Diane Madl Position: Head Coach Experience: Sixth Season Alma Mater: Connecticut '89

Diane Madl embarks on her sixth season as head coach of the Providence College field hockey program in 2007. She was introduced to the Friar community as the sixth head coach in program history on February 4, 2002.

In just five years, Madl and her staff proved that they had the perfect blueprint to rebuild a program - and the Friars reaped the benefits in 2006 with a BIG EAST Conference Regular-Season Championship and an overall record of 18-4. Providence's 18 wins in 2006 are tied for the second most in program history, while the Friars' five wins in the BIG EAST mark the most all-time for PC in a single season (5-1). Providence made its debut in the STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches' Poll on September 12th with a ranking of No. 16 and remained in the national poll for nine-consecutive weeks, including seven-straight weeks in the top-15. PC was ranked 11th in the last two weeks of the season, including the final poll which was released on November 7. The Friars posted an impressive 5-3 record in 2006 versus nationally ranked teams.

With the team's great success in 2006, countless individual accolades rolled in for the Friars. Madl was named BIG EAST Conference Coach of the Year, Dita/NFHCA Division I Northeast Region Coach of the Year and Words Unlimited Coach of the Year. She helped to develop five All-BIG EAST selections, including three First-Team honorees. The three First-Team selections mark the most in program history in a single-season, while the five selections in all are tied for the most in program history. The Friars also had five team members named to the All-Northeast Region Squad, including three First-Team selections. Senior captain Lauren Sickel (Plaistow, N.H.) and freshman goalkeeper Rachel Chamberlain (Branford, Conn.) became the first All-America selections for Providence in the sport of field hockey since 1997 as members of the NFHCA Division I All-America Third Team. The duo became just the seventh and eighth All-America selections in program history, and Chamberlain was one of just two freshmen in the nation to earn All-America honors. She also was named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, marking the first time a Providence goalie has won the post-season award.

Madl has coached nine players who have earned All-BIG EAST honors a total of 13 times, eight players who have earned STX/NFHCA Division I All-Northeast Region recognition a total of 13 times and two NFHCA Division I All-America selections. The Friars' success also has been rewarded in the classroom. Madl has coached 13 athletes who have earned NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad honors a total of 26 times, including three student-athletes who earned the recognition during each of their four years at Providence. Additionally, Madl has coached 28 student-athletes who have earned BIG EAST Academic All-Star accolades a total of 52 times. In five years at the helm, Madl has coached 100 games and has posted a record of 50-50. She enters the 2007 campaign ranked third all-time in wins behind Jackie Barto (163-93-22) and Kate Denning (56-46-4). Denning roamed the sidelines from 1979-84, while Barto coached the team from 1985-97.

On December 7, 2006, Providence College Athletic Director Robert G. Driscoll announced that he extended Madl's contract through the the fall of 2010.

"Diane has done a fantastic job rebuilding our field hockey program, and we are thrilled that we have been able to keep her in the Friar family," Driscoll said. "With the support of our President, Father Shanley, the College has shown that its commitment to the field hockey program is strong. Diane is undoubtedly one of the top coaches in the country. Given her level of success as a head coach, she was a person of interest in several other searches at high profile institutions, and we couldn't be happier that Providence College is where she has chosen to make her home."

Madl came to PC after spending eight seasons as the assistant coach at the Maine (1993-2001). In 1995, Madl took a year off from coaching to play for the 1996 United States Olympic Field Hockey Team in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a 1989 graduate of the University of Connecticut. While at UConn, the Huskies captured the 1985 Division I NCAA National Championship. During her career she earned All-America and Academic All-America honors for field hockey. She also played basketball for the Huskies from 1986-88. As a senior at UConn in 1989, Madl earned the prestigious Honda Broderick Award, as the top collegiate field hockey player in the nation, and also was named New England Female Athlete of the Year. Madl graduated from Connecticut magna cum laude, with a bachelor's degree in business administration.

As a member of the U.S. National Team, Madl played in the Olympic Games (Atlanta, Georgia - 1996), Inter-Continental Cup, World Cup, Pan American Games and World University Games. She also has been involved in the National Futures Program as a head coach and has served as a selector for the U.S. National Team. She served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee for the U.S. Field Hockey Association as the Vice President for High Performance.

Madl served as the camp director for Providence College Field Hockey Day Camps in 2003 and 2004. She is now the owner and director of Circle To Circle Field Hockey Camps, LLC, which she launched in 2005. During the summer of 2006, Madl added a team camp to her Circle to Circle summer circuit. The camp is designed to not only provide comprehensive field hockey instruction, but also to work on team building and team concepts. She also developed a coaching clinic for high school field hockey coaches in the region.

Madl remains active with U.S. Field Hockey on several levels. She was selected to coach one of the three U.S. under-19 teams that competed in the USA/Canadian Challenge Cup in the summer of 2005, and was an assistant coach for the Northeast Region High Performance Training Center Team in 2006 and 2007. During the spring of 2007, Madl was selected as an assistant coach for the U.S. under-16 Olympic Development Select/Futures Elite Team that competed at the International Easter Tournament held in Holland. She also has been active at Futures Development Invitational Camp and "B"-camp.

Madl is a native of Mountaintop, Pa., where she starred in field hockey, basketball and softball at Crestwood High School. She is the daughter of Ruth Ann and David Madl.