In 2007, Sharpe led Springfield to a 21-4 overall record, and its fourth straight New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference tournament title, and eventually a spot in the Elite Eight before falling to Salisbury, 2-1.
In 2006, Melissa's squad finished 17-6. That included its third straight NEWMAC tournament title and NCAA Division III post-season tournament appearance.
A year before, the 2005 squad finished the year with a mighty impressive 21-3 record. Before bowing out by falling in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III Tournament, SC had won 10 straight at season's end. That included a NEWMAC Tournament championship.
In her debut as head coach, Sharpe led the Pride to a 19-4 record for which she was tabbed with both NEWMAC Coach of the Year and New England East Region Coach of the Year honors. Sweeping the NEWMAC regular-season and post-season titles, SC earned its fourth berth into the NCAA Tournament at the time.
Before taking the helm, Sharpe served under long-time head coach Dottie Zenaty for two seasons while pursuing a master's degree in athletic administration. Prior to her tenure as a coach, she enjoyed one of the most productive careers in SC field hockey history. She remains SC's second all-time leading scorer with 128 points (59 goals, 10 assists). As a senior team captain in 2001, Sharpe was an NFHCA/STX First-Team All-American after leading all of Division III in goals (28), while finishing second in points (62). She was also the NEWMAC Player of the Year and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Co-Player of the Year in 2001.
Sharpe's playing career coincided with an incredibly successful era in the program's history. A four-year letter winner from 1998 to 2001, she sparked the Pride to an 80-22 record (an average of 20 wins per season), two trips to the NCAA Division III Tournament, and a pair of NEWMAC championships in 1999 and 2000. Sharpe helped the Pride to the Division III national semifinals as a sophomore in 1999. In her junior season, she helped propel SC to the 2000 national championship match, where the Pride dropped a heartbreaking 1-0 decision to William Smith.
Sharpe was awarded a bachelor's degree in sport management in May of 2002. She also currently serves as an instructor in the physical education department.
Antosik will begin her second season on the sidelines for the Pride in 2012.
Rein joins the Springfield College field hockey staff after coaching stints with Keene State and Connecticut College during the previous two seasons. She is pursuing her master’s in Athletic Administration after earning an undergraduate degree in Physical Education from Springfield in 2009. After a breakout senior year on Springfield’s field hockey team in which she led the team with 34 points, Rein was selected to the Longstreth/NFHCA Division III All-America Second Team, the ECAC Division III Regional All Star team, and the All-NEWMAC First Team.
After eight years as head coach of the Pride, Melissa Sharpe, has continued the SC tradition of winning on the field hockey turf, posting an impressive 120-58 record, good for a winning percentage of .674 at the helm of her alma mater. Read more.