One of the Lancaster-Lebanon League’s greatest field hockey players is turning her attention to coaching.
Donegal grad Mackenzie Allessie has been named head coach at Saint Francis University in Loretto.
“I can’t wait to bond with the girls on and off the field,” Allessie said in a press release. “We are going to have a lot of fun getting to grow this program more and more.”
Allessie has coached the AlleyCats Club team in Palmyra since 2015, working with athletes from U-12 through U-16. She has also served as a volunteer assistant at Donegal.
The Penn State grad played three seasons with the Nittany Lions after transferring from Ohio State. Allessie was the LNP | LancasterOnline.com athlete of the year in 2019. She scored 124 goals and led Donegal to the PIAA championship as a senior.
“Mackenzie will be an excellent leader and role model for her players both on and off the field,” former Penn State coach Char Morett-Curtiss said in a statement. “Her passion for field hockey is clearly evident in the way she played and she will now transfer that passion to coaching and inspiring her team.”
Allessie was the leading scorer on the United States national team that earned a bronze medal in the Pan American Games in 2019.
Saint Francis finished 10-8 and reached the Northeast Conference semifinals last season.
Donegal's Mackenzie Allessie (2) reacts after scoring the winning goal against Palmyra in overtime of the PIAA 2A Field Hockey Championships at Whitehall High School in Allentown Saturday Nov. 17, 2018.
JEFF REINHART | Sports Writer
