By: Keene State College Athletics
KEENE, N.H.--Amy Watson, who over two stints as Keene State College field hockey coach, built the program into a perennial conference contender, has announced that she will retire at the end of the 2025 season.
"The decision to retire from a job you love is a difficult one, I consider myself fortunate to have found a career where this is the case," said Watson.
"I have worked with some amazing assistant coaches over the years who surrounded me and helped to create the successes we have had as a program. For me personally, the time is right to pass the torch. I am looking forward to the 2025 season and having the opportunity to work with this team one more time, to see if we can build on last year's momentum."
"In a word, Amy Watson is exceptional," said KSC President Melinda Treadwell. "She embodies such broad talents. She is fierce and at the same time an eternal advocate for the well-being of her student-athletes. She is compassionate and competitive. In her years at Keene State, Amy has broken record after record on the field and modeled ethical leadership in athletics. I respect her, as do all the colleagues and students for whom she has served as a thoughtful mentor. We will feel the impact of her tenure here for a very long time, and we will miss her."
Watson was originally hired in 1986 and coached for four seasons, when the Owls were in Division II and amassing a record of 34-22-9. When she returned ahead of the 1994 season, Watson made the program her own, shepherding the team into NCAA Division III and the Little East Conference, and making the program into a conference and regional power almost immediately.
"Coach Watson has been a true leader for the past 35 years for the Keene State College field hockey program. Her dedication to her team, coaches, the college, and the community have been beyond special," said KSC Director of Athletics and Recreation Marty Testo.
"Her success as a head coach is second to none at Keene State College. He has demonstrated consistency, loyalty, and professionalism throughout her career. I am very fortunate that I got the opportunity to work with Amy and thank her for all she has done for our athletic department."
In the early years, there were only five teams that sponsored field hockey in the LEC - not enough for an automatic bid. But by the turn of the millennium, Watson had fashioned the team into a powerhouse, winning the LEC regular season championship every year from 2002-2009, taking LEC tournament titles in all but the first two years and advancing to the NCAA tournament.
The run continued from 2011-18, as Keene State won LEC regular season championships in 2011, and again from 2013-16, while also taking conference tournament titles in 2011, and from 2013-18.
The Owls were also successful in the NCAA tournament, winning opening round games in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018, the last of which was a memorable, come-from-behind win over SUNY New-Paltz, where the Owls rallied from a 3-1 deficit in the second half for a 4-3 win.
Since 1999, the Owls have defeated nine nationally ranked teams.
Post-COVID, the Owls reached the finals in 2021 and 2023 but came up short, before returning to the summit in 2024 with a 3-2 win over Castleton University on the road to claim a record 15th LEC tournament title.
Watson has coached 17 All-Americans, as well as a multitude of All-Conference and All-Region players, including Nichole Dallas, the first player in program history to be a First Team All-American, Kelly Smith, a two-time All-American, Erin Dallas, the only player to win LEC Offensive Player of the Year (2007) and LEC Defensive Player of the Year (2009), Sami Smith, a two time LEC Offensive Player of the Year (2015, 2016), and Alyssa Rowell, a two time LEC Defensive Player of the Year (2007, 2008). Erin Dallas, Smith, and Rowell were all multiple-time All-Americans as well.
Watson coached four LEC Rookies of the Year, and has been named LEC Coach of the Year seven times (1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2011, 2013, and 2014).
Away from the field, Watson has been a mainstay on the KSC campus, serving as a member of the CARES committee, and as Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator in the department. She also coached women's lacrosse at Keene State for one season in 1998 as the college began that program.
Watson enters the 2025 season one win shy of 500 for her career. Keene State is scheduled to open the season on August 29, 2025, against Rivier University.