Jan. 11, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - Marisa Didio, one of the most respected collegiate field hockey coaches in the country, returns to the helm at Northwestern. The announcement was made today by Wildcat athletic director Rick Taylor. Didio replaces Diane Loosbrock, who stepped down as head coach in November after two seasons.
?We couldn?t be more pleased to have Marisa back at NU,? said Taylor. ?She is synonymous with field hockey success and will, once again, make a positive impact on our program. Marisa brings with her tremendous leadership skills and national respect. She is a true winner in every aspect of coaching.?
Didio guided Northwestern to four NCAA berths, two No. 1 rankings in the national poll and an NCAA semifinal appearance during her previous tenure from 1990-94. She compiled a 60-31-5 overall mark in that span and her 1994 squad went 15-4-1, won the Big Ten title and reached the Final Four. In 1993, the ?Cats put together a 12-6-1 record and advanced to the second round of the NCAAs. Didio?s 1990 and 1991 teams also qualified for NCAA competition and combined for a 27-10-2 mark. For her efforts, she was named the 1994 Big Ten Coach of the Year and the 1993 Midwest Regional Coach of the Year. At NU, Didio produced 12 All-Americans and two Honda Cup finalists, including Gretchen Scheuermann who won the award in 1994.
?The return to Northwestern has been churning inside of me,? said Didio. ?My heart is beating, pounding with emotion for NU. The decision to return is the right thing, a good thing. I?m anxious to embrace the field hockey athletes and surround the program with the ?want-to? qualities in people I?m looking for.
?Without question, the leadership of Rick Taylor brought me back. To see the accelerated growth and committed development in Northwestern athletics over the past five years is a tremendous statement to his leadership.
?My only promise is that I will devote my work to the definition and importance of being a Northwestern student-athlete. My focus is the sport, both at NU and in the midwest, as well as how as women they represent themselves through athletics.?
For the past three years, Didio served as the head coach at Yale University. She directed the Elis to a school-record 15 wins in 1998, a second-place Ivy League finish and the ECAC championship crown.
Prior to NU, Didio spent six years at her alma mater, New Hampshire, where her squads posted an 84-25-9 record and qualified for NCAA postseason play each year. Her most successful season at UNH was 1986, when the Wildcats finished 17-3 and advanced to the finals of the national tournament. Didio also coached the New Hampshire lacrosse program from 1983-85, capturing the NCAA crown in 1985 and earning Division I Coach of the Year accolades. Before joining the New Hampshire staff, Didio spent three and one-half years at Tufts University where she was head coach of the field hockey and lacrosse programs.
Didio has extensive experience coaching at the national and international levels, as well. She was an assistant coach for the 1988 and 1996 U.S. Olympic teams and directed the West team to a gold medal at the 1991 U.S. Olympic Festival.
A 1978 UNH graduate, Didio was a standout on the Wildcat field hockey and lacrosse teams. A member of the school?s hall of fame, she played on the U.S. National Field Hockey squad from 1978-80 and was a member of the U.S. National Lacrosse team in 1978.
DIDIO AT A GLANCE
BORN: August 28, 1956
HOMETOWN: Lynnfield, Mass.
COLLEGE: New Hampshire, 1978
DEGREE: Bachelor?s Degree in Physical Education
AS A PLAYER
? Field Hockey and Lacrosse, University of New Hampshire, 1974-78
? U.S. National Field Hockey Team, 1978-80
? U.S. National Lacrosse Team, 1978
HEAD COACHING EXPERIENCE
? Yale University, 1997-99
? Northwestern University, 1990-94
? University of New Hampshire, 1983-90 (Field Hockey), 1983-85 (Lacrosse)
? Tufts University, 1979-83 (Field Hockey and Lacrosse)
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
? United States Field Hockey Association, 1995-96
? Assistant Olympic Team Coach
? Assistant National Team Coach
? National Elite Teams Selection Committee, 1995-96
? United States Field Hockey Association, 1986-88
? Assistant Olympic Team Coach
? Assistant National Team Coach
HIGHLIGHTS
? 204-96-21(.668) overall record in 19 years as a field hockey head coach
? 1998 ECAC Champion (Yale)
??1994 Big Ten Champion (Northwestern)
? 1994 NCAA Semifinalist (Northwestern)
? 1994 Big Ten Coach of the Year (Northwestern)
? 1986 NCAA Runner-up (New Hampshire)
? 1985 NCAA Champion, Lacrosse (New Hampshire)
? 1985 NCAA Division I Coach of the Year
? 10 NCAA Tournament Appearances (Northwestern, 1990-91, 1993-94 & New Hampshire, 1983-87, 1989)