HOLMES-WINN RETOOLING PRINCETON WITH HER RECRUITING CLASSES

By Al Mattei
Founder, TopOfTheCircle.com

Kristen Holmes-Winn was hired as the Princeton University head coach after the recruiting class of former head coach Beth Bozman had already been signed in 2003.

"Beth always did an awesome job recruiting here," says Holmes-Winn, "and if I were to go back and re-recruit without her here, I wouldn't have done it any differently."

It has, therefore, been a much longer-term process for Holmes-Winn to remake Princeton in her own image. But it is a process taking a major step forward in 2005 thanks to the raft of talent coming to Old Nassau.

"They're all really special people," she says. "And special athletes. And once I've been here for a four-year cycle, it'll feel more like 'my' team."

Holmes-Winn's boffo second recruiting class comes after a befuddling season for the Princeton faithful. The Tigers went 7-10 in 2004, even though they fired twice as many shots -- twice! -- as their opponents did. The problem: only 18.3 percent of those shots went into the cage.

But the attacking talent coming in could make Princeton the terror of the Ivy League again. Forward Elizabeth Williams comes from a East Chapel Hill (N.C.) program which earned a preseason Top 10 ranking in the TopOfTheCircle.com Top 10 as well as a deserved second-place result in the Sun Devil Invitational in Virginia Beach.

Holmes-Winn also got a pair of players from Lake Forest (Ill.), the No. 4 team in the TopOfTheCircle.com Top 10 for 2004. Leah Hoagland and Katie Kizner might be the most dynamic pair of players from the same school to come to the Princeton program since the now-graduated Martirosian twins.

A pair of hockey recruits will also do double-duty with lacrosse. Kristen Schwab and Hollie McGarvie will add athleticism and attacking skill. In addition, Candi Arner and Kraftin Schreyer come from storied area programs, but both are coming off knee injuries.

But the jewel in Princeton's crown will be attacker Sarah Reinprecht, from the storied Radnor Mount St. Joseph's (Pa.) program. She was one of many high-schoolers on the U-21 national team program who have benefitted greatly from playing alongside several phenoms such as Team USA's Katie O'Donnell.

"Sarah probably could've started at any university in the country this year - that's how far along she is," Holmes-Winn says. "She's as fundamentally sound as any player I've ever coached. She has all the skills, and she can do them at pace, which for her age is truly remarkable. On top of that, she has a great understanding of the game."

It is a class, along with Holmes-Winn's first recruiting class in 2004, which will try to make up for the loss of eight seniors.

But more importantly, it is helping to remake the Princeton varsity to reflect the coach -- skilled, athletic players from good programs from diverse areas of the country. Remember: Holmes-Winn's personal development as a player occurred in Maine and Massachusetts before her matriculation to the University of Iowa.

"I wanted to create my style here, and re-create the culture here," she says. "My main mission is for the kids to love every day, to come to practice every day excited, but to push them to a place beyond where they're comfortable -- and, in the process, win."

Holmes-Winn, who earned her way onto the U.S. national team in 2005, is also minding the Pennsylvania/New Jersey Elite Performance Training Center at 1952 Stadium, which keeps her in tune with high-level coaching and playing techniques, as well as the level of player being developed through the programs of USA Field Hockey.

"A great tradition has been developed here," Holmes-Winn says. "World class university, wonderful field hockey program. and it's a wonderful opportunity."