Kathleen Schanne enters her second season as head coach of Golden Flashes. She became Kent State’s sixth head coach in school history, in February of 2006, bringing six years of experience as an assistant coach in the Mid-American Conference.

Entering her eighth season as a coach in the MAC, the decision to welcome back Schanne was an easy one for Athletic Director Laing Kennedy because of her outstanding recruiting and administrative talent as well as her on-field tactical ability. In 2007, she looks to help the Golden Flashes turn the corner and head back towards their elite standing from her days as a graduate assistant at KSU.

Schanne claimed her first career victory as a head coach, Sept. 10, 2006, when the Flashes defeated Colgate, 3-2, at Murphy Mellis Field. She went on to lead the Flashes to a MAC Tournament semifinal appearance in just her first season.

Schanne returned to Kent State after a four-year stint as an assistant coach at Miami University (Ohio). During her time with the RedHawks, she served as the recruiting coordinator, bringing a total of 17 players to Miami in just two seasons. In her final season at Miami, many of those same recruits helped the RedHawks advance to the MAC Tournament championship game.

Prior to Miami, Schanne spent two seasons with the Golden Flashes, as a graduate assistant (2000-01) while completing her master’s degree in education. During her tenure at Kent State she helped guide the team to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances, one MAC Tournament title and one MAC regular season championship. She was also heavily involved in Kent State’s recruiting efforts as well as the academic progress of the team.

Before her first stint at Kent State, Schanne spent two seasons coaching at both Notre Dame Academy in Villanova, Pa., and at her alma mater, Archbishop Carroll High School, in Newtown Square, Pa.

In addition to her collegiate and high school experience, Schanne spent time at the national level coaching at the USA-Canada Challenge Cup during the summers of 2005 and 2006. The U.S. Under-21 team went 4-0 in 2006 to capture the Can-Am Cup.

Schanne was selected to coach at the Junior Olympics in the summer of 2007. She also has coached in the National Futures Program for the past seven years.

A 1997 graduate of Providence College, Schanne earned a degree in social science and was a member of the field hockey team. She was named to the All-Big East Second Team as a junior and was named to the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll in 1995. She served as team captain her senior season and was selected to play in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association’s Senior All-Star Game.