Shelly Behrens

Shelly Behrens is the current Women's Head Field Hockey Coach at Millersville University.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AT MILLERSVILLE
Three-time PSAC Coach of the Year and two-time Division II Coach of the Year Shelly Behrens has built the Millersville field hockey program into a contender at both the PSAC and national level. The winningest coach in Millersville history, Behrens guided the team to the first NCAA Division II Championship in Millersville women's sports history in 2014. Her Marauders have appeared in six PSAC Championship games, winning the 2013 and 2016 titles, and have reached the NCAA Tournament five times.

The 2012, 2013 and 2014 PSAC Coach of the Year, 2012 Synapse Sports Division II Coach of the Year, and 2014 NFHCA Division II Coach of the Year, Behrens has developed 70 All-PSAC selections, including a Millersville record nine in 2015. She has also coached four PSAC Freshman of the Year winners. Her five first team selections in 2013 and 2021 were the most in the PSAC and the most in school history. Her 2013 and 2014 clubs set school records for wins in back-to-back seasons (19 and 20). The 2013 PSAC Championship was the first by the program since 1986 and the NCAA Division II Tournament appearance was the first ever. She owns half of Millersville's PSAC Championships, and the seven consecutive seasons with at least 13 wins from 2013-2021 is the best stretch in program history.

Player highlights include three consecutive Synapse Sports Defensive Players of the Year in Taylor Parker, Lauren Sotzin and Rachel Dickinson. Dickinson also became the first Marauder ever to be a three-time All-America First Team selection. Dickinson was the recipient of the NFHCA Division II Player of the Year Award and the field hockey nominee for the NCAA Woman of the Year Award. In 2019, Erica Tarsi joined Dickinson as the second three-time All-America First Team honoree. Aliza Mizak completed her career in 2018 as the only four-time All-American in program history. In 2021, Meredith Fagan joined Mizak and Dickinson as the only three four-time All-PSAC selections in Millersville history.

Before Behrens' arrival, the program had been without an All-American for 10 years. Behrens has developed 29 in the last eight years and has placed 12 freshmen on the Synapse Sports Division II All-Rookie Squad.

Known for her defensive coaching, Millersville led the nation in shutouts and goals against average in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The 2015 club set a program record for goals against average and put together a record run of nine consecutive shutouts. Under her direction, Samantha Rumler set a career record for goals against average.

Prior to arriving on the national stage, Behrens' 2012 team broke into the PSAC Tournament for the first time in 19 years. Behrens took the team to the PSAC Championship game for the first time in 23 years. Behrens became the first Millersville coach to win conference coach of the year honors.

Behrens' players also excel in the classroom. The 2014 club was awarded with the NCAA Team GPA Award at the NCAA Division II Festival, and Margaret Thorwart was Millersville's first winner of the Elite 89 Award. Behrens has seen more than 40 players named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad, and Sarah Dickinson was named the Capital One Academic All-District twice. In 2012, Maria Thompson achieved the honor of PSAC Champion Scholar. Behrens’ Marauders posted a team GPA of 3.41 during the 2009 season for a first-place ranking among all NCAA Division II field hockey teams and the Gladiator by SGI/NFHCA DII National Academic Team Award.The team has earned a national academic award each season since her arrival in 2008.

BEFORE MILLERSVILLE
The Elizabethtown native and Lower Dauphin graduate came to Millersville following a successful one-year stint at Oneonta State where she quickly transformed the program with a 10-9 overall record and a second-place finish in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC). She established herself as a winning head coach at the game’s top level by building Virginia Commonwealth into a competitive program. She amassed 33 victories in five seasons and led the team to back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2003 and 2004. The 2003 season marked the first time the Rams reached double-digit wins in a season in over a decade. The squad also recorded six straight wins, which was the longest streak since the 1992 season. The following season, the Rams went 10-9, which was the first winning season for VCU since 1992. Behrens was selected as the Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year in 2003 and the program also produced the first of two-straight conference rookie of the year award-winners.

Prior to taking over at Virginia Commonwealth, Behrens spent four years (1997-2001) as the head coach at Richmond. Behrens led the Spiders to their first-ever victory in the CAA Tournament during her first season and twice led the team to the semifinals.

Behrens was also a Division I assistant for eight years, coaching in the NCAA Tournament three times. Her collegiate coaching career began at Penn State in 1989 as an assistant. She helped the Nittany Lions to an 18-3-1 record and an NCAA berth. The following year, Penn State compiled a 21-4 overall mark and advanced to the NCAA Semifinals.

Following her time at Penn State, Behrens moved to James Madison for a two-year stint before becoming an assistant at Northeastern where she was part of the 1994 Huskies’ squad that finished 16-5-1 and captured the America East Championship.

Behrens has also been heavily involved in USA Field Hockey at both the national and developmental levels. She served as the goalkeeping coach on the U.S. team that won a silver medal at the 1999 Pan American Games and the national squad that competed in the 2000 Olympic Qualifier Tournament in Milton Keynes, England. She has worked with the U-21, U-18 and U-16 teams as well.

Behrens received a bachelor’s of science degree in education from Old Dominion in 1988. She was a standout player, serving as the starting goalkeeper for the Monarchs for four-straight seasons and received first team All-South Region honors during her junior and senior seasons. She was a member of four teams that reached the NCAA Tournament. The 1984 team won the national championship and the 1985 team finished as the national runner-up. Behrens also competed on the United States’ U-21 Junior National Team.