University of Louisville Field Hockey

Head Coach - 16th season 16th season at Louisville: 194-107 (33-45 ACC/12-7 BIG EAST) 20th Season Overall: 252-138/73-58 Conference Coaching Honors At Louisville • ACC Coach of the Year (2021) • NFHCA West Region Coach of the Year (2016) At UMass • NHFCA Northeast Region Coach of the Year (2007, 2008, 2010) • Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year (2008, 2010) Team Accomplishments At Louisville • Led the Cardinals to nine NCAA tournament appearances (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) • Louisville reached the quarterfinals in three of Louisville’s nine NCAA appearances (2019, 2020, 2023) • Guided the Cardinals to the program’s first NCAA semifinal in 2020 • ACC Regular Season Champions (2020, 2021) • BIG EAST Champions (2013) At UMass • Sowry led the team to three conference titles and three NCAA tournament appearances (2007, 2009, 2010) Player Honors At Louisville • 26 NFHCA All-America selections • 60 NFHCA All-Region selections • 2 NFHCA West Region Players of the Year • 36 All-ACC Team selections • 12 All-BIG EAST Conference selections • 3 NFHCA Scholar Athletes of the Year At UMass •19 A-10 All-Conference selections •17 NFHCA All-Region selections • 5 NFHCA All-Americans Bio Justine Sowry recently completed her 15th season as head coach of the University of Louisville field hockey team. During that time, Sowry has guided the Cardinals to 194 wins and three conference titles, including the 2021 regular season championship and 2020 ACC fall regular season crown a

Chad Workman is entering his fourth season as the senior performance coach at the University of Louisville. Workman is responsible for coordinating year-round performance program design and implementation for the field hockey, men's soccer, and men's tennis programs. In addition, he helps coordinate the Louisville Sports Performance Mentorship. Before arriving at Louisville in 2018, Workman served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach at the University of North Carolina from 2015-2018. While there he was responsible for the performance programs for field hockey, wrestling, men's and women's swim, track and field sprint and jump squads, and women's tennis. Prior to his time at North Carolina, Workman was a graduate assistant with the Louisville Sports Performance staff from 2011-13 while he was earning his master's degree in exercise physiology from UofL. He has also had stops at Virginia Commonwealth University and UNC-Greensboro as an assistant strength and conditioning coach working with numerous Olympic sports including: men's soccer, women's soccer, cross country, and men's golf. The Thomasville, N.C. native graduated from UNC Greensboro with a bachelor's degree in exercise and sport science. While there, served for two seasons as the strength and conditioning coach serving 15 sports. Workman is certified with the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association.

Debbie Bell recently completed her eighth season at the University of Louisville. She was named Assistant Coach/Operations Coordinator in July 2023 after spending six years as the program’s director of operations. Most recently in a rebuilding year, following the loss of seven seniors due to graduation, Louisville tallied a 6-11 overall record in 2024. Aimee Plumb earned her third NFHCA All-America honor and was selected to the NFHCA All-West Region team along with Izzy Bianco. In 2023, Bell helped guide the Cardinals to a 15-7 overall record and their fifth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, reaching the quarterfinals for the third time in the last five years. Louisville also went 3-3 in ACC play and advanced to the semifinals of the conference tournament as the No. 3 seed. The Cards finished the season at No. 10 in the NFHCA Coaches' poll after spending 10 weeks ranked among the nation's the top 10, reaching as high as No. 4. Louisville also boasted one of the top defensive units in the nation, standing second in the ACC and fifth in the NCAA with a 1.08 team goals against average at the end of the season. Graduate transfer goalkeeper Merlijn van der Vegt earned NFHCA All-West Region honors and was named to the ACC All-Tournament Team. At the conclusion of the 2023 campaign, Mia Duchars and Julie Kouijzer earned NFHCA All-America honors, marking the ninth straight year the Cardinals have placed at least two players on the All-America teams, a streak which dates back to

The University of Louisville head field hockey coach Justine Sowry announced that Erin Schneidtmiller will join her staff as an assistant coach on May 28, 20...

Dr. Ernie Rimer started as Director of Sport Science for University of Louisville Athletics in August of 2021 through partnership with UofL Health. His role uses scientific principles to support the health, safety, and performance of their student-athletes through service, research, education, and innovation. Prior to University of Louisville, Rimer was the Director of Sport Science at the University of Utah. He also held strength and conditioning positions at the United States Ski & Snowboard Association and Northern Arizona University (NAU). In 2020, Rimer co-founded FYTT, a high-performance software for sports performance professionals. Rimer started his career as a strength and conditioning coach in 2002, giving him over 20 years of experience in health and performance. Rimer received his Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology from the University of Utah (2019), and both his M.Ed. in Education (2006) and a B.S. in Exercise Science (2004) from NAU. He has additional education in data science and statistics from University of Utah, and software development from DevPoint Labs, where he was awarded the 2020 Opportunities in Tech Scholarship. Rimer is certified in strength and conditioning (CSCS) by the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), where he helped idealize the sport science role in the United States and the certified professional sport scientist (CPSS). Additionally, he is well-published and has presented at numerous national and international conferences on va

Lindsey Cash is a Mental Performance Specialist at University of Louisville Athletics, where she began in October 2022. She develops and implements mental training programming for teams, coaches, and athletic support staff members to ensure holistic care and coordinated performance support to student-athletes. Cash founded PEAK Sport & Performance Consulting in 2018, a private practice serving as an advocate for mental health and helping individuals and teams refine their mental game. She previously worked as a Mental Skills Coach at the University of Denver's CPEX program from 2016 to 2018. Cash holds a Master of Arts in Sport & Performance Psychology from the University of Denver and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Communication Studies from Western Kentucky University. She is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC). Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Cash lives with her husband John and their labradoodle, Franklin.

Mike Pallister joined Justine Sowry's staff as Associate Head Coach in May 2025. Pallister joins the Cardinals following two seasons as head coach at Long Island University. In 2024, he led the Sharks to a 7-10 overall record and their first appearance in the Northeast Conference (NEC) tournament semifinals since 2021. Under his leadership, LIU produced four All-NEC selections. Prior to his time at LIU, Pallister served as an assistant coach at Syracuse University from 2021 to 2022. During his tenure, the Orange made back-to-back NCAA Elite Eight appearances and produced nine All-ACC and seven All-American honorees. From 2011 to 2018, Pallister was an assistant coach at Princeton University. In that span, the Tigers earned eight consecutive NCAA tournament bids, including three Final Four appearances and a national championship in 2012. That title-winning season saw the team go 21-1. He coached seven Olympians, 24 Junior National Team members, and 17 NCAA All-Americans during his time in New Jersey. Pallister began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, where he spent three seasons while earning his MBA. Alongside his collegiate experience, Pallister has made a significant impact at the club level. He served as technical director and high-performance coach for AG Hockey Club from 2019–2021, helping guide teams to silver and bronze finishes at the Club National Championships. During his tenure, AG was ranked the No.

Rachel Overton, a former UofL student-athlete, is entering her tenth year at UofL and serves as Associate Director of Academic Services. She is responsible for overseeing academic support for the field hockey and baseball programs. Overton also serves as the Houston-Bridgeman Fellows Degree Completion Program Coordinator and Chapter Advisor to the Louisville chapter of Chi Alpha Sigma, the student-athlete honor society. Prior to working with the field hockey and baseball programs, Overton served as an Academic Counselor for football, and Assistant Director of Academic Services for rowing, men’s and women’s track and field, and men’s and women’s cross country. Overton joined the staff in August 2010 as a Graduate Assistant with Academic Services, providing academic support for the men's and women's track and field, women's basketball, and football programs. She is an active member of the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A). Overton completed the N4A Professional Development Institute Learning Specialist Track in 2013 and currently serves as a Mentor for the N4A Mentor/Mentee program. A member of the Women Leaders in College Sports organization, Overton attended the Women’s Leadership symposium in 2012 and completed the Institute for Administrative Advancement program. Additionally, she is a graduate of the Leadership Louisville Ignite program, Class of Spring 2017. Overton was a four-year letter winner on the field hockey team a