RHODE ISLAND FIELD HOCKEY COACHES ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES HILLARY SWITZER 2017 COACH OF THE YEAR (DIVISION 1)
HILARY SWITZER
St. Mary Academy ??? Bay View Field Hockey coach, Hilary Switzer, was named the Division I 2017 Coach of the Year by the Rhode Island Field Hockey Coaches Association (RIFHCA) at the RIFHCA awards ceremony on November 15, 2017. ????
The Bay View Bengals finished the 2016-2017 season with the best record in many years under the leadership of Coach Switzer (7W-10L). When she took over the program in 2014, the Bengals had had a winless season the year prior; now in her third year Coach Switzer has taken the program to fifth place in Division I and the fifth seed in the RI Interscholastic 2017 League (RIIL) Playoffs. ??
In response to being named Coach of the Year, Switzer stated, ???It is an honor to be recognized for something I love to do.?? Coaching is something that has been a part of my entire adult life, and I wouldn???t know what to do otherwise.?? I am thankful that I get to work with student athletes who want to learn and have passion for what they do.?? Finishing the season in 5th place this year and making it to playoffs ??was a team effort from the athletes, my Assistant Coach Meg Voyer, AD Jen Wasson, and the Bay View community.?? I am proud to be named the Division I 2017 Coach of the Year.???
In addition to coaching Field Hockey, Switzer is a Physical Education teacher and the coach for the Lacrosse and Swim Teams at Bay View.?? She is a resident of Woonsocket, RI.
Switzer has been coaching in the RIIL league for ten years. She graduated from Woonsocket High School where she played field hockey with the team that was Division II Champions in 2003, 2004, 2005, and Division II State Champions in 2004.
In 2008, she became the assistant Field Hockey coach at Woonsocket High and ascended to Head Coach for the 2009-2014 seasons while attending RI College (RIC) and playing Lacrosse for RIC.?? Simultaneously, she joined the Cumberland High School Lacrosse coaching staff in 2010, and was the head coach for the 2015 and 2016 seasons before becoming the head coach for Lacrosse at Bay View. ????
Jennifer Wasson, Bay View???s Athletic Director praised Switzer, saying, ???Over the last three seasons it has been fun watching Coach Switzer build and establish a very competitive Division I Field Hockey Program in Rhode Island. We are truly blessed to have her leadership and commitment not only to athletics but also for the St. Mary Academy Bay View community. She takes great pride in developing strong, confident and skilled young women on and off the field. Coach Switzer has earned the respect of her peers, and we are excited she has been recognized as the RIFHCA 2017 Coach of the Year. I am grateful she is our teammate; we are fortunate to have someone of her talents guiding and leading three programs at St. Mary Academy-Bay View.”
Joining Switzer at the podium for awards at the RIFHCA awards ceremony on November 15, 2017, at the Crowne Plaza were Bengals players:
Division I 1st Team All Division: Emily Levesque, (Cranston)
Division I 2nd Team All Division: Caitlyn Bowles, (Cranston)
Division I 3rd Team All Division: ??Natalie Noland, (East Greenwich)
Division I Honorable Mention: Kendall Duprey, (Cranston)
All Division All Academic Team: (GPA unweighted of 3.5 or higher): ??Annie Bianchi (North Kingstown), Caitlyn Bowles (Cranston), ??Sydney Ellis (East Greenwich), Grace Hagberg (Cranston), Natalie Noland and Paige Noland (East Greenwich)
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St. Mary Academy – Bay View is an independent Catholic School for girls open to all faiths, Pre-kindergarten through Grade 12, located in East Providence, Rhode Island and sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy. In existence since 1874, Bay View endeavors to provide a quality education preparing girls and young women for the challenges of the global community. St. Mary Academy – Bay View is a college preparatory school accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
About the Sisters of Mercy: ??The Sisters of Mercy ??? an international community of Roman Catholic women ??? dedicate their lives to God through vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and service.?? For more than 180 years, motivated by the Gospel of Jesus and inspired by the spirit of their founder, Catherine McAuley, the Sisters of Mercy have responded to the continually changing needs of the time.