Penn State names Hannah Prince new head coach of its field hockey program
Hannah Prince is pictured drawing up a play on a white board during St. Joe’s vs North Carolina in Philadelphia. Photo: Bob Benscoter
Penn State University announced on Tuesday that Hannah Prince has been named the new head coach of the Nittany Lions field hockey program.
“We are grateful and excited to welcome Hannah Prince to Happy Valley as the leader of our field hockey program,” Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft said in a statement.
Prince joins Penn State following four successful seasons at Saint Joseph’s University, where she led the Hawks to four consecutive Atlantic 10 championships and two regular-season titles. In 2024, Prince guided the Hawks to a program-record of 20 wins and a No. 3 national ranking, culminating in the first national championship game appearance by any sport in St. Joe’s history.
"I am deeply grateful to Saint Joseph's University and Director of Athletics Jill Bodensteiner for the opportunity to lead the program on Hawk Hill," Prince said. "The student-athletes are the heart of this program. It has been an honor to coach such a resilient and committed group, and I will always be proud to be a Hawk."
Bodensteiner praised Prince’s contributions, stating, "Hannah is an amazing leader, coach, and colleague. We will forever be grateful for her impact on St. Joe’s and wish her the best in her next step."
Penn State announces search for next head field hockey coach
During her tenure at St. Joe’s, Prince and her staff were named the 2024 NFHCA Mid-Atlantic Region Coaching Staff of the Year. She coached four All-Americans and led the team to its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory in 2022, securing tournament wins in three of her four seasons. Prince previously served as an assistant coach for the Hawks in 2017 and 2018. She departs with 64 coaching victories and a .727 winning percentage, both ranking third in program history.
“Hannah has already achieved national success and has emerged as one of the bright young coaching stars in collegiate field hockey,” Kraft said. “Her energy, enthusiasm, and experience at the highest level of NCAA field hockey along with her commitment to academic excellence make her the ideal person to build upon the historic success that our program has already achieved. Penn State is committed to excellence at the highest level in everything we do and Hannah shares the vision of bringing championship field hockey back to Penn State.”
Penn State began a national search in December after announcing that they were not renewing Lisa Bervinchak Love’s contract.
Love became the Nittany Lions leader after longstanding head coach Char Morett-Curtiss announced her retirement following the 2022 season. While in charge of the BigTen program, Love’s overall records were 9-8 in 2023, 8-9 in 2024, and 7-10 in 2025.
Love had been part of the Penn State field hockey coaching staff for 32 years. She joined Morett-Curtiss in 1994 as her assistant. She was eventually promoted to associate head coach.
According to Penn State, “During Bervinchak Love’s Penn State Field Hockey 30-plus year tenure, the Nittany Lion program cemented itself as a national powerhouse. Since her arrival as an assistant coach, Penn State made 23 NCAA Tournament appearances, including three trips to the national semifinals. Penn State won seven Big Ten regular-season titles and six Big Ten Tournament championships. The Nittany Lions amassed 27 Big Ten major award winners, 32 NFHCA first-team All-Americans, 31 NFHCA second-team All-Americans, 73 first-team All-Big Ten selections, had more than 300 Academic All-Big Ten selections and nearly 300 NFHCA National All-Academic honorees.”
Saint Joseph's University will now begin a national search for its next head field hockey coach.
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