Northwestern Extends National Champion Field Hockey Coach Tracey Fuchs

The three-time Big Ten Coach of the Year has inked a new deal with Northwestern.

Northwestern field hockey head coach Tracey Fuchs holds the National Championship trophy on November 24, 2024. | Photo: Ayelet Prottas/Northwestern Athletics

Fresh off her fourth consecutive NCAA title game appearance and second National Championship, Northwestern field hockey head coach Tracey Fuchs has agreed to an extension to stay in Evanston.

Fuchs, the winningest coach in program history, has compiled a 240-102 record at the Wildcats' helm. She has led the 'Cats to 15 winning campaigns in 16 seasons since she was hired in 2009 and has combined for a remarkable 82-13 record since 2021.

In 2024, Fuchs led Northwestern to a nearly flawless 23-1 record that culminated in the Wildcats' second National Championship, a 5-0 win over Saint Joseph's. During the 2021 Championship run, Northwestern ran the table with four consecutive wins and defeated Liberty, 2-0 in the title match.

"As one of the best players to every play the sport, Tracey was referred to as 'The Michael Jordan of Field Hockey,' and rightly so," Athletic Director Mark Jackson said in a press release on Tuesday. "As a head coach, Tracey Fuchs is simply 'The Tracey Fuchs of Head Coaches.' It's easy to point to the on-field success – the four consecutive championship games, and, most recently, her second national championship this past season – as justification for this long-term extension. But Tracey's leadership has such a deeper, more profound impact on our entire community."

"Her energy, enthusiasm, intelligence and her willingness to mentor and support others, including myself, separate her as just a phenomenal person," Jackson continued. "We could have no other way for Tracey to finish her career than as a Northwestern Wildcat and we are beyond excited to make this commitment."

Fuchs played field hockey at UConn, where she was a three-time All-American and helped the Huskies win the 1985 NCAA Championship. After coaching as an assistant at her alma mater, Fuchs was on the Michigan staff that won the 2001 title before joining Northwestern in 2009.

The head coach has also been a key member of the United States National Team as both a player and coach. Fuchs was an assistant on the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics team.