Western Reserve Academy

Maria Russell begins her sixth year coaching field hockey and her first at Western Reserve Academy. Most recently, she served as an assistant coach at Roanoke College. Her coaching experience also includes three seasons at Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati and one at Laurel School in Cleveland.

A Hudson, OH, native, Coach Russell played field hockey at Ohio University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education and a master’s in Administration. As a Bobcat, she was a standout forward, leading the team in goals and earning numerous conference and team accolades, including First-Team All-MAC honors and MAC Offensive Player of the Week awards. She was also a consistent Academic All-MAC Team member and received the Presidential Academic Award in 2017.

Coach Russell’s impressive college career included helping her team reach three MAC tournaments and finishing with 32 goals and 9 assists. Her achievements were recognized with several awards, including the Gladiator Award and a place on the ZAG Field Hockey DI National Academic Squad.