Field Hockey
Turner, Ginny
Ginny Turner
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- gisutton@davidson.edu
- Phone:
- 2932
William & Mary '05
13th Season
Ginny Turner enters her 13th season in 2018 at the helm of the Davidson field hockey program.
Davidson’s field hockey saw a drastic turnaround in 2015. Turner, the 2015 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, guided the Wildcats to a 5-3 conference record and its first-ever appearance in the A-10 Tournament. Melissa Funsten ’15, Anna Davis ’15 and Emily Leytham ’15 each earned All-Conference honors. The Wildcats dropped a hard fought, 2-1, battle to top-seed Richmond in the semifinal of the tournament. Leytham ’15 and Katherine English ’17 were named to the all-tournament team.
English continued her success in 2016, where she and current back Courtney Byler each set the single-season assists record. Byler also broke the single-season mark for defensive saves, a feat she repeated in 2017. Both were named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference teams.
In 2014, she ushered the Wildcats into a new era as they joined the Atlantic 10. Davidson posted a 2-6 mark in its first year in its new conference.
Turner led the Wildcats to a 6-14 record that included competition against nationally-ranked opponents such as Wake Forest, Stanford and North Carolina. Tyler McFayden ‘14 and Melissa Funsten ‘15 earned All-NorPac East accolades, while Mia Kane and Connie Cape were honored as co-recipients of the Julie Nagel Extraordinary Teammate Award. Throughout the season, a number of Wildcats earned NorPac Player and/or Rookie of the Week designations, while the team continued to excel in the classroom and earned NFHCA All-Academic squad honors as well.
Two-time NorPac East Offensive Player of the Year Finley Amato ‘13 became the program’s all-time leader in goals, points and assists in 2012 before earning All-NorPac First Team honors to cap the season. On the other end of the field, 2012 Defensive Player of the Year Sarah Fisher entered the record books as the school’s all-time leader in minutes played, and finished inside the all-time top-10 in career saves. The duo helped the Wildcats to a 5-3 conference record and a 9-13 overall mark. The ‘Cats defeated No. 2W UC Davis 2-1 in the first round of the NorPac tournament, before falling to Liberty and California.
Under Turner’s tutelage, the Wildcats have flourished both on the field and in the classroom. Christine Rua was the 2012 winner of Davidson’s Rebecca A. Stimson Award as Davidson’s top female athlete and was also the NorPac’s Sherly Johnson Academic Award. Teammate Finley Amato was the NorPac East Offensive and Player of the Year for the second straight season, while Sarah Fisher was named was named to USA Field Hockey ‘s South Regions Training Squad. The squad was named an NFHCA Academic Team Award winner as eight individuals claimed honors as well.
The ‘Cats went 11-9 overall in 2011 and boasted a 4-2 NorPac East record. A 2-0 win over Big East foe Georgetown kicked things off, with a 2-1 overtime win over Turner’s alma mater William & Mary also marking one of the highlights of the season. The Wildcats earned a 4-1 win over UC Davis in the first round of the NorPact tournament, but fell 1-0 in overtime to Longwood to end their run in 2011.
Davidson claimed it’s first outright NorPac East division title in 2010 after posting their best record ever in NorPac play of 5-1, and finished with 14 wins overall, it’s most in 18 years. Under Turner’s guidance, the Wildcats almost doubled their offensive production from the previous year with a team-record 60 goals. Finley Amato led several Wildcats who saw significant improvement on offense, breaking Davidson’s single-season scoring record as a sophomore (39 points) and becoming the second Wildcat ever to earn NorPac Player of the Year honors while Turner was named the 2010 NorPac Coach of the Year. Davidson also improved on defense, averaging one less goal allowed per game than the previous year.
The Wildcats, boasting four All-NorPac East selections, advanced to the conference semifinals and nearly advanced to the finals, but were defeated in penalty strokes by California. Davidson’s success drew national recognition, as the ‘Cats frequently received top-20 votes throughout the season, a program first.
After serving the Wildcats as interim head coach in 2007 and assistant coach for the two prior seasons, Turner served as head coach in 2008, leading the Wildcats to an overall record of 10-10 and a 3-3 NorPac mark. In her first year, Turner led the Wildcats to a 4-2 win over Longwood in the 2007 NorPac tournament, the team's first opening round victory since 2000.
In 2009, Turner guided the Wildcats to a 7-12 mark and saw the team’s top scorers, Jennie Mostellar and Clare Perry, earn All-NorPac second team honors. Senior Liz Luckey received the Sheryl Johnson Academic Award and was named to the NorPac All-Tournament team.
Following the 2008 season, Davidson received votes in the STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll for the first time in school history after Turner guided the ‘Cats to a fifth-place finish in the NorPac tournament. The Wildcats got 16 votes in the poll, good for a No. 26 national ranking, the best finish ever by a Davidson field hockey squad. A trio of 'Cats earned postseason recognition from the NorPac Conference under Turner's tutelage. Seniors Himelfarb and Tyler Kirkland, and freshman Kathelijn van der Ven were named to the All-NorPac Team for their play.
In 2007, Kayli Maxwell became the program's all-time leading scorer and first NorPac Player of the Year, while Jen Willis took the honor of Defensive Player of the Year for a second straight season. Christa Goeke and Britti Himelfarb were named to the All-NorPac second team in 2007 as well.
In addition to her experience with the Wildcats, Turner has coached for the Colonial Field Hockey Club in Williamsburg, Va., as well as Futures Olympic Development sites and various camps at William & Mary, Appalachian State, James Madison, Richmond and Longwood.
As a four-year letterwinner at William & Mary, Turner capped off her impressive playing career with a selection to the NFHCA Division I North/South Senior All-Star Team in 2004. A starting forward, Turner helped the Tribe to four straight top-15 national rankings and led her team to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2002.
Serving as captain during her senior season, she was also a second-team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection in 2004. A 2005 graduate, Turner was chosen to serve on the school’s NCAA Review Committee and was a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, helping the faculty and administration organize and write a review of the school’s academic and athletic programs for the NCAA.
Turner and her husband, Rett, reside in Charlotte. In May of 2014 they welcome their first child, Parks.
13th Season
Ginny Turner enters her 13th season in 2018 at the helm of the Davidson field hockey program.
Davidson’s field hockey saw a drastic turnaround in 2015. Turner, the 2015 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, guided the Wildcats to a 5-3 conference record and its first-ever appearance in the A-10 Tournament. Melissa Funsten ’15, Anna Davis ’15 and Emily Leytham ’15 each earned All-Conference honors. The Wildcats dropped a hard fought, 2-1, battle to top-seed Richmond in the semifinal of the tournament. Leytham ’15 and Katherine English ’17 were named to the all-tournament team.
English continued her success in 2016, where she and current back Courtney Byler each set the single-season assists record. Byler also broke the single-season mark for defensive saves, a feat she repeated in 2017. Both were named to the Atlantic 10 All-Conference teams.
In 2014, she ushered the Wildcats into a new era as they joined the Atlantic 10. Davidson posted a 2-6 mark in its first year in its new conference.
Turner led the Wildcats to a 6-14 record that included competition against nationally-ranked opponents such as Wake Forest, Stanford and North Carolina. Tyler McFayden ‘14 and Melissa Funsten ‘15 earned All-NorPac East accolades, while Mia Kane and Connie Cape were honored as co-recipients of the Julie Nagel Extraordinary Teammate Award. Throughout the season, a number of Wildcats earned NorPac Player and/or Rookie of the Week designations, while the team continued to excel in the classroom and earned NFHCA All-Academic squad honors as well.
Two-time NorPac East Offensive Player of the Year Finley Amato ‘13 became the program’s all-time leader in goals, points and assists in 2012 before earning All-NorPac First Team honors to cap the season. On the other end of the field, 2012 Defensive Player of the Year Sarah Fisher entered the record books as the school’s all-time leader in minutes played, and finished inside the all-time top-10 in career saves. The duo helped the Wildcats to a 5-3 conference record and a 9-13 overall mark. The ‘Cats defeated No. 2W UC Davis 2-1 in the first round of the NorPac tournament, before falling to Liberty and California.
Under Turner’s tutelage, the Wildcats have flourished both on the field and in the classroom. Christine Rua was the 2012 winner of Davidson’s Rebecca A. Stimson Award as Davidson’s top female athlete and was also the NorPac’s Sherly Johnson Academic Award. Teammate Finley Amato was the NorPac East Offensive and Player of the Year for the second straight season, while Sarah Fisher was named was named to USA Field Hockey ‘s South Regions Training Squad. The squad was named an NFHCA Academic Team Award winner as eight individuals claimed honors as well.
The ‘Cats went 11-9 overall in 2011 and boasted a 4-2 NorPac East record. A 2-0 win over Big East foe Georgetown kicked things off, with a 2-1 overtime win over Turner’s alma mater William & Mary also marking one of the highlights of the season. The Wildcats earned a 4-1 win over UC Davis in the first round of the NorPact tournament, but fell 1-0 in overtime to Longwood to end their run in 2011.
Davidson claimed it’s first outright NorPac East division title in 2010 after posting their best record ever in NorPac play of 5-1, and finished with 14 wins overall, it’s most in 18 years. Under Turner’s guidance, the Wildcats almost doubled their offensive production from the previous year with a team-record 60 goals. Finley Amato led several Wildcats who saw significant improvement on offense, breaking Davidson’s single-season scoring record as a sophomore (39 points) and becoming the second Wildcat ever to earn NorPac Player of the Year honors while Turner was named the 2010 NorPac Coach of the Year. Davidson also improved on defense, averaging one less goal allowed per game than the previous year.
The Wildcats, boasting four All-NorPac East selections, advanced to the conference semifinals and nearly advanced to the finals, but were defeated in penalty strokes by California. Davidson’s success drew national recognition, as the ‘Cats frequently received top-20 votes throughout the season, a program first.
After serving the Wildcats as interim head coach in 2007 and assistant coach for the two prior seasons, Turner served as head coach in 2008, leading the Wildcats to an overall record of 10-10 and a 3-3 NorPac mark. In her first year, Turner led the Wildcats to a 4-2 win over Longwood in the 2007 NorPac tournament, the team's first opening round victory since 2000.
In 2009, Turner guided the Wildcats to a 7-12 mark and saw the team’s top scorers, Jennie Mostellar and Clare Perry, earn All-NorPac second team honors. Senior Liz Luckey received the Sheryl Johnson Academic Award and was named to the NorPac All-Tournament team.
Following the 2008 season, Davidson received votes in the STX/NFHCA Division I National Coaches Poll for the first time in school history after Turner guided the ‘Cats to a fifth-place finish in the NorPac tournament. The Wildcats got 16 votes in the poll, good for a No. 26 national ranking, the best finish ever by a Davidson field hockey squad. A trio of 'Cats earned postseason recognition from the NorPac Conference under Turner's tutelage. Seniors Himelfarb and Tyler Kirkland, and freshman Kathelijn van der Ven were named to the All-NorPac Team for their play.
In 2007, Kayli Maxwell became the program's all-time leading scorer and first NorPac Player of the Year, while Jen Willis took the honor of Defensive Player of the Year for a second straight season. Christa Goeke and Britti Himelfarb were named to the All-NorPac second team in 2007 as well.
In addition to her experience with the Wildcats, Turner has coached for the Colonial Field Hockey Club in Williamsburg, Va., as well as Futures Olympic Development sites and various camps at William & Mary, Appalachian State, James Madison, Richmond and Longwood.
As a four-year letterwinner at William & Mary, Turner capped off her impressive playing career with a selection to the NFHCA Division I North/South Senior All-Star Team in 2004. A starting forward, Turner helped the Tribe to four straight top-15 national rankings and led her team to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2002.
Serving as captain during her senior season, she was also a second-team All-Colonial Athletic Association selection in 2004. A 2005 graduate, Turner was chosen to serve on the school’s NCAA Review Committee and was a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, helping the faculty and administration organize and write a review of the school’s academic and athletic programs for the NCAA.
Turner and her husband, Rett, reside in Charlotte. In May of 2014 they welcome their first child, Parks.
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