University of Richmond Athletics
O'Rourke Named Assistant Field Hockey Coach
07/18/2013 | Field Hockey
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. – Richmond field hockey head coach Gina Lucido announced the hiring of Kristen O'Rourke to the Spider staff. O'Rourke served as a volunteer assistant for the past three seasons with the Spiders.
"Richmond Field Hockey is quite fortunate to have Kristen O'Rourke become a full-time staff member,” commented Lucido. “Her loyalty and investment in the Richmond program is unparalleled. For the past three years Kristen has volunteered with the team and shaped our goalkeeping group into an elite force. Kristen is a praiseworthy example of perseverance and relentless service to our spider family. I am so blessed she has remained with the program and reaped the reward of all her hard work.”
Throughout her three seasons as a volunteer, O'Rourke helped guide the Spiders to the 2011 Atlantic 10 Championship, a berth in the NCAA Tournament and the 2012 Atlantic 10 Regular Season title.
“I am absolutely honored to continue on here at the University of Richmond,” commented O'Rourke. “It is the culture that breeds and attracts the most incredible people to be a part of this program. My time spent working with Spider Hockey has paid back immensely and I cannot wait to have the means to be able to fully dive in and leave a greater mark on the program.”
O'Rourke has mentored All-American goalkeeper Anna Zarkoski for the past two seasons. Zarkoski was named a Third-Team All-American by WomensFieldHockey.com and a First-Team Longstreth/NFHCA All-South Region pick in 2011, and most recently was selected to the U.S. National Developmental squad in the spring of 2012. Zarkoski also played in the Junior Pan Am Games with Team USA.
O'Rourke is a 2010 graduate of James Madison, where she played goalkeeper for the Dukes and served as team captain as a senior.
While at JMU, the Williamsburg, Va., native was a member of three-straight CAA Championship teams (2006-08). As a junior O'Rourke was a member of a defense that finished the season with 11 shutouts, ranking second all-time at James Madison.
She contributed to a team that finished first in the nation in goals against average and shutouts per game in 2008. The JMU Athletic Director Scholar-Athlete was a USA Field Hockey Futures Regional Selector and Coach.
O'Rourke also runs numerous goalkeeping clinics and team tournaments through her own company called Next Level by KO – a premier field hockey goalkeeping training company for those who want to take their performances to the next level.
