Boston College Athletics
Doton Promoted to Field Hockey Head Coach
March 11, 2015 | Field Hockey
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Boston College athletics director Brad Bates has announced that associate head field hockey coach Kelly Doton has been promoted to head coach, effective April 1, 2015. She will succeed Ainslee Lamb, who will step down from her position on March 31 to pursue career opportunities outside of the collegiate game.
Doton will become the eighth head field hockey coach in Boston College history. The Greenfield, Massachusetts, native has been with the Eagles since 2012 when she joined the program as associate head coach. She held the same position at Indiana prior to her arrival at Boston College.
"Kelly Doton is a natural choice to lead our field hockey program," Bates said. "Not only was she one of the top field hockey players in this country's history, but her coaching resume is stellar. Kelly has a naturally positive and infectious attitude. She is committed to ensuring that our field hockey student-athletes continue to develop as ambassadors for our University - on the field, in the classroom and in the community. We are excited for this next stage in our field hockey's history and look forward to a bright future under Kelly's leadership and guidance."
"I'd like to thank Brad (Bates) and (senior associate athletics director) Jody (Mooradian) for giving me this opportunity," Doton said. "They have expressed a tremendous amount of faith and support in me and I'm very appreciative for that. Additionally, I'd like to thank Ainslee (Lamb) for everything she has given to me, the players, this program and the entire University. She is one of hardest-working field hockey coaches in this country and her players have benefited greatly from it. She has been an incredible role model and inspiration to me and I know that she will succeed in her next endeavor.
"Boston College is where I want to be and it's a privilege to work here. I love this community and the city of Boston. Ainslee has left this program with extremely high standards and I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead and making my own mark here at BC as head coach," Doton continued.
In Doton's three seasons at The Heights, Boston College has posted double-digit wins each year and has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons (2013, 2014).
In 2014, BC went 13-7, including upset wins over No. 2 UConn, No. 4 Syracuse, No. 7 Louisville and No. 8 Virginia. Doton, responsible for running BC's overtime plans, led BC to a 4-4 mark in the Eagles' program-record eight overtime contests. Her defensive corps held opponents to just 1.89 goals per game. The Eagles made the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row, eventually falling to Penn State to end the season
In her second year, Doton helped the Eagles reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2009. BC tallied its 14th consecutive double-digit win season, going 12-8. BC tallied three victories over nationally-ranked opponents, including upsetting No. 5 Syracuse to open Atlantic Coast Conference play and at No. 2 Connecticut in overtime.
In 2012, her first season at the Heights, Doton helped guide BC to a 10-9 season, which included wins against four nationally-ranked teams, including a home victory over No. 10 Northeastern and a road win over No. 21 Duke.
Doton came to Boston College from Indiana University, where she coached since 2008. Doton was an assistant coach for four seasons before earning a promotion to the Hoosiers' associate head coach in 2011. In 2009, she was instrumental in helping Indiana reach the NCAA Tournament for the second time in program history after the Hoosiers finished second in Big Ten standings and reaching the conference's tournament title game.
A 2004 graduate of Wake Forest, Doton was an asset to the Demon Deacons on both sides of the ball during her collegiate career, helping to lead her squad to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2002 and 2003. Providing her team with her disciplined defensive skills, as well as quickly establishing herself as one of the best attack corner hitters in the country, she was honored with the 2003 Honda Award as the national field hockey player of the year. In addition to earning ACC Player of the Year honors in 2002, she was also a two-time NFHCA first-team All-American and a three-time All-ACC honoree during her career. Doton was inducted to the Wake Forest Hall of Fame in October 2014.
In addition to her collegiate playing experience, Doton was a member of the U.S. Women's Senior National Team from 2005 to 2010. In 2008, she was a member of the U.S. Olympic squad that competed in the Beijing Games. Doton began her career with Team USA on the 2005 New Zealand Tour and scored her first international goal against Australia later that year. She also appeared in the 2006 World Cup in Spain and the 2007 Pan Am Games in Brazil. She earned 100 caps in her international career.
Prior to playing collegiately at Wake Forest, Doton was a standout at Greenfield High School, where she broke the school's scoring record as a senior and was tabbed the team's MVP in 1999. She earned all-league honors in 1997 and 1998, in addition to garnering All-Western Massachusetts accolades. Doton also earned Northeastern All-America honors as a sophomore.
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