Dec. 7, 2007
University Park, Pa. - Penn State head field hockey coach Charlene Morett has been named the Dita/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Mideast Region Coach of the Year, it was announced this week by the NFHCA. This marks the second in the last three years that Morett has been honored by her peers as one of five regional Coaches of the Year and it is the sixth time in her career that the Nittany Lion field hockey coach has garned the Mideast Region Coach of the Year award.
Morett, who just finished her 21st season as head coach at Penn State, led the Nittany Lions to a 16-8 record this year and a national runner-up finish at the NCAA Tournament. Penn State came from behind to defeat Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before stunning two-time defending champion Maryland on its home field in the second round to advance to the NCAA Final Four for the seventh time in school history and for the fifth time under Morett. At the final four, Penn State then upset Wake Forest, which had won three straight NCAA championships prior to Maryland's two-year reign, to advance to the NCAA national championship game for the second time in school history.
The fifth all-time winningest coach in NCAA field hockey history with a career record of 379-138-16 after this past season, Morett was also named the NFHCA Mideast Region Coach of the Year in 2005 after leading the Nittany Lions to a 17-4 record that also included a school record 17-game winning streak and a Big Ten Championship. Morett was also the Mideast Region Coach of the Year in 1990, 1991, 1993 and 2000.
The National Coach of the Year award will be announced in January at the annual NFHCA convention.