By Izzy Lee

“Everything you want in a coach is for your team to peak at the right moment.” 

Smither coaching on the sidelines of the 2022 state championship game.

First-year field hockey head coach Kelsey Smither describes the moment when the final whistle of the season blew.

On November 12, 2022, Smither and the Collegiate varsity field hockey team won the state championship for the first time since 2013, and I was fortunate enough to be part of that accomplishment. After a 4-0 victory over the Norfolk Academy Bulldogs, Smither felt “really proud.” It was a rare accomplishment being there and was one step further than last year, when the Cougars made it to the semi-finals.

Originally from Suffolk, Virginia, Smither attended Old Dominion University to play field hockey, where she earned National and CAA (Colonial Athletic Association) Rookie of the Year in her first year in 2011. Over her four-year career at the university, Smither started all 86 games and helped her team win their conference twice and qualify for the NCAA Final Four in 2011. A standout for the Monarchs, Smither ended her career as an NFHCA  (National Field Hockey Coaches Association) second-team all-American and All-South Region First Team in 2013 and 2014. After the conclusion of her college career, Smither was appointed assistant field hockey coach at Ball State University from 2016-2018. Following the 2018 season, Smither transferred to Georgetown University, where she was named associate head coach for their field hockey program. 

Smither found the job opportunity at Collegiate through a friend, Kendell Siller, a former Collegiate and Division I assistant coach. Smither believed this position was the perfect chance to get out of college athletics but remain in coaching. As expected, there are many challenges to the switch from a Division I field hockey program to a high school team. Smither explained that difference as instead of hand-picking players through a recruiting process, a coach creates a team of 30 girls with different levels of experience. To other coaches, it may be a struggle to unify a team of 30 girls, but for Smither, she was easily able to make a successful team out of it. 

Before Smither arrived at Collegiate, Collegiate’s former Athletic Director Karen Doxey was the head coach of the field hockey team for 27 years. She established a program based on the values of culture, traditions, humility, and worth. When Smither came to Collegiate’s program in 2021, she served as an assistant coach under Doxey. She discovered the traditions she wanted to keep under her coaching, such as grapefruit day and program day. Grapefruit day is when the team is split up into multiple teams and goes through a series of competitions to earn the historic grapefruit. For program day, all levels—varsity, junior varsity, and Cub—all mix together and play each other in a series of games. For Smither, she accepted that she could not fill Doxey’s shoes but would rather create her own path. She adhered to certain aspects of Doxey’s coaching and traditions, but Smither wanted to apply her knowledge and experience to the program as well.

At the end of this past August, Smither had finalized her team of 30 girls and prepared for the season. The players come to the team with a variety of knowledge, skills, and passion for field hockey, and Smither made it her priority to find what motivates each player. She wanted to “create buy-in.” In the 2021 season, Collegiate had fallen to Trinity in the State semi-finals, a team they have beaten previously in the season.

When I asked Smither about her plan for the 2023 season, she explained how important it is to start fresh. With each new season, teams lose seniors and gain new players. Some may find this difficult, but Smither takes on the challenge by “putting the pieces together in a whole new puzzle.” 

Despite losing five games in the 2022 regular season, Smither took her team through an undefeated postseason and won the State Championship for the first time in 13 years. If Smither could describe the season in one word, it would be “belief.” The coaches believed in the players, the players believed in the coaches, and the players believed in each other. There was no team stopping the Cougars in the final game.

Varsity field hockey team wins the 2022 state championship over Norfolk Academy, 4-0.

As for the 2023 season as reigning state champions, Smither wants the team to take pride in their accomplishments, but ultimately it’s all about refocusing and starting from scratch. Similar to this year, Smither wants to carry over “starting from the ground up with a little more belief we can do it.”

Smither places a state championship medal on a player.

Senior team member Drew Stanley (’23) said, “Coach Smither has become one of my favorite coaches I have ever had.” Stanley feels as if Smither achieved her goal of making every player feel like they mattered on and off the field. Smither helped Stanley understand that it is acceptable to make mistakes, as long as her full effort was on display. Coming off of what Stanley believes was the best field hockey season she has experienced, she thinks Smither’s “kindness and ability to give positive, constructive feedback is what truly lead our team to success.”

I was lucky enough to experience four years under the coaching of Doxey and one year under Smither. Working with Smither during her first year, as a senior captain I learned a great deal about Smither’s coaching philosophy firsthand. She taught me success is never given out and has to be earned. Even with the hard days of practice and conditioning, she made sure to prioritize my favorite aspect of field hockey, the relationships built within a team. She has been a mentor, and I will always be grateful for Smither’s impact on me as a player and person. To win the LIS and state championship in my final season of high school field hockey was nothing short of rewarding. After coming up short the first four years of my varsity career, the feeling of winning the final game alongside my best friends and teammates will forever be unbeaten.

All photos by Simran Dhillon.