Kelly Shirk is in the third season of her second stint as an assistant coach for the Saint Anselm field hockey program in 2017.
Last season in 2016, the Hawks had their best season in program history, posting a 17-5 overall record while going 10-2 in the NE10 to earn the Regular Season Championship. They parlayed that into the program's first NE10 Championship appearance, NCAA Tournament appearance and first showing in the National Semifinals. As a member of the coaching staff, Shirk helped coach three NFHCA All-Americans in Elizabeth Alie, Katherine Sears and Erin Collins, while freshman Hannah Friend was named to the Synapse Sports All-Freshman Team. Alie was named the NE10 Defensive Player of the Year, while Sears earned Goalkeeper of the Year honors in the league.
In 2015, Shirk helped lead the Hawks to school records in wins (15) and conference victories (9) in a season, as the team went 15-4 overall and 9-3 in the Northeast-10. Ninth-ranked Saint Anselm was edged 2-1 by 10th-ranked Stonehill in the quarterfinals of the Northeast-10 Championship.
Shirk, then Kelly Whittemore, previously served as an assistant coach with the Hawks during the 2011 season. Shirk originally arrived on the Hilltop after playing for two years at Shippensburg (Pa.) University, including a Final Four appearance in 2008. Prior to that, she played four years of varsity field hockey and softball at ConVal High School.
Shirk, who has extensive coaching experience at Granite State Elite, local schools and summer camps, has been living and working in Pennsylvania over the last four years.
Shirk, who is a Certified Health Fitness Specialist, graduated from Shippensburg in 2011 with a degree in Exercise Science and minors in coaching and biology. She went on to earn her MA in Coaching and Athletic Administration in 2016 from Concordia University Irvine.
She currently resides in Manchester, N.H., with her husband, Ryan.
