Former Indiana assistant named field hockey head coach


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Senior back Harriet Aburn walks through the tunnel for Senior Day on Oct. 8 at the Field Hockey Complex.

Central Michigan field hockey has named former Indiana assistant coach Catherine Ostoich as head coach on Dec. 15. She is the seventh head coach in program history.

Ostoich replaces former head coach Molly Pelowski, who was fired on Oct. 26 after a 3-49 record in three seasons and did not earn a win in the 2017 season. 

In a statement released by CMU Athletics, Athletic Director Michael Alford said he was excited about the hiring of Ostoich. 

“Catherine has been aggressive in gaining coaching experience since she was a top-flight player at Richmond,” Alford said. “She brings a well-rounded view of what it takes to lead a program. Recruiting, coaching, budgeting, excellence in the classroom – she’s done all that while keeping the focus on the student-athlete.”

This hiring marks Alford's first head coach addition since he started in July of 2017. Former Athletic Director Dave Heeke accepted a position at the University of Arizona, and Marcy Weston served as the interim Athletic Director before Alford arrived. 

Ostoich served as assistant coach for the Indiana Hoosiers last year, who went 6-13 overall. Indiana did not earn a conference win and topped CMU 4-1 in the 2017 season. 

She has also served as head coach at Missouri State in 2016 and assistant coach at Davidson College in North Carolina from 2014-15. 

Ostoich was a four-year starter at Richmond University. She served as a co-captain during her senior season in 2013, and was named to the Atlantic 10 All-Tournament Team twice for the Spiders. Ostoich was a defender at Richmond, and specialized as a defensive assistant coach at Indiana. 

Indiana was second to last in the Big Ten with 27 goals conceded and last with only nine goals scored in 2017. 

The new head coach expressed her excitement to coach the field hockey program.

“We are going to be a very fit team that does not stop playing, does not stop working, until the final whistle,” Ostoich said. “Work ethic, fitness, and leadership are the foundations of a strong program in my view and those three traits are what I look for in a student-athlete.” 

Ostoich started at CMU on Jan. 4. She is taking on a roster that will lose six seniors before the 2018 season. Sophomore forward Georgina Minta, junior goalkeeper Lily Amadio and junior midfielder Kayla McClure will all be returning to the team next season. 

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