The University of Maine field hockey team has hired former University of Albany standout and assistant coach Michelle Simpson to become the new associate head coach for the Black Bears. Simpson comes to Maine after serving seven seasons as assistant coach at her alma mater, the University of Albany.
Simpson grew up in Middlesbrough, England where she played high school field hockey at the University of Teesside. In 2004, Simpson’s senior year at Teesside, she won Sportswoman of the Year. Following her stellar high school career, Simpson committed to play at UAlbany for the Great Danes, where she put on one of the best careers in program history.
During her college playing career, Simpson was named to the America East Conference first team her second, third and fourth years. In Simpson’s sophomore season she took home America East Conference Offensive Player of the Year. In her senior year, Simpson guided the Great Danes to a conference championship and the program’s first career NCAA Tournament berth in 2008. She also became the Great Danes’ first player to earn Division I All-American honors, which Simpson did twice in her junior and senior seasons. She also received UAlbany’s Female Athlete of the Year in her senior year. Following her decorated playing career at UAlbany, Simpson continued playing field hockey for a couple of years back in England before returning to UAlbany where she took the job as assistant coach.
Simpson specialized in coaching the offense and worked closely with the goalkeepers. Under Simpson, two goalkeepers combined for four America East Goalkeeper of the Year awards in seven seasons. The Great Danes were America East champions in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2015 during Simpson’s tutelage. Though she may not have been the head coach for the Great Danes, her phenomenal work certainly did not go unnoticed, as she was named to the America East Coaching Staff of the Year in 2014 and 2016. Last year (2016) Simpson was inducted into the University of Albany Hall of Fame for her amazing career accomplishments with the Great Danes field hockey program.
It is safe to say that the Maine women’s field hockey team is in good hands in the near future with Simpson at the helm. She is all too familiar with success in the America East competition, as she is extremely accomplished as both a player and coach in a winning culture. It seems likely that she is the right person who can help bring a conference championship to Maine and help overcome their kryptonite of the past few years, the University of Albany.
