April Cornell Hired as Head Field Hockey Coach

Colgate Athletics has named April Cornell to its head field hockey coaching position. The Central New York native takes over as the fifth head coach in Colgate Field Hockey history.

A 13-year coaching veteran, Cornell arrives at Tyler’s Field after spending 11 seasons at Hofstra under head coach Kathy De Angelis. Cornell was promoted to associate head coach in 2010.

“We are so excited to have April be the next leader of our field hockey program,” said Colgate Vice President and Director of Athletics Victoria M. Chun ’91, MA’94. “Her rich pedigree as a student-athlete and coach, her unwavering passion for providing a positive student-athlete experience, and her commitment to success both academically and athletically are core values that align perfectly with those of our university.

“April’s drive and passion are second to none, and we are thrilled to welcome her to our Colgate Athletics family.”

Terrific Tenure
The Pride were impressive throughout Cornell’s tenure, including a 26-13 overall record during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Hofstra qualified for the Colonial Athletic Association tournament five times in their nine seasons since joining the league.

“I am thrilled and honored to take on the role as head field hockey coach at Colgate University,” Cornell said. “I would like to thank Vicky Chun and Ann-Marie Guglieri for this amazing opportunity. Colgate’s commitment to success and support of the field hockey program is evident and I am eager to get started.

“Colgate is truly a special place where the student-athletes strive for excellence in every regard, and I look forward to leading the program to future success.”

Cornell coached Hofstra’s Charlia Warner (2006), Genna Kovar (2009, 2011) and Claudia Marin Samper (2015) to All-America status on the field, and Stella Schoen (2015) to CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team accolades. She also helped 19 Pride student-athletes to All-Region honors and 30 more who garnered All-CAA.

“The past 11 years at Hofstra University have been a tremendous experience for me,” Cornell said. “I am grateful for the opportunity Kathy De Angelis gave me at Hofstra. Her belief and mentorship over the years allowed me to grow and develop into the coach that I am today.

“In addition, I want to thank my Hofstra family, the coaches, administration, and staff for all their support over the years.”

Cornell’s first full-time coaching position was a one-year stint at New Hampshire. During that season, she coached two National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Region selections and three All-America East honorees.

Shining Star at UConn
A four-year letter winner at Connecticut, Cornell served as co-captain during her senior season in 2004. She led the defensive unit to a No. 1 national ranking that year and a No. 3 national ranking in 2003. Connecticut made four NCAA and four Big East tournament appearances. The Huskies captured three Big East regular-season titles and two conference tournament crowns during her time in Storrs.

Cornell earned NFHCA All-Mid-East Region Second Team and All-Big East Second Team accolades in 2004. She started her coaching career as a student-assistant coach at UConn in the spring of 2005 after completing her eligibility.

In 2009, Cornell earned USA Field Hockey Level II Coaching certification through USA Field Hockey’s Coaching Accreditation Program. Active in USA Field Hockey, Cornell was invited to the January 2005 National Team tryout and served as a head coach for the Elite U.S. Futures National Program. She also competed in the U.S. High-Performance program and played in the national championships in 2005 and 2006.

Cornell is an active member of the NFHCA and served as the chair of the Mid-East Region All-America selection committee.

A native of Afton just an hour south of Hamilton, Cornell earned her psychology degree from Connecticut in 2005. She completed a master’s degree in business administration from Hofstra in 2013.