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New Tiger Field Hockey Coach Holmes-Winn Already Acquainted with Program's Passion
By Bill Alden
Kristen Holmes-Winn's stellar field hockey career at the University of Iowa ended with a thud in 1996 when the Hawkeyes fell to Princeton University in the NCAA quarterfinals. Holmes-Winn is still bothered by the heartbreaking overtime loss which saw Iowa blow a two-goal lead with 11 minutes left as it looked to make the fourth NCAA Final Four of her college career.
The 1997 Iowa grad rebounded from that disappointment to make the U.S. national teams in 1998 and 2000 and to serve as an assistant coach at her alma mater, helping Iowa make the Final Four in 1999.
This fall, Holmes-Winn will be changing hats, dedicating herself to guiding the Tigers into the Final Four as she takes the helm of the Princeton field hockey program.
The energetic Holmes-Winn, the replacement for longtime Tiger head coach Beth Bozman who left last spring to guide Duke's program, believes that her new squad can learn a lesson from the agonizing final chapter of her college career. "I couldn't believe what happened, it was really hard to take," said Holmes-Winn, reflecting on her wrenching NCAA finale.
"We had an amazing group of players, we had already been to three Final Fours. We had a 4-2 lead with 11 minutes left and in our minds we were already packing our bags for Boston and the Final Four. Princeton tied it up, they were really committed and we crumbled."
While Princeton may have left Holmes-Winn with one of the darkest memories of her athletic career, she had no hesitation about seeking the Tiger post.
"Princeton has a great reputation in field hockey, it is one of the best jobs in the country," said Holmes-Winn, a three-time All-American in field hockey and a two-time Big 10 Athlete of the Year. "It really fits into my philosophy of combining academics and athletics."
Having had the chance to work with the Tigers this spring for 10 practices and two tournaments, Holmes-Winn is already feeling comfortable in her new environment.
"I'm so impressed with Princeton from the administration to the people I've met on the street, everyone has been so welcoming," added Holmes-Winn, a native of Bridgewater, Mass. who is married to Matt Winn, a former baseball player at Iowa. "The athletes here are so bright and funny. They have a passion and enthusiasm that I really admire."
The Tigers will need all of that passion and enthusiasm as they start three-a-day preseason practices this week to get ready for the season opener against Virginia on September 5 at the Class of 1952 Stadium.
"We don't have a lot of time, we have to make sure that we attend to details," said Holmes-Winn, who came to Princeton from Champion's Edge, Inc., a company she helped start, which holds clinics and camps to help improve the quality of instruction for field hockey players at the middle school and high school levels.
"They picked up things so quickly this spring. It's not a bad thing to have a short time to get ready. If you think you have a lot of time, you can lose a sense of urgency."
Holmes-Winn will be drawing on a wealth of international experience as she looks to get the Tigers up to speed, having played on the national team from 1994-98 and 2000 and currently serving as the head coach of the U.S. Under-16 team and on the staff for the national U-23 team.
"I've been on so many teams good and bad," explained Holmes-Winn. "I've been on teams that got along and teams that didn't. I have a lot of different resources to draw on. I'm a student of the game, I've taken in a lot of information. I think I have a feel of what's going to work for this group."
With her varied background, Holmes-Winn isn't worried about keeping up the tradition of a Tiger program that has won nine straight Ivy League titles and made four Final Four appearances. "I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity," asserted Holmes-Winn. "I feel confident and very excited. I'm a positively oriented person, I don't worry about what has happened in the past."
Although that doesn't mean that she can't learn from what happened in 1996.
