#414 Meredith Civico, Rutgers Field Hockey Head Coach, on Taking Your Core Values from the Wall to the Ball

This week we welcome Meredith Civico to the podcast, a coach who worked with Jerry as a 2005 national champion player at Maryland and whose program currently works with John. She enters her 14th season at the helm of the Rutgers field hockey program in the fall of 2025. She has won 135 games in that time, reaching at least nine wins in 10 different seasons and leading the team to three NCAA Tournament appearances and the 2021 Big Ten Tournament Title. Since Meredith and John began working together in 2018, the Knights have 43 wins over Top 20 teams, including 3 top 10 wins in 2024. The Knights finished the 2024 season ranked 14 in RPI.

Civico guided the team to its first NCAA Tournament in 32 years in 2018, then in 2021 led the team back to the NCAA Tournament where it captured the team's first NCAA Tournament victory in 35 years. The team also captured the 2021 Big Ten Tournament Title, becoming the first program at Rutgers to win the Big Ten Tournament in any sport. In 2023, Rutgers returned to the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the past six years. Civico has been responsible for the two highest single-season win totals in program history (19 in 2021 and 16 in 2023). Prior to 2018, RU had just two NCAA appearances, and now under Civico, RU has gone three times. 

As a player, Civico played a year at Boston University and three at University of Maryland, helping the Terrapins advance to the NCAA Final Four for three-straight seasons, including the 2005 ACC title and the 2005 NCAA National Championship. Civico was a member of the NFHCA/Styx Academic All-American team in 2003 and earned a spot on the ACC Honor Roll during the 2003-04 and 2004-05 campaigns. She was also a 4 year member of the US National Team for Indoor Hockey.

On this incredible episode we discuss the role of love in coaching, valuing your players like they are your own kids, being demanding through love, petting the dragons, and taking your core values "from the Wall to the Ball." We also discuss the importance of getting your entire roster bought in, and getting players closer to the truth when it comes to their personal narrative. Take some notes on this one!

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