Anne Wilkinson
Position: Head Coach Experience: 18th Year Alma Mater: Delaware Graduated: 1986

Head coach Anne Wilkinson is in her 18th season at the helm of the Ohio State field hockey program and in her 27th season overall as a head coach. She brings an abundance of experience to the field, having coached over 400 career games and earning the 2006 Big Ten Coach of the Year award and was twice named the NFHCA West Region Coach of the Year honoree (2006 and 2010).

In 2012, Wilkinson claimed her 200th victory at Ohio State, becoming the first coach in program history to cap the 200-win milestone.

Wilkinson has brought one of Ohio State's longest running women's athletic programs into the national spotlight. During her years with the Buckeyes, she has developed 22 All-America selections and 65 All-Region honorees as well as 64 All-Big Ten award winners. The Buckeyes have been ranked in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association polls throughout her tenure, reaching as high as No. 3 in the 2006 season, and have made five NCAA tournament appearances since 2001. In 2010, Wilkinson guided the program to its first NCAA Final Four appearance in OSU history, which included a single-season best 18 victories and a co-Big Ten regular season championship. In 2011, Wilkinson helped the Buckeyes to their third-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance - the first time an OSU squad has done so.

Ohio State has had 13 NFHCA All-America recipients over the last seven seasons, including first team honorees Jenn Sciulli in 2011, Aisling Coyle in 2010 and Linda Haussener in 2008. With her first team selections in 2006 and '07, Yesenia Luces became just the second Buckeye to earn multiple First Team All-America honors. Berta Queralt became the first Buckeye to earn back-to-back third-team laurels since Saskia Mueller accomplished the feat in 2004 and 2005. In 2011, Sciulli was honored as a first team selection, marking the eighth first team All-American in program history. Ohio State has had at least one All-America honoree in 13 of the last 14 seasons. A Buckeye has been named All-America in all but two seasons under the direction of Wilkinson.

In conference awards, Ohio State has earned seven Big Ten Player of the Year awards the last seven seasons - the first Big Ten Player of the Year recognitions in the history of Buckeye field hockey. In 2011, Jenn Sciulli became the second-consecutive Buckeye to be recognized as the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year after Aisling Coyle received the laurel in 2010 when Paula Pastor-Pitarque was the Freshman of the Year. In 2009, Queralt was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year. In 2008, midfielder Linda Haussener was named Co-Offensive Player of the Year. Yesenia Luces picked up back-to-back Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2006 and '07 and Saskia Mueller was named the overall Big Ten Player of the Year in 2006. Curlyne Wynn also earned the 2003 Big Ten Rookie of the Year award.

Under Wilkinson's guidance, the Buckeyes have garnered numerous awards in the classroom as well. In 16 years, Buckeyes have earned 77 NFHCA National Academic Squad awards, 97 Academic All-Big Ten selections, 152 OSU Scholar-Athletes accolades and three Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients - Linda Haussener in 2008-09, Saskia Mueller in 2006-07 and Allison Blanton in 2000-01.

Wilkinson is 288-215-9 in her 26 seasons as a head coach with a 209-131 (.615) mark during her tenure at Ohio State for the highest winning percentage of any head coach in the program's history. Of her 17 seasons with the Buckeyes, she has a winning percentage of .600 or better in 11 of those years with only two seasons below .500. On Nov. 4, 2005, Wilkinson recorded the 200th victory of her career when Ohio State defeated Michigan State, 1-0, in the Big Ten tournament semifinals. She notched her 100th Buckeye victory (vs. Ball State, Sept. 19) during the 2004 campaign. Most recently, Wilkinson claimed her 200th victory at Ohio State in a 1-0 win at UNH Aug. 26, 2012, in Durham, N.H.

Since starting her Buckeye career in the fall of 1996, Wilkinson has established Ohio State as a perennial Top 20 program and as one of the upper echelon teams in the Big Ten. She has guided the Buckeyes to three Big Ten regular-season championships (co-champs in 2001, outright in 2006, co-champs in 2010), a Big Ten tournament title (2001), five appearances in the NCAA tournament, one NCAA Final Four bid, 12 winning seasons and 11 Top 3 finishes in the conference standings.

In 2011, the Buckeyes tied for second in the conference with a 4-2 mark and advanced to their third-consecutive NCAA Tournament - the first time the program had done so in its 40-year history.

In 2010, Wilkinson led the Buckeyes to its most successful campaign in program history, including its first NCAA Final Four appearance, a program-record 18 wins and a share of the conference regular season championship. The Buckeyes advanced to the NCAA semifinals after defeating Syracuse, 3-2, in overtime Nov. 14 - the first NCAA quarterfinal game by any OSU team.

In 2006, she guided the team to the first win in NCAA tournament history when the Buckeyes defeated California by a score of 3-1 to advance to the second round. OSU also clinched its first outright Big Ten regular-season championship with a 5-1 record in league play.

During the 2005 and '06 seasons, Wilkinson guided the squad to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA tournament, also a program first. The combined record for those two years was 30-11, including a 15-4 overall record in 2006 for a .789 win percentage - the second-best in a season in OSU history, ranking only behind the Buckeye team that went 11-2-1 (.821) in their first varsity season in 1971.

The Buckeyes concluded the 2006 season ranked No. 5 in the final STX/NFHCA poll of the season, matching their highest ranking since 2001. In the last three seasons, Ohio State has been nationally ranked, including time within the Top 10. The 15 wins in the 2005 and '06 seasons tied for the second-most in OSU history.

In 2001, Wilkinson led the Scarlet and Gray to yet another successful season when the team finished the year 15-5 overall, 5-1 in the Big Ten, No. 5 in the nation and garnered its eighth-consecutive winning season. The Buckeyes captured the first Big Ten regular-season championship and conference tournament championship in the history of the program. The tournament title gave Ohio State an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, marking just the second appearance for Ohio State.

Wilkinson came to Ohio State after an impressive nine-year stint as the head coach at American University in Washington, D.C. She was a two-time conference coach of the year and earned regional coach of the year accolades during her tenure. Her 1994 squad finished 15-3 and received its first national ranking at No. 15. That season, Wilkinson was named Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year as well as Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year. In her nine years at AU, she coached 20 all-conference players, one All-American and one CAA Rookie of the Year.

The West Chester, Pa., native is a graduate of West Chester East High School and the University of Delaware. An outstanding scholastic field hockey and lacrosse player, Wilkinson was named to the inaugural West Chester Hall of Fame class as the only female member inducted that year.

At Delaware, Wilkinson was a two-time Mitchell & Ness All-American in field hockey. She also was an All-American as a lacrosse player and helped lead the Blue Hens to a national lacrosse title in 1983. Wilkinson was a four-year letterwinner in both sports. As a senior, she was named UD's Outstanding Senior Female Athlete, receiving the award with former NFL quarterback Rich Gannon as the Male Athlete of the Year. In November 2000, she was elected into the University of Delaware Athletics Hall of Fame.

Wilkinson's international field hockey experience included playing with the U.S. Under-21 National Team and the Under-23 National Team. She was a four-year participant in the U.S. Olympic Festival, capturing a gold medal in 1985. In 1998, she was an assistant coach for the U.S. Under-23 National Team.

At the development level, Wilkinson is the director of the prestigious All-American Field Hockey Camps, Inc. For 19years she has been the head of the summer camps, which now are held annually at The Ohio State University. She also is an active member of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.

Wilkinson is married to the late Raj Bhangu and resides in Upper Arlington with their dogs Harley and Darby.

WILKINSON QUICK FACTS

Hometown: West Chester, Pa.

High School: West Chester East

Alma Mater: Delaware, 1986 (B.A. in Health and Physical Education)

Playing Career: Four-year letterwinner in field hockey and lacrosse at the University of Delaware. Earned All-America honors in both sports (two-time selection in field hockey). Helped lead the Blue Hens to the lacrosse national title in 1983. As a senior, Wilkinson was named Female Athlete of the Year. Wilkinson also played on two U.S. National Field Hockey Teams.

Coaching Career: Head Coach, American, 1987-95; Head Coach, Ohio State, 1996-present.

Highlights: NCAA Tournament appearances in 2001, '05, '06, '09, '10 and `11. 2006 Big Ten Coach of the Year and two-time NFHCA West Region Coach of the Year (2006, 2010). Advanced 2010 team to first NCAA Final Four in program history. Owns the highest winning percentage in OSU field hockey coaching history (.615). Coached the 400th game of her career Sept. 28, 2007 vs. Michigan. Recorded 200th career victory Nov. 4, 2005 with 1-0 win against Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament semifinal. In November of 2000, Wilkinson was inducted into the University of Delaware Hall of Fame.

Ohio State Student-Athletes: Has produced 22 All-America selections, 65 All-Region honorees, 64 All-Big Ten selections, 9 Big Ten Players of the Year, 3 Big Ten Rookie of the Year, 77 NFHCA National Academic Squad members, 97 Academic All-Big Ten honorees, 152 OSU Scholar-Athletes and three Big Ten Medal of Honor recipients.