Phone:
- 330-672-8413
Heather Schnepf is now in her ninth season as an assistant coach with the Kent State field hockey team. Schnepf had an immediate impact after coming to the Golden Flashes program following her position as the head coach at Princeton Day School in New Jersey.
In just her first season on staff at Kent State, the former All-American helped the Golden Flashes deliver both the 2010 Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament titles. The team was ranked as high as 17th nationally before capping off a 15-7 season with an appearance in the NCAA Play-in game. Since then, Kent State has won five other MAC titles, including back-to-back-to-back NCAA appearances from 2014-2016. Schnepf was an integral part of the 2014 Golden Flashes squad that won the first NCAA postseason game in program history.
“Heather’s experience as a coach and a standout player are a huge asset to our program,” said Head Coach Kathleen Wiler. “She brings a high level of energy and has given our student-athletes a positive impact both on and off the field.”
Prior to her stint at Princeton Day, Schnepf was an assistant coach at Drexel University. With her guiding the defensive unit, Drexel posted a then school-record 16 wins in 2008 and finished runner-up in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 7-1 league record. During the season the program earned a No. 14 national ranking and posted a 1.59 goals against average with Schnepf on the sideline.
An All-American and two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year at Iowa, the Medford Lakes, N.J. native launched her coaching career at her alma-mater in 2007. Schnepf worked as a student assistant coach helping to lead the Hawkeyes to a No. 5 national ranking, a 17-4 record and the Big Ten Tournament title.
During her playing days she led Iowa to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and became only the third player in Big Ten history to earn the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year award in back-to-back years. She recorded 11 goals, 13 assists and 16 defensive saves in her collegiate career and was a first team All-American as a senior.
Schnepf brings a wealth of International experience to the Golden Flashes program. She represented the United States taking home the silver medal at the 2009 Pan American Games. Previously she participated on the Midwest High Performance Team and the USA-B squad that faced Sony Japan, the Canadian National Team and the USA-A squad. In 2013, she was one of eight players selected to be a captain for the inaugural Harrow Cup, a post-collegiate women's field hockey tournament.
A first team All-American at Lenape High School as well, she earned her bachelor of science in athletic training from Iowa in 2007.
