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US Field Hockey Announces National, Developmental Coaches of the Year

Colorado Springs, Colo. - A coach who has helped make her young athletes among the best in the nation, and a coach who has placed her team among the best in the world have been named  U.S. Field Hockey Association’s Developmental and National Coaches of the Year.

      Barb Liles (Elmhurst, Ill.), the highly successful coach at Oak Park-River Forest (Ill.) High School, received the Developmental Coach of the Year honor, while Tracey Griesbaum (Iowa City, Iowa) earned the honor as the National Coach of the Year after leading the U.S. Under-21 team to a spot in the 2001 Junior World Cup.

      The two coaches will represent U.S. Field Hockey in the running for the 2000 United States Olympic Committee (USOC) Coach of the Year Awards to be presented at a black tie gala, Jan. 13 in New York City.

            The U.S. Field Hockey coaches and their guests are scheduled to begin the weekend with a welcome celebration Thursday (Jan. 11) before touring the city on Friday.  Liles and Griesbaum will receive their individual Coach of the Year awards at a luncheon at the New York Athletic Club.

      Previous U.S. Field Hockey Developmental Coaches of the Year recipients include Nancy Cox (1999) Bea Thomas (1998), Dottie Zenaty (1997) and Vonnie Gros (1996) while the National Coach of the Year winners include Shellie Onstead (1999), Lauren Fuchs (1998), Karen Shelton (1997) and Pam Hixon (1996).

U.S. Field Hockey Developmental Coach of the Year Barb Liles

Although the Midwest is not generally considered the center of field hockey activity in the United States, no heart in the Heartland beats faster for the sport than that of U.S. Field Hockey's Developmental Coach of the Year, Barb Liles.

As a teacher and head field hockey coach at Oak Park-River Forest High School in Illinois, Liles has spent 22 years nurturing the sport in the Midwest.  In a Chicagoland area where girls are traditionally drawn to basketball or volleyball for autumn activities, Liles' field hockey program has become one of the school's premier sports, attracting more than 60 student athletes each year. With a 327-98-14 career record, Liles has led her teams to seven Illinois State Championships with five second-place finishes and seven third-place showings.  In addition to developing high school all-America selections, coaches and civic leaders, Liles has fostered collegiate opportunities for many of her student athletes including U.S. Under-21 team selection Lizzy Duffy ('98) of the University of North Carolina and 1999 NCAA Final Four All-Tournament selection Jessie Veith ('98) of the Univ. of Michigan.

In addition to her high school coaching accomplishments, Liles created and developed a grassroots summer camp experience for elementary school players. Designed for grades 4-8 and 9-12, the program helps introduce field hockey to middle school athletes and led to the inclusion of the sport in the schools' physical education curriculum.

At the national level, Liles participates in the U.S. Field Hockey Futures Talent Identification and Olympic Development Program, having served as a coach and Regional Administrative Director in the Central Region. The elite program features more than 4,000 athletes participating in specialized monthly training sessions at regional sites across the country. To help Midwest athletes gain national exposure and the opportunity to compete against top athletes from across the nation, Liles established and coaches the Windy City Flyers Club team and coordinates the teams' travel to the annual U.S. National Hockey Festival.

Because of the dedication and encouragement from mentors and role models like Barb Liles, field hockey continues to grow in the Midwest. And that's a development supporters of the sport can all take to heart. 

U.S. Field Hockey National Coach of the Year Tracey Griesbaum

As a player, Tracey Griesbaum helped lead the U.S. National Team to a bronze medal at the Pan American Games. As a coach, Griesbaum did herself one better.

The former head coach of the U.S. Women's Under-21 Team, Griesbaum led the U.S. squad to a silver medal at the 2000 Pan American Junior Championships, and helped the squad secure a spot in the 2001 Junior World Cup. For her efforts, Griesbaum has earned U.S. Field Hockey National Coach of the Year honors.

Following the U.S. senior squad's disappointment in missing the 2000 Olympic Games, the Junior team's performance was an indicator of a bright future for the U.S. elite teams. The team raced through pool play with a perfect 3-0 record including a 5-2 drubbing of traditional rival Canada, before losing to defending champion Argentina in the championship game.

In addition to her coaching responsibilities, Griesbaum helped revise the curriculum for U.S. Field Hockey's Super Camp: a program designated as an open tryout opportunity into the U.S. elite teams pipeline. From Super Camp, athletes may be selected to advance to other U.S. Field Hockey programs including national team selection camps and the Futures Talent Identification program. Griesbaum also served as a selector for U.S. Field Hockey's A-Camp through the evaluation of players during the United Airlines Field Hockey League. Likewise, she conducted clinics during practice sessions of each of the League's teams in an effort to share National Team techniques and philosophies with league players.

Coaching in various USFHA programs since retiring from the National Team in 1994, Griesbaum served as an assistant coach for the U.S. Under-20 team in 1999, head coach of the Under-23 team in 1998, assistant coach of the U.S. Under-21 team in 1993 and ’97 and co-head coach of the U.S. Under-18 in 1996. She was named assistant women's national coach in 1999.

In   2000, Griesbaum sought yet another challenge as she took over as head coach at the University of Iowa. And while replacing legendary coach Beth Beglin and her seven Big Ten Championships, ten NCAA Tournament berths, three elite eight finishes and seven Final Four appearances may seem an intimidating task for Griesbaum, one thing is certain: she will try to do it one better.

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