Indiana University Athletics
Robertson named Head Coach
3/30/2000 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
The Hoosiers will begin play in the sport of women's field hockey in the fall of 2000. Robertson has served as an assistant coach at Wake Forest for the past three seasons. While with the Demon Deacons she helped lead the squad to an 18-4 record, a school-best national ranking of third and a trip to its first NCAA Tournament.
"We are very pleased and excited that Amy Robertson has joined the Indiana family as our new field hockey head coach," Doninger said. "Amy brings a wealth of knowledge and experience which are key assets as we begin to compete at the varsity level. She has had success both as a player and as a coach at three different institutions. Amy is a perfect fit and we are excited about the future of our field hockey program."
"I would like to thank the entire committee for this opportunity and especially Clarence Doninger, Steve Downing and Isabella Hutchinson. When I heard that there was a position at Indiana University I felt that there was no better place in the country to develop a winning program than there. The facilities are the best in the nation, the campus is beautiful, there is a fun downtown area and everyone is dedicated to success on the field and in the classroom," Robertson said. "Indiana is part of one of the top field hockey conferences in the country. The Big Ten does things the right way and I am excited about the opportunity."
Wake Forest concluded the 1999 season ranked second in the nation in scoring (4.29 ppg) and average margin of victory (3.28 ppg). The Deacon's winning percentage (.820) and their defense (1.01 ppg) were both the fifth best marks in the country. A trio of Robertson's Demon Deacons earned All-America honors.
"We are very fortunate to add her to our staff. She is committed to success on the field and graduating players," Associate Athletic Director Steve Downing said. "She has had success with every team that she has been a part of, both as a player and as a coach."
Prior to her tenure at Wake Forest, Robertson, who has appeared in four Final Fours as a coach and a player, spent five seasons as an assistant coach at her alma mater, the University of Massachusetts. She enjoyed an outstanding collegiate career as a defender at UMass as she helped the Minutewomen to a combined 56-19-6 record and four trips to the NCAA Tournament in four years. Massachusetts advanced to the NCAA Final Four and finished the season ranked No. 3 in the nation in 1987, her senior season. In four years, Robertson tallied four goals and six assists from her defensive position. She capped off her career by being named to the Northeast Region All-America team as a senior in 1987.
"My first priority will be to recruit for this season and next year. Indiana has so much to offer that I truly feel that we will be able to attract some of the nation's top field hockey players to Bloomington," Robertson said. "I am encouraged by the commitment and dedication that the athletic program has shown toward making this one of the top field hockey programs in the country."
Robertson was also a four-year letterwinner on the UMass lacrosse team. She was named the 1987-88 Outstanding Two-Sport Athlete at Massachusetts and was a North-South All-Star selection in lacrosse.
After earning a bachelor's degree in exercise science from UMass in 1988, Robertson played with the United States Field Hockey team from 1988-1990. She was a member of the 1989 U.S. Reserve Team and a two-time Olympic Festival participant. A native of Evergreen, Colo., she was named the Colorado Sportswoman of the Year in 1988.
Robertson began her coaching career in 1988, spending a year as a student assistant coach at her alma mater. She left Umass in 1989 to take a position as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa, where she remained until 1992 while earning a master's degree in sports psychology. She returned to UMass as an assistant coach in 1992 and remained there through the 1996 season. Robertson has also served as Regional Coaching Director of the Massachusetts Developmental Futures Program and as a head coach at A Camp, B Camp, the USFHA SuperCamp and the National Futures program.
