University of Massachusets Athletics
Sowry Named Regional Coach Of The Year
December 07, 2010 | Field Hockey
Dec. 7, 2010
AMHERST, Mass. - UMass field hockey head coach Justine Sowry was named 2010 Dita/NFHCA Division I Northeast Region Coach of the Year on Tuesday, as announced by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. For the third time in four years, Sowry led UMass to the Atlantic 10 Championship and the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and was named A-10 Coach of the Year.
This is the second time in her four seasons as head coach of the Minutewomen that Sowry has been named Northeast Region Coach of the Year (2008). She is one of just five coaches nationally to earn the honor, joining Maryland's Miss Meharg (Mid-Atlantic Region), Penn State's Char Morett (Mideast Region), North Carolina's Karen Shelton (South Region), and Ohio State's Anne Wilkinson (West Region).
Sowry led UMass to a 15-8 overall record in 2010, including a perfect 7-0 mark in Atlantic 10 play. The Minutewomen defeated Temple and Lock Haven to claim their 12th A-10 Championship. UMass advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 22nd time in program history by earning an at-large bid before falling to eventual-National Champion Maryland, 4-2. UMass finished the season ranked No. 15 in the NCAA RPI.
Sowry had five players named to the A-10 All-Conference Teams in 2010, including Defensive Player of the Year Makaela Potts and Student-Athlete of the Year Alesha Widdall. Four Minutewomen went on to be named All-Northeast Region, including Potts winning Northeast Region Player of the Year, and Potts and Widdall were named NFHCA All-Americans.
Sowry's accomplishments were recognized as she was named A-10 Coach of the Year for the third time after taking home the honor in 2007 and 2008.
In her four seasons, Sowry has led UMass to a 58-31 (.652) overall record, including a mark of 22-4 (.846) in Atlantic 10 play. She has coached 19 A-10 All-Conference selections, 17 All-Region selections, and five All-Americans.
