(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption: NEW VOICE: New Stuart Country Day field hockey head coach Katie Grant makes a point in a scrimmage last week. Grant, a former field hockey star for Duke University, is taking the reins from Missy Bruvik, who is remaining with the program as an assistant coach.

Grant Applying Lessons Learned at Duke In Taking Helm of Stuart Field Hockey

Bill Alden

After finishing a stellar field hockey career at Duke University and graduating in 2006, Katie Grant headed overseas to continue her playing career.

Initially, Grant's goal was to play herself onto the U.S. national team. But the Lehighton, Pa. native came to realize that it was time to pursue her long-term goals of coaching.

Returning to the states, Grant started working with the U.S. Field Hockey futures program and learned through the grapevine that the Stuart Country Day School was looking for a head coach.

Grant jumped at the chance and got the job. Late last month, Grant hit the field with the Tartans, starting the formidable task of following legendary head coach Missy Bruvik, who guided the Tartans to a slew of titles in her career, including the last two Mercer County titles.

Bruvik's 2006 season was one of her best as she guided Stuart to an 18-1-1 mark, setting a program record for single-season wins as the Tartans advanced to the state Prep final in addition to winning the county crown.

Bruvik will be on hand to help ease the transition, having reduced her role to assistant coach in order to have time to watch her daughter, Missy, play field hockey at Bucknell, and her son, Ryan, play soccer at Hun.

While Grant acknowledges that she is a coaching neophyte, she believes her youth can be an advantage.

"I've been a player recently so I'm up on things from that standpoint," said Grant, who was the 2005 ACC Offensive Player of the year in her senior season while playing for former Princeton University head coach Beth Bozman. "I do all the running with the girls and I scrimmage with them. I've played for a lot of great coaches and I take from that. I learn what has worked best for me."

The enthusiastic Grant is relishing the chance to work with Bruvik. "It's been really, really good; she's been a legend at Stuart and she is a wonderful person" said Grant, who took part in one of the really heartbreaking moments in recent Princeton field hockey history when she helped Duke to a 2-1 double overtime win over the Tigers in the 2005 NCAA tournament. "It's good to have her as a mentor. She's such a leader and a motivator. She can mold me. We bring different things to the table; I think it's a good combination."

Grant believes that the combination of successful athletics and rigorous academics that she experienced at Duke will help her relate to the Stuart players. "I learned a work ethic there and how to balance things," said Grant. "These girls have a lot on their plate. They come to practice everyday and work hard. They want to win."

The Stuart players apparently are responding well to Grant's approach. "I think they are good with it," said Grant, whose team will open the season at Academy of New Church on September 7 and then host rival Princeton Day School on September 11. "They are very open-minded girls. I went to summer camp to say hello and they were so welcoming. The fact that Missy is still around is a big help."

Looking ahead to the 2007 season, Grant is happy that star junior attacker Jackie Gaudioso-Radvany is still around. "Jackie is very talented; she is a natural athlete and a natural hockey player," said Grant, who learned of the Stuart opening from Gaudioso-Radvany at a Futures camp. "She is a junior and that gives her more motivation to be a leader. Jackie has an important role. We have a strong senior class and she has people she can lean on."

Two of those seniors, Carys Johnson and Kate Alexandridis, will join Gaudioso-Radvany on attack along with junior Caroline Passano and sophomore Sarah Schulte. "Carys is so fast; she just opens up the defense," asserted Grant. "Kate Alexandridis, Sarah Schulte, and Caroline Passano are all looking good."

In the midfield, juniors Kate Wiles and Courtney Alexander and senior Kate Baker have caught their new coach's eye. "Kate Wiles and Courtney Alexander have been stepping up," said Grant. "Katie Baker is very good. She is fun to watch; she is very athletic."

The Stuart defense will be spearheaded by senior star Jenae Harrington together with Julia Farnum and Margaret Mackinson.

In goal, the Tartans will feature junior Clodah Coghlan and senior Nina Williams. "Clodah is looking good and so is Nina," added Grant. "Clodah did a lot of work over the summer to get better. They are pushing each other which is good."

With the season opener approaching, Grant is focused on pushing her squad to reach its potential.

"I think the girls have great potential; we'll take each game step-by-step," said Grant. "We need to keep improving. We improved a lot from the play day last Thursday to our scrimmage against Sayreville on Friday. We want to gradually improve and peak at the right time."

And it looks like Grant has picked the right time to get into coaching.

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