When it comes to veteran coaches at UMass Dartmouth, Marilyn Ritz holds the record
for most total years of service. Combining her 16 years as softball coach and 16
years in field hockey gives her 32 seasons behind the bench for the Corsairs, the
most by any woman coach at UMass Dartmouth.
Since taking over the field hockey program at then-SMU in 1984, Ritz has compiled
a 129-88-18 record during her 16-year career. In her second season, her team qualified
for its first post-season invitation in seven years when the Corsairs appeared in
the MAIAW Tournament in 1985 and again in 1986. Ritz�s Corsairs also appeared in
the ECAC Tournament for the first time in school history in 1987, in 1990 as the
#1 seed, and in 1994 and 1996. UMass Dartmouth teams captured the ECAC North Regional
championship in 1992 and 1994.
Competing in the Little East Conference during the 1998 season, UMass Dartmouth finished
3-1 and tied for first place and were seeded second in the first LEC championship
field hockey tournament. UMass Dartmouth posted a 7-7 overall record in 1999 and
a 1-3 record for fourth place in the LEC.
A member of the United States Field Hockey Association and the National Field Hockey
Coaches Association (NFHCA), Ritz has been very active within collegiate field hockey
circles, serving on several NCAA, ECAC and NFHCA committees. Her service to the
NCAA includes two three-year terms on the NCAA Field Hockey Regional Advisory Committee,
three years on the ECAC Field Hockey selection and seeding committee and another
three years on the ECAC Division III Field Hockey Championship Committee. Ritz has
also served on the NFHCA Regional All-America Committee.
Prior to joining the coaching ranks at UMass Dartmouth, Ritz coached softball and
women's basketball at Bristol Community College from 1979 until 1982. Her BCC women's
basketball team competed in the NJCAA Regional Tournament in 1979.
