Entering his ninth season as the head coach of American University women's field hockey, Steve Jennings continues to build on the foundation of success he laid in 1999. Having established himself as one of the nation's premier coaches, Jennings constantly earns both the respect of his players and peers, being named Patriot League Coach of the Year three times since joining the league in 2001. In 2006, his squad won its fourth consecutive Patriot League Championship, earning its fourth straight berth into the NCAA Tourney. For the second season in a row, Jennings had three All-America selections (Camila Infante, Denise Infante, Irene Schickhardt), mixed with an impressive five All-Region and All-Patriot League selections. Under his guidance, the 2006 graduating class went undefeated in Patriot League play in each of its four seasons. Jennings owns an overall career mark of 104-49[.680]. Off the turf and in the classroom, the Eagles proved to be just as successful. As a team, Jennings' squad ranked second in the nation in the NFHCA Top Team GPA Award, naming 13 players to the national academic squad. Four-year starter Heidi Hershberger was named Patriot League Woman of the Year and the PL Field Hockey Scholar- Athlete of the Year, with 17 Eagles placing on the conference's Academic Honor Roll. Hershberger and Jennings' combined success didn't stop there, with the standout forward earning First Team Academic All-America honors and First Team Academic All-District. Hershberger became the first field hockey player in AU history to earn First Team Academic All-America. 2005 was Jennings' most successful as a coach, as he led the Eagles to a 20-2 record, the most wins in program history, with their only two losses coming against eventual National Champion Maryland. AU's .909 winning percentage was third best in all of Division I as the Eagles captured their third consecutive Patriot League crown and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 3-2 win over Penn State. At one point in the season the Eagles were ranked fourth in the NFHCA Coaches Poll, the highest ever, with American finishing the season sixth. Under Jennings' guidance the Eagles were ranked first in the NCAA in margin of victory, outscoring opponents by an average of 2.68 goals per game in 2005. AU's 3.90 goals per game was second in the country, with their 1.22 goals per game allowed finishing seventh in all of Division I. Senior Javiera Villagra became the team's first two-time First Team All-American and the program's only three-time All-American. Senior Maureen Daniel, a Second Team All-America selection, was the Patriot League's Scholar-Athlete of the Year in addition to being named PL Defensive Player of the Year. Junior Camila Infante earned Second Team All-American honors while being named ECAC Division I Player of the Year and Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year. Jennings, the Patriot League Coach of the Year, also saw freshman Irene Schickhardt earn the 2005 PL Co-Rookie of the Year award. In 2004 Jennings was named as NFHCA Division I National Coach of the Year after guiding the program to the team's most successful season up to that point. The Eagles finished the year with a 19-3 overall record while finishing seventh in the NFHCA poll. 2004 saw the Eagles garner their first NCAA Tournament victory, a 2-1 win over Iowa in the opening round. The Eagles were perfect in the Patriot League for the second consecutive season, outscoring conference opponents by a 25-5 margin in the regular season. Junior Javiera Villagra was named First Team All-America, with Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year Camila Infante capturing Second Team All-America honors. Freshman Maggie Hall was named the Patriot League Rookie of the Year. In 2003, the Eagles finished the season ranked ninth in the country on the NCAA Field Hockey Ratings Percentage Index. Named DITA/NFHCA Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year and the Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2003, Jennings led his team to its first-ever Patriot League Championship and the team's first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament. Academically, the AU field hockey team placed third on the NFHCA's Academic Team list with a 3.37 grade point average. Bringing in eight new players in 2003, including two international standouts, Jennings led his team to a 17-4 overall record and a 6-0 Patriot League record. Playing some top teams in the nation (Maryland, Richmond and Duke), the Ea- gles were recognized on the STX/NFHCA Division I Coaches Poll Top-20 for the final five weeks of the season. Villagra became the program's third All-American, as well as a member of the STX/NFHCA Division I All-Region First Team. Joining Villagra on the All-Region First Team was another newcomer, freshman Camila Infante, who was also honored by the Patriot League as the Rookie of the Year for her eight goals and 11 assists. Outside of American, Jennings has been involved in U.S. Field Hockey at the national level, serving as an assistant coach in both 2006 and 2007, helping the U.S. Women's National Team earn bids to the World Cup. Most recently, Jennings served as an assistant coach in the 2007 Pan Am Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The United States claimed the silver medal after falling 4-2 to No. 2 world-ranked Argentina. He will remain on the sidelines as the U.S. prepares to play in one of three Olympic Qualifying Tournaments next year in either Baku, Azerbaijan (April 12-20), Kazan, Russia (April 19-27) or Vancouver, B.C. (April 26-May 4). Former AU field hockey standouts Javiera Villagra and Camila Infante figured significantly for the Chilean National Team throughout the tournament. Jennings was also a member of the National Team's coaching staff in 2001 and 2002, helping the United States earn the bid for the World Cup. In November 2002, he traveled to Perth, Australia, where the United States finished ninth out of 16 teams at the World Cup. Jennings has also coached the national team at the Championships Challenge in South Africa and more recently in Virginia Beach along with the World Cup Qualifier in England. His other destinations with the national team have been Holland, Germany, New Zealand, India, Argentina, Chile and Italy. No stranger to competition himself, Jennings is considered one of the finest U.S. field hockey players. Jennings began his career playing with the Greenwich Field Hockey Club in New York. In 1987 he was selected for the U.S. Junior National Team and participated in the 1989 Junior World Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia. He was a member of the U.S. Men's National Team from 1991 to 1999 and participated in 91 international test matches. He represented the United States in the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, where he was vice captain of the team. Jennings took a bronze medal in the 1995 Pan American Games and helped the United States to fifth place in the 1999 Pan American Games. He also participated in eight United States Olympic Festivals and won three gold and two silver medals. In addition, he was the first U.S. athlete to compete in the highest Dutch club division. Jennings was a member of the Athlete Representation to the U.S. Field Hockey Association Board from 1993 to 2000 and chaired a clinic on video analysis at the 1999 and 2000 NCAA Field Hockey Final Fours. A native of Bethesda, Md., having attended Walter Johnson High School, Jennings went on to graduate from the University of Maryland with a bachelor's degree in psychology.