Hanratty to lead field hockey team
Shannon Hanratty is where she wants to be, living where she grew up.
After eventually making her way back to her alma mater as a teacher and assistant field hockey coach, she recently landed her dream coaching job.
Hanratty, a 2008 Broadneck graduate, was hired last week as the school's varsity field hockey coach. She replaces Jen Plack, who recently stepped down after coaching the Bruins for 12 years and winning 150 games.
“This has been a dream of mine since I was a player here,” said Hanratty, who was an assistant under Plack last year. “I always thought it would be really cool to be a coach of the field hockey program. Everything I have done has prepared me for this.”
Hanratty, who teaches math at Broadneck, played field hockey and lacrosse in high school. She was a senior on the 2007 team that produced the school's first field hockey county championship.
“We are extremely fortunate to have acquired the coaching services of Shannon Hanratty. Shannon is very familiar with our field hockey program, having both played and coached at Broadneck,” athletic director Ken Kazmarek said in a press release announcing the hire. “We are confident that Shannon will continue to maintain the levels of success that our field hockey program has come to expect.”
After graduating from Broadneck, Hanratty went on to play at Salisbury University for four years. She was a starter all four years and a team captain her senior year. The Sea Gulls won the Division III national title her sophomore year and she was a part of three Capital Athletic Conference championship teams. A defender, she was a first-team all-conference selection and was named to the ECAC Mid-Atlantic all-star team her senior year. She finished her career with 14 defensive saves, including 11 her junior year.
“My heart leans toward defense, but being a good defender means I can understand the attack,” she said. “A good defender can read an attacker and study what they do.”
Though Hanratty has made a name for herself as a field hockey player and coach, it almost didn't work out that way. As she began the recruiting process while in high school, she was initially looking to play lacrosse, and had stats that would have made her a valuable recruit. After a change of heart, she settled on field hockey.
“I realized how passionate I was about
field hockey,” she said. “After a visit to Salisbury, I was sold.”
Hanratty began her coaching career immediately after she completed her playing career at Salisbury. She stayed in Salisbury to pursue her master’s degree and was a full-time assistant coach for two years. While in grad school, she began coaching for the SPark indoor club team and would routinely commute between Salisbury and Anne Arundel County. She completed grad school in 2014 and returned to the area full-time, where she continued to coach at SPark while teaching math at Old Mill. She was the Patriots head junior varsity coach for two years. She also has experience coaching lacrosse, having assisted Kaitlyn Hines at Severna Park and Katy Kelley at Broadneck.
“This is something I wanted, but I knew it was going to be a tough decision for the administration,” Hanratty said. “I was confident in my ability and what I can bring to the table. I owed it to myself to follow through and put my name in the hat because it’s something I have been working toward.”
ERXLEBEN STEPS DOWN: Southern football coach Steve Erxleben has stepped down after three years leading the Bulldogs. Erxleben informed Southern administration and his players on Jan. 10. In a letter addressed to the Southern football program, Erxleben called the decision “not an easy one’’ and indicated he has accepted a position at another school.
“It wasn’t about wins and losses,” said Erxleben, who teaches at South River High. “Moving the program forward was becoming difficult with not being in the building every day.”
FONDALE HONORED: St. Mary’s athletic director Allison Fondale has been named the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland athletic director of the year. She will be representing District 10 and will be formally recognized at the Maryland State Athletic Directors Association conference on April 27 in Ocean City. Fondale has been the St. Mary’s athletic director since 2014.
ST. MARY’S NAMES GOLF COACH: St. Mary’s has announced the hiring of Michael Kummer as the school’s new golf coach. Kummer has served as baseball commissioner for the Annapolis Recreation
and Parks Department and taught golf at Germanna Community College (Va.). He previously worked as the head professional at River Run Golf Club in Ocean City and Cross Creek Golf Club in Beltsville. He will continue to serve as an assistant coach for the Saints’ junior varsity basketball team.
FIELD HOCKEY ALL-STATE: The county was well-represented in the recent Field Hockey Coaches Association of Maryland All-State selections. Darcy Clement (South River), Rachel Fleig (Chesapeake), Margot Lawn (Archbishop Spalding), Megan Munley (Broadneck), Emma Jeffries (Arundel), Lila Slattery (Severna Park), Sophia Hartman (Broadneck), McKenzie Jamison (South River), Meghan Malone (Arundel) and Eve Vickery (Chesapeake) were all first-team selections. Alex Miller (Severna Park), Sydney White (AACS), Shelby Bumgarner (Archbishop Spalding) and Delaney Snowden (Key) were named to the second team, while Allison Corey (South River), Olivia Abe (Broadneck), Haley Davis (Severn) and Caitlin Koehler (Archbishop Spalding) were honorable mention.
Kent Island’s Ella Kaufman (first team), Celinia Kaufman (honorable mention) and Marissa Plumer (honorable mention) were also recognized.
SHOWDOWNS COMING: There are some showdowns coming up this week in boys basketball and wrestling. On Tuesday, the Old Mill boys basketball team travels to Broadneck for a matchup of the two remaining unbeaten teams in county play. Both are coming off tight wins on Friday, with the Patriots holding off Northeast, 58-50, while the Bruins avoided Severna Park’s upset bid with a 38-35 victory.
On Wednesday, Old Mill’s wrestling team travels to South River for a battle of two of the top teams in the county. Old Mill has won county titles three of the last five years, with the Seahawks winning the other two.
South River and Old Mill’s girls basketball teams enter this week as the two remaining unbeaten teams in county play. They each have two county games this week before meeting on Jan. 23 at Old Mill.
PLAYERS NEEDED: Severn girls basketball coach Bookie Rosemond, who also coaches the Hurricanes AAU/club program, is looking to add teams at the fifth to eighth grade level for the Hurricanes. The Hurricanes are looking to add players and coaches so the younger players can develop the foundation to have successful high school careers. For more information, contact Rosemond at bookie033@aol.com.