Danielle Collins has guided UNE field hockey to a 152-89 mark over 11 seasons as head coach since taking over in 2013 (no competition in 2020). The Nor'easters reached the conference tournament final in each of the first nine years under Collins, capturing five (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022) of the program's six championships. UNE has eight regular-season titles during her time, including all four (2013, 2016, 2021, 2022) of the program's perfect league campaigns, and has racked up an 95-11 CNE ledger (.896).
In 2023, despite a sub-.500 record, UNE authored its fourth and biggest victory over a nationally-ranked opponent, shutting out No.7 Tufts in overtime. In a similar 2024, the Nor'easters took down another ranked non-conference foe during the year, and made it back to the conference final (Collins' 10th, program's 12th), after beating the top seed in the semis.
The Nor'easters regained the CCC automatic qualifier in 2022 by going 6-0 in the regular season and defeating Endicott in overtime for the title. For the first time under Collins, UNE went on the road for the first round of the NCAA Championship.
With each previous conference crown came hosting rights for an opening-round contest in national tournament -- field hockey was the first program at the University to do so for an NCAA event. UNE won all those (4) home games to reach the second round of the bracket.
Collins has five CCC Coach of the Year honors to her credit (2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021). The Nor'easters posted a school-record 20-4 ledger in 2016 and ended the year ranked at No.19 in the national poll. UNE closed 2017 on the same line in the rankings, which was helped by the program's second-ever win over a nationally-rated foe, No.11 Bowdoin.
2013 featured the program's first-ever win over (No.18 MIT), and the second ECAC New England Championship title in team history. UNE's third-ever ranked victory, in 2021, also came against MIT (No.16).
Through 2023, her .650 overall winning percentage ranks 21st among
active coaches in Division III.
Check out this
June 2020 Spotlight on Collins...
Prior to UNE, Collins was a three-year assistant
at Brown University [
NCAA I], and spent one year as assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts Lowell [NCAA II]. During that year at UML, the River Hawks were Northeast-10 Conference regular-season champions and advanced to the national championship game.
The former standout player at the University of Vermont [NCAA I] was inducted into the Catamounts' Hall of Fame in 2018. Collins remains as the career leader in goals scored (48) and total points (121) for UVM, and was voted a third team all-America and America East Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2007. In addition, she earned all-conference accolades all four years and was twice voted all-region. Collins graduated in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in middle-level education.
Collins, who has served two
three-year terms as a member of the NCAA Regional Advisory Committee, holds a Level 2 coaching accreditation with USA Field Hockey and is a graduate of the Women's Coaching Academy.
The Walpole, Mass. native resides in Kennebunkport with her toddler son, Lucas.
CCC Coach of the Year (2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2021)
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