FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Merrimack Director of Athletics Jeremy Gibson is pleased to announce the hiring of Megan Shea as the new head coach of the field hockey program.
"I am thrilled and honored to be named the head coach at Merrimack College. Merrimack field hockey has an impressive history, and I look forward to continuing to coach and elevate its success," Shea said. "Throughout my collegiate coaching journey I have been fortunate to work under and alongside some of the best Division 1 coaches in the country, and am eager to bring each of these experiences together for my first head coaching position."
Becoming the sixth head coach in program history, Shea arrives on campus after five years of experience as a Division I assistant. Her journey to North Andover was most recently preceded by stops at Northeastern University (2015) and Columbia University (2014); while with the latter, she guided the offense and helped the Lions post a 12-win season, one of the best in program history.
Prior to Columbia, Shea coached for two years (2011-13) at her alma mater, the University of New Hampshire. While Shea was on staff at UNH, the Wildcats won two America East Championships, appeared in a pair of NCAA Tournaments and won America East Coaching Staff of the Year on both occasions.
Shea finished her playing career as one of the best to ever suit up for the Wildcats, ranking seventh all-time in goals scored (42) and sixth in points (99). During her senior season in 2009, Shea scored 23 goals and totaled 55 points, which at the time were the second highest single-season totals in UNH history. That season she was named a NFHCA All-American, NFHCA Northeast Region First Team and was selected as the America East Offensive Player of the Year.
At the national level, Shea has been a member of the coaching staff for USA Field Hockey's High Performance Developmental team. She also has served as a head coach and selector for the national futures programs in the Massachusetts and New York regions.
Shea graduated from New Hampshire in the spring of 2010 with a bachelor's degree in sociology and nutrition.
Information for this release provided by the athletic communications staff at Merrimack
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