University of Delaware Field Hockey Selects Laree Beans as New Assistant Coach
March 17, 2011
NEWARK, Del. -- Laree Beans, a former All-American player at North Carolina and most recently an assistant coach at Lafayette College, has been selected as the University of Delaware’s new field hockey assistant coach.
The hire is the first for new Blue Hen head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof, who joined the UD staff in December after 12 seasons at Michigan State.
“I am thrilled to welcome Laree (pronounced “larry”) to my coaching staff,” said van de Kerkhof, whose team has already began spring drills and will play in four exhibition tournaments over the next month. “Our Blue Hen field hockey program is very fortunate to welcome a person like Laree as a member of our family. I had the privilege of coaching Laree when she played for the U.S. Under-16 National Team in 2001. Since that time I have enjoyed following her endeavors as an outstanding student-athlete at the University of North Carolina, a member of U.S. Junior National Teams, and her young intercollegiate coaching experience at Lafayette. I am positive that her experiences, personality, and passion she has for field hockey, coaching, and most importantly interacting with people, will allow her to contribute to the future development and success of Delaware field hockey.”
Beans comes to Delaware after serving the 2010 season as an assistant coach at Lafayette College under head coach Andrew Griffiths. She helped lead the Leopards to a record of 9-10 and a berth in the Patriot League championship game this past fall. She previously served two seasons as field hockey assistant and three years as a lacrosse assistant at Emmaus (Pa.) High School.
“I am excited to be a part of the new Blue Hen Field Hockey coaching staff,” said Beans. “I have had the pleasure of playing for Coach van de Kerkhof and I look forward to learning from him on the coaching front.”
She holds a Level 1 Coaching Certificate with the U.S. Field Hockey Association and has been active working with youngsters as a coach at University of North Carolina Field Hockey Camps since 2003 as well as other camps and clinics. She also served as a head coach for Under 19 and Under 14 teams at the Keystone Games in Pennsylvania and has served as head coach and administrator for the True North Club Team, a club team for high school-aged girls in the Lehigh (Pa.) Valley.
She earned her degree in exercise and sports science with a minor in coaching from the University of North Carolina in 2007 and her secondary teaching certificate in English from Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pa. in 2010. While at UNC, she was also a member of the Carolina Leadership Academy for four years.
Beans enjoyed an outstanding career at national field hockey power North Carolina, serving as team captain for two seasons and leading the Tar Heels to a five-year mark of 88-24 for head coach Kathy Shelton. She led UNC to Atlantic Coast Conference titles in 2004 and 2007, an undefeated NCAA Division I national championship in 2007, and NCAA Tournament berths in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006.
She earned second team All-American honors during the 2007 season and also earned ACC All-Academic honors and the Carolina Field Hockey Leadership Award that same season. She was named the team’s Practice Player of the Year in 2006, received the Carolina Leadership Academy Three Dimensional Leader Recipient Award twice, and also was selected by her teammates as the Player’s Player Award winner in 2004 and 2005.
Beans appeared in 87 career games for the Tar Heels and scored 22 goals and while dishing out 17 assists. She netted 10 goals and dished out five assists as a senior in 2007 when she also delivered three game-winning goals. She sat out as a redshirt during the 2006 campaign.
Her playing career has also been highlighted by her participation on the U.S. Under 16, 19, and 21 field hockey squads and she participated in the BDO Junior World Cup in Santiago, Chile in 2006.
Beans enjoyed an exceptional high school career at Emmaus (Pa.) High School where she led the field hockey team to four district titles and to the state championship in 2002. She earned All-State and All-American honors in both 2001 and 2002 and was selected as the Allentown Morning Call Player of the Year in 2003. She was a two-time team Most Valuable Player and served as captain and was also a two-time team MVP and captain of the lacrosse squad.
