She may be new to the Ball State field hockey program, but Christy Longacre has quickly become comfortable in her role.
“I love it [at Ball State],” Longacre, a first-year assistant coach, said. “I love working with [head coach Beth Maddox]. … I think we have a good dynamic and good chemistry, and I’m ready to get the season going.”
Before joining Maddox’s staff as a volunteer assistant in February, Longacre played four seasons of field hockey at Old Dominion. She helped lead the Monarchs to the NCAA tournament each year, including a run to the national semifinals in 2011.
The National Field Hockey Coaches Association named Longacre to the All-American First Team in her senior year, and she was a second-team selection as a junior. She also was named her conference’s defensive player of the year twice during her collegiate career.
Maddox, a 2005 graduate of Old Dominion, first met Longacre several years ago while helping run a summer field hockey camp hosted by her alma mater.
There, Maddox saw Longacre’s coaching potential, as she was one of the current Old Dominion players helping with the camp.
Maddox said she could tell Longacre would fit well on her staff, and that her players would respond positively to her personality.
“Sometimes, you just click with people,” Maddox said. “I think that if I appreciate a person, and I get along with a person and I respect a person, then they’ll fit right in with our girls.”
Last season, the Cardinals finished with a 6-12 record, losing several games in which they squandered a late lead or were unable to muster enough offense to mount a comeback.
Maddox insinuated that a lack of trust and chemistry has led to some of her team’s past issues, but the addition of Longacre has already paid dividends in that regards.
“Having a younger assistant always helps,” Maddox said. “I think [being younger] brings a lot to the table. If I’m mad, [the players] can talk to her … and she can kind of explain to them and relate to them a little bit differently.”
Helping hasten the chemistry between coach and players was the 2014 USA Field Hockey Women’s National Championship hosted over the summer.
Along with senior Tori Widrick and junior Bethany Han, Longacre was selected to compete in the Women’s National Championship.
The experience is one the women are grateful to have.
“[Playing with Longacre] was really fun,” Han said. “I was lucky enough to play with my assistant coach, because it definitely opened up communication between me and Christy. … It was really awesome.”
With nine upperclassmen on the 2014 roster, Longacre will have plenty of help insuring her transition from volunteer to full-time assistant is a smooth one.
She recognizes the significance in having many veterans on the team for her first year and feels that this season could be special.
“Having everyone back, not losing any seniors, is awesome,” Longacre said. “It’s probably one of the greatest things that can happen to any team. … I think we have a lot of good leadership and a lot of strong individual players.”
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