WELLS HIRED AS FIELD HOCKEY COACH
HOUGHTON, N.Y. –
Darlene Wells has been named the head coach
of the Houghton College field hockey program, Houghton athletics director
Skip Lord announced today.
Wells, a 1975 Houghton graduate, returns to
her alma mater after a highly successful career as a coach, administrator,
and physical educator on the high school level in New York and Florida.
In
addition to her Houghton coaching responsibilities, Wells will provide
guidance to area coaches and athletic directors as the Allegany County
Director for Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
“We are excited that Darlene has decided to
join the Houghton athletic department and lead our field hockey program,”
said Lord. “She has broad experience in coaching multiple sports and as a
physical educator and administrator, but most importantly, she has tangible,
practical experience in sports ministry. She will fit in well with the goals
and mission of our department.”
For the past eight years, Wells has been a
coach and teacher at Loudonville Christian School near Albany. She led the
volleyball program to a 101-45 mark, one league title, and one sectional
title. Her softball team has gone 70-37 during that span.
Wells spent more than 20 years at North
Florida Christian School in
Tallahassee,
Florida, where she coached both volleyball
and softball. She led the softball program to a 358-126 record, eight
district titles, six regional titles, four sectional titles, four state final
four appearances and four state runner-up finishes. As a volleyball coach,
Wells guided her squad to a 324-174 record, including five district titles
and four regional titles.
She is a five-time winner of the Florida
Athletic Coaches Association District 4 Softball Coach of the Year award and
a two-time winner of the FACA State Fast Pitch Softball Coach of the Year
award.
Though Wells does not have field hockey
coaching experience, Lord says her background in a variety of sports will
transfer well to learning and teaching the sport. “She is a coach by
profession. She is trained as a physical educator. She knows what is needed
to pick up the nuts and bolts of a specific sport,” said Lord. “Her
experience as an administrator will play well into working with other
independent and NAIA field hockey programs to pursue possible post-season
opportunities and gain recognition for our student-athletes.”
Her experience as a high school coach gives
her a unique view into the recruiting process and will assist her in that
part of the job, said Lord. “She knows well what high school players and
parents are looking for on the next level,” he added.
Wells has remained connected with the
Houghton athletic department throughout the years. She has regularly returned
to work at Houghton’s summer volleyball and basketball camps. These
experiences, and through her work as a
director at other camps, has Lord excited
about the possibility of Houghton hosting a field hockey camp in the future.
“After 30 years of teaching, I felt the Lord
moving me in this direction,” said Wells. “I’m looking forward to working
with a more mature student-athlete, who brings more focus, intensity, and
also spiritual depth. Though I’ve enjoyed teaching, I’m excited to move into
a position with a focus on coaching. It will be a challenge. It’s a whole new
experience.”
Wells was a two-sport varsity
standout in volleyball and basketball at Houghton College and also
participated in the club softball program. She was a four-year letter winner
in basketball and was named the team’s Most Valuable Player in her senior
year. She also lettered
for four years in volleyball and
was named to the Private College Athletic Conference All-Conference Team as a
senior.
Wells was honored by her peers
when she was presented with the Houghton College Senate Excellence in
Athletics Award and by the Athletic Department when she received the highest
award presented to a student-athlete: the Houghton College Sportsmanship
Award.
She was inducted into the
Houghton Athletics Hall of Honor in 1998.
She received her master’s
degree in education from Alfred University in 1979.
Wells is the ninth head coach since the
program began intercollegiate competition in 1975. Her father, George, was
the program’s first coach, leading the team for 12 seasons.
Wells takes over the coaching
responsibilities from Briana Burghardt,
who served as interim coach last fall, guiding
the team to an 11-4 record.
“We are thankful for the job Briana did in
the fall,” said Lord.
“Even as a young recent graduate, she was willing to step in and help us out.
Her record speaks for itself. We wish her the best as she moves on and looks
for a position that will allow her to pursue her career in elementary
education.”
