First-year Ball State field hockey coach Sally Northcroft announced her resignation on Nov. 9 to pursue opportunities outside of the United States.
“After giving careful personal and professional consideration to my future, I have made the decision to return to Australia,” Northcroft said in a statement. “I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to coach at my alma mater. It has been an honor to be entrusted with this role and I am extremely grateful to have been able to coach, educate, mentor and motivate this exceptional group of young women.”
Northcroft was a former player for the Cardinals and her journey led her to Muncie this season.
Read about her bio here: Northcroft's path around the world
Ball State finished the 2015 season 2-16 overall with zero wins in Mid-American Conference play. The program has not finished above .500 since 1999—Northcroft’s senior season as a player.
That year, the Harare, Zimbabwe-native set single-season MAC records with 52 goals and 107 points and career records with 126 goals and 270 points, all of which still stand. She was inducted to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010 and the MAC Hall of Fame in 2014.
She won the Honda Award as the nation’s top field hockey player and earned both MAC Player of the Year and All-American honors in two consecutive seasons. She was first-team All-MAC during her four-year career at Ball State and holds the NCAA Division-I records for goals scored in a single game (7) and goals per game in a single season (2.74).
Between her time playing and coaching with the Cardinals, Northcroft coached field hockey in Australia, first at Somerset College in Mudgeeraba and then at Brisbane Girls’ Grammar School, where she was also director of sports.
In her statement, Northcroft also said she is confident the Cardinals will improve and draw closer to the Cardinals’ heyday during the '80s and '90s, when her former coach, Karen Fitzpatrick, led Ball State to 16 MAC regular season titles and 10 conference tournament championships.
“The field hockey team has worked so incredibly hard this year and I believe it is in a better place to now become a legitimate contender in the Mid-American Conference and beyond,” Northcroft said.
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