Lancaster Bible College and the Lancaster Bible College Athletic Department are pleased to announce the hiring of Becky Elliott as Head Field Hockey Coach. Elliott will lead the field hockey program, which will begin play for the 2018 fall season.
 
Elliott, most recently an assistant coach at Lebanon Valley College from 2008 through the 2016 season, also coaches for the Alley Cats Club Field Hockey team in Palmyra, Pa. Elliott was a standout back for Lebanon Valley from 1994 to 1997, and helped the Dutchmen to three NCAA National Tournament berths, including back-to-back trips to the NCAA Division III Final Four in 1996 and 1997. For her efforts during the 1997 tournament, Elliott was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team.
 
Elliott, who currently teaches mathematics in the Cocalico School District, will begin putting a team together for the fall immediately, and has several leads both on-and-off campus.
 
"In the short-term, I hope to get our name out there and let high school field hockey players know they have a great local option to play Division III field hockey at a Christian college," Elliott said. "We are going to build a program and establish something that has strong expectations on-and-off the field. Winning is great and we are going to do as much of that as possible, but our program will be more than just winning games."

Elliott credits her aforementioned nine years at Lebanon Valley as a place where she built strong coaching strategies and a deeper love of the game, as she got to work under three different head coaches.
 
"Being at Lebanon Valley for nine years, as an assistant, I got to work under three different head coaches, and got to see many different coaching philosophies," Elliott said. "Athletics is such a big part of a student-athlete's life, as it pushes us and drives us to be better. Over the nine years I spent at Lebanon Valley, coaching field hockey has become such a passion and I love so many aspects of the coaching profession."
 
As Elliott's love and passion for the game deepens, she hopes to be able to pass that along to her future student-athletes at Lancaster Bible, and hopes to transform the Chargers into a strong, competitive Division III field hockey program.
 
"We want to be a competitive program with the other local programs that are at the top of NCAA Division III," Elliott said. "It will take lots of hard work, but we want to compete with the top programs.
 
And though the goal on the field is to win games and climb the ranks of Division III, Elliott also wants the program to be known for so much more.
 
"I hope people who look at our program see us using the sport we love as a shining light for Christ," Elliott said. "Of course we want to win games, but this is so much more. Once a player graduates from Lancaster Bible, they are a part of a family and they are forever a part of Lancaster Bible field hockey."
 
Lancaster Bible Athletic Director Pete Beers said he was not only excited about bringing field hockey back to Lancaster Bible after a 32-year absence, but that the school had found such a tremendous candidate who understands not only the sport, but the mission of the college.
 
"We are thrilled to be adding a coach who understands the mission of the school, but also has a passion for the game and wants to impact ladies in life and in their Christian walk," Beers said. "Becky's enthusiasm is contagious, and I can't wait to see field hockey reborn here at Lancaster Bible."
 
The Chargers are currently scheduling games for the 2018 season, and will release their official schedule later this spring.