Rutgers Field Hockey Assistant Phil Edwards Honored with National Service Award

Rutgers' Phil Edwards Honored with A New Award

Rutgers Scarlet Knights | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The national field hockey community has officially recognized one of Rutgers University’s most influential coaching leaders. Phil Edwards joined the Scarlet Knights in May 2022 as the program’s Technical Director. He has been named the recipient of the 2025 NFHCA President’s Service Award.

Why the NFHCA President’s Service Award Matters for Rutgers Phil Edwards

As one of nine committee members, Edwards spent the year representing the collective voice of collegiate coaches across the country.

Congrats to #RUFH assistant coach Phil Edwards, who was recognized with the @NFHCA President’s Service Award!

He was recognized for his work on the NFHCA Video Exchange and Technology Committee

📰: https://t.co/5GszTxiXl6 pic.twitter.com/wtBq1HIESC

— Rutgers Field Hockey (@RUFieldHockey) January 16, 2026

Edwards was formally presented with the award during the NFHCA Coaches Appreciation and Awards Lunch at the annual NFHCA Convention in Florida.

Since arriving in Piscataway in May 2022, Edwards has played a central role in Rutgers’ rise as a Big Ten contender. He recently completed his fourth season with the Scarlet Knights, during which the program has recorded 41 wins, including 17 regular-season Big Ten victories.

During the 2025 season, Rutgers earned a ranked road win over No. 16 UConn and suffered losses only to ranked opponents, with more than half of those defeats coming against NCAA Tournament teams. Puck Winter and Paulina Niklaus were named First Team All-Big Ten, while Winter earned Second Team All-American honors.

The 2024 season delivered several signature moments for the Scarlet Knights. Rutgers recorded ranked victories over No. 17 Penn State, No. 7 Iowa, No. 7 Ohio State, and No. 3 Ohio State during the Big Ten Tournament. That same season, Puck Winter completed her career as Rutgers’ all-time leader in defensive saves with 25. Meanwhile Paulina Niklaus added All-American honors, further elevating the program’s national profile.

Recent Milestones That Defined the Program

Edwards’ second season in 2023 marked one of the most historic years in Rutgers athletics. The team opened the season 15-0, the longest season-opening winning streak by any Rutgers program since the 1986–87 academic year.

The Scarlet Knights finished with 16 wins, the second-most in program history, defeated eight ranked teams, and remained nationally ranked every week. The season included a peak ranking of No. 3, a 6-2 Big Ten record, and the program’s best conference finish since joining the league. That year also produced a program-record six All-Region selections, five All-Big Ten honorees, and two All-Americans.

Before joining Rutgers, Edwards spent five years with USA Field Hockey as Senior Manager of Coaching and Performance. His work earned him the 2021 Team USA Coach Educator of the Year award. During that time, he developed coach education initiatives, built online certification programs, and fostered a collaborative coaching culture focused on leadership, sport science, performance analysis, and athlete development.

Edwards’ international experience includes serving as an assistant coach with the U.S. Women’s National Team, head coach of the U.S. Women’s U-21 National Team, and multiple roles within U.S. junior and men’s national team programs. He also worked as a performance analyst for the U.S. senior teams at the Pan American Games.

A 2005 graduate of Loughborough University, Edwards was a standout player and later earned a master’s degree in sport science from Nottingham Trent University. He holds multiple elite coaching and analysis certifications and is the founder of Path Coaching Company.

---

---

Stay up to date on the Scarlet Knights by bookmarking  Rutgers On SI.