After a month of searching, Michigan State has named Tamara Durante as the head coach of its field hockey program. Durante is the 10th head coach in program history.
“It is an honor to be named the head field hockey coach at Michigan State,” Durante said. “Having served as associate head coach, I know firsthand how special this community is and what it means to be a Spartan… We are going to build a culture of grit and integrity that honors the Spartans who came before us as we relentlessly chase excellence in the Big Ten.”
Durante succeeds Hellen Knull who resigned after 15 seasons as head coach. Durante spent the last 11 seasons with MSU field hockey, serving as the associate head coach for the last eight seasons. She arrived as an assistant coach in 2015 and spent three years in that role.
“She’s a widely respected coach across the country with experience as a national coach for USA Field Hockey and her service on the NFHCA Board of Directors,” MSU Vice President and Director of Athletics J Batt said. “Beyond her 11 seasons of experience on the Spartan sideline, she has a vision to move Michigan State field hockey forward. We look forward to watching her develop the young women in the program both on and off the field.”
Durante has extensive coaching experience, having coached USA Field Hockey since 2002. She has coached international tournaments and led teams to gold and bronze medals in junior field hockey.
Prior to MSU, Durante spent 10 seasons at Yale as an assistant coach (2005-10), before being promoted to associate head coach (2010-14). She placed an emphasis on goalkeeper recruitment, helping the Bulldogs to an Ivy League title in 2011. Durante was an assistant coach at Ohio University from 2001-04 when the team won the MAC Championship in 2001.
Durante was a five-year starter for the University of Alberta field hockey team, graduating in 2000 after leading the team to multiple national tournament podium finishes.
The last time MSU field hockey won a Big Ten title was in 2013, when it won the conference tournament.
