The 2024 season will mark the fifth year in which head coach Rayell Wallace (Heistand) has overseen the Slippery Rock University field hockey program.
Wallace, the 13th coach in program history, came to Slippery Rock following six years as an assistant coach on the NCAA Division I level and before that a playing career in which she competed at the highest levels of the sport.
CAREER AT A GLANCE
• Has maintained SRU field hockey’s prestigious reputation as one of the top academic programs in all of Division II with 55 NFHCA All-Academic Squad selections and 42 NFHCA Scholars of Distinction over last three seasons.
• Already ranks fourth for wins by a head coach in Slippery Rock program history.
• Enters 2024 with a career record of 18-32 (.360).
• Guided The Rock field hockey program through the difficulties of a canceled season in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Led SRU to back-to-back seven-win seasons (2021, 2022).
• Seven wins in 2021 ranked among the best in the nation for victories by a first-year head coach.
• Has coached two All-PSAC honorees and two NFHCA Senior All-Star Team selections in brief time at The Rock.
SEASON-BY-SEASON BREAKDOWN
2023
• Slippery Rock held the highest GPA of any field hockey program in the PSAC (3.641).
• SRU, which featured a youthful roster including 11 underclassmen, ended season with a 4-13 record.
• Five losses were one-goal defeats while seven others came against nationally ranked opponents.
• The Rock led Division II with 10 NFHCA Scholars of Distinction.
• Goalkeeper Grace Burker was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.
2022
• Concluded the 2022 season with a 7-10 overall record. The seven wins represented the second highest single-season victory total for the program over the last seven years.
• Coached one All-PSAC honoree in back Addy Ross, who was also selected to play in the NFHCA Senior Game.
• Recorded a 5-4 record at Mihalik-Thompson Stadium for the program’s first winning home record since 2017.
• SRU ranked seventh in the nation in saves per game (8.47) and ninth in penalty corners per game (8.29).
• Slippery Rock had four NFHCA Scholars of Distinction and nine NFHCA All-Academic Team honorees.
2021
• In her first true season as a collegiate head coach, Wallace guided The Rock to a 7-9 overall record and a 4-6 league mark.
• Wallace’s seven wins was the seventh-highest total in the entire NCAA, regardless of division, among all coaches in their first official seasons of competition.
• The Rock’s 2-1 win against Queens on Sept. 5 marked Wallace’s first victory as a head coach.
• SRU played its best at the end of the season as evidenced by its 3-1 record over the final two weeks of the year.
• Addy Ross earned All-PSAC accolades as one of the conference’s top backs.
• Jessie Trube was named to the NFHCA Senior All-Star Team.
• The Rock ranked third in all of Division II in team GPA (3.64).
• Slippery Rock had six NFHCA Scholars of Distinction and 18 NFHCA All-Academic Team honorees.
2020
• Season canceled due to Covid-19 pandemic.
• Slippery Rock ranked second in all of Division II in team GPA (3.79).
• SRU had 12 NFHCA Scholars of Distinction and 24 NFHCA All-Academic Team honorees.
THE ROCK IN THE CLASSROOM
• Under Wallace, Slippery Rock has produced 55 NFHCA All-Academic Squad selections and 42 NFHCA Scholars of Distinction.
• The Rock ranked second in the nation in team GPA in 2020 (3.79), third in 2021 (3.64) and sixth in 2022 (3.62).
COACHING TIMELINE
• 2012: Lafayette College (assistant coach)
• 2013: Slough Field Hockey Club (assistant coach)
• 2014: Spooky Nook Sports (youth field hockey instructor)
• 2015-19: Miami University (assistant coach)
• 2020-Present: Slippery Rock (head coach)
CAREER PATH
• Wallace began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant at Lafayette College. The Leopards finished the 2012 season ranked ninth in the country after going 17-3, winning the Patriot League and qualifying for the NCAA Tournament.
• At Miami, Wallace played an instrumental role in leading the RedHawks to a 65-40 (.619) record, four Mid-American Conference regular season titles, three MAC Championships and three NCAA Tournament berths.
• Wallace assisted in the development of 25 All-MAC performers over the five-season stretch at Miami, five of which went on to be named the MAC Athlete of the Year, as well as nine all-region honorees and four All-Americans.
• Off the field, Miami had 82 student-athletes named to the NFHCA’s National Academic Squad with 12 going on to receive NFHCA Scholar of Distinction recognition.
PLAYING CAREER
• As a player, Wallace starred at the University of Connecticut for four seasons (2008-11). She started all 87 games over her four-year career with the Huskies, totaling 30 points on 12 goals and six assists to go with four defensive saves. She was named an All-American on two occasions and an All-Big East performer three times.
• Following a college career in which she led UConn to a 71-16 (.816) record that featured four NCAA Tournament berths and three Big East championships, Wallace went on to play for the USA National Team from 2013-15, earning nine caps.
PERSONAL
• Native of Hamburg, Pennsylvania.
• Earned Bachelor’s degree in Allied Health from Connecticut in 2012.
• Completed Master’s degree in Sport Leadership from Miami in 2019.
• Married to former Westminster College football student-athlete Collin Wallace.
| Rayell Wallace Head Coaching Career |
| Year |
W |
L |
Pct. |
Notes |
| 2020 |
- |
- |
- |
Season Canceled (Covid-19) |
| 2021 |
7 |
9 |
.438 |
- |
| 2022 |
7 |
10 |
.412 |
- |
| 2023 |
4 |
13 |
.235 |
- |
| 2024 |
4 |
12 |
.250 |
- |
| Career |
22 |
44 |
.333 |
- |
