September 14, 2006 Issue                                       

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©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Germantown Friends School field hockey team inspired by new coach

Dana Griffin, the new field hockey coach for GFS, played Division I field hockey for Lehigh University.

The Germantown Friends School varsity field hockey team is ready for a strong season under their new head coach Dana Griffin. Griffin played Division I hockey at Lehigh University in the highly competitive Patriot League. She was a cornerstone of their defensive unit as a four-year starter. GFS girls’ athletic director Pam Lutz said, “Dana will make an immediate impact on the hockey program, drawing from her recent playing experiences and vast field hockey knowledge.”

Having worked with the Tigers through their pre-season practices and scrimmages, Griffin commented, “It’s a great group of athletes. They’re very perceptive. If I give them a small correction, I see the results immediately.” Of GFS, she said, “Everyone’s willing to give you what you need to make the program successful.”

Griffin earned a B.A. in psychology at Lehigh and draws on that background in her coaching. She has learned that “not every athlete is the same, so I approach athletes as individuals.” She also emulates the style of her Division I coaches in a way that matches the Friends Schools League: “They were demanding, but they understood that the athletes faced academic pressures as well.”

Griffin attended Monmouth Regional High School in New Jersey, where she lettered in four sports.

The Tigers face Springside at home on September 15 and will be looking to repeat last year’s victory. GFS begins League play at Friends Central on Sept. 26. Dana Griffin is poised to lead the Tigers back into the playoffs and even on to the championship.