MICHELLE FINEGAN
The winningest coach in SJU history, Michelle Finegan’s return in 2003 for her second stint as the head coach of the Saint Joseph's University field hockey team could not have gone much better. She captured Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors for the second time in her career after guiding a young Hawk squad to a third place finish in the A-10 and a third straight Conference Tournament berth. She also recorded her 100th victory as a head coach with the Hawks victory over La Salle on October 19.
She returned to SJU after spending seven seasons as the head coach at Lehigh University. Finegan previously guided the SJU program for six years (1990-95), earning conference and regional coach of the year honors, while leading the Hawks to both the Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament titles, as well as three A-10 postseason appearances. Her seven-year tenure as head coach and 60 victories rank as the most in school history.
One of the most respected names in the game, Finegan built the SJU program into one of the Mid-Atlantic's best during her first stint as head coach. After spending her first three years retooling the team, the Hawks went 37-22-2 over her final three seasons. She capped her run at St. Joe's in 1995 by leading the Hawks to the Atlantic 10 Conference regular season and tournament titles, a school record 16 victories and a #17 national ranking in the final poll. She was honored as both the Mid-Atlantic Region and A-10 Coach of the Year that season. The Hawks qualified for the A-10 postseason tournament in three of her final four seasons.
An excellent player at both the collegiate and national levels, Finegan was a standout defensive player at the University of Delaware (1979-82), helping the Blue Hens place third in the nation as a junior. She was a member of the United States National team from 1981-86 and was an alternate on the 1984 U.S. Olympic team that won the bronze medal in Los Angeles. She came of retirement as a player in 1993 to start for the U.S. National Team that placed fifth at the Intercontinental Cup, which qualified the U.S. for the 1994 World Cup.
Actively involved with the United States Field Hockey Association for more than two decades, Finegan has played a role in developing players throughout the nation since the inception of the USFHA Futures Program and also served as head coach of the Pennsylvania Pride in the USFHA Summer League.
A 1984 graduate of the University of Delaware, Finegan earned her bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. She resides in Buckingham, Pa. with her husband John and five children.
Finegan, who went 53-59-7 in her first go around at SJU, has a career record of 101-151-7 in 14 seasons as a Division I head coach.
Email Michelle Finegan at mfinegan@sju.edu
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