Sports

Cash named NCAC Coach of the Year

Dedication and defensive fortitude paid off for the Kenyon field hockey team and head coach Robin Cash. The Ladies finished the 2004 season with a 14-5 record and a second-place finish in the North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC). Cash, who also guided the Ladies to a runner-up finish in the conference's championship tournament, capped off the campaign by earning the NCAC's Coach of the Year award.

Selected by her peers during the season-ending coaches' meeting, Cash collected the award for the first time in her three seasons with the Ladies. Her team's total of 14 wins matched the program's single-season record and represented a distinct improvement over the 2003 team's 7-10 mark.

Earlier this month, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) published a story on its Web site about Kenyon field hockey players' dedication and fortitude off the field and a courageous decision by Cash. When four members of the team had to wait up to ten hours to cast their votes on Election Day, the day before their semi-final game against Oberlin, they asked Cash whether they should leave the line to attend practice. Cash told them to stay and vote. Although practice was canceled, the team was victorious the following day.

Seven of Cash's players were selected to the 2004 All-NCAC team, including Caroline Graham, who was honored as the conference's Newcomer of the Year. Their awards were a direct reflection of the Ladies' rapid development, especially on the defensive end of the field. The Kenyon women registered five shutout victories and held opponents to an average of just 1.25 goals per game. The Ladies also put together a pair of six-game win streaks and beat every team in the conference at least once.

Cash now owns a 27-25 overall coaching record with the Ladies. She also serves as Kenyon's head women's lacrosse coach, a position she has held since 1998.