Department: Field Hockey Title: Assistant Coach Phone: 609-895-5629 Office Location: Maurer 209 Current Year: 8th Season

Dan Hussong, the husband of head coach Lori Hussong, begins his eighth season on the Rider staff as an assistant coach. Dan’s main area on the field is goaltending, and off of the field is recruiting. 

The Hussongs have proven to be quite a team. Dan compiled a 247-120 record as head coach of the West Windsor-Plainsboro High School girl’s varsity basketball team, with Lori as his assistant. While Lori was compiling a 192-57-11 record as head coach of the WW-P field hockey team, Dan was serving as her assistant. The Hussongs have continued their winning ways here at Rider.  “Dan has played a very important role in the development of our goaltending,” said Lori, “and was instrumental in the recruitment and signing of what we feel is another extremely talented freshman class.” 

In six of his seven seasons as goalies coach, Rider goalies have posted the best goals against average in the Northeast Conference. ‘Coach Dan’ worked with 2006 graduate Krysta Bearish for four years and she broke the all-time single season victory total (18) in 2004 and the career wins record (58).  In 2006, Bearish was eighth in the nation in save percentage (.792) after placing fifth in the nation in GAA (1.16) and 12th in save percentage in 2005. In 2004, Bearish finished in the NFHCA Top 10 in both goals against (9th at 1.005) and save percentage (3rd at .820).  Bearish graduated with a career GAA of 1.29.  Rider has ended in the Top 20 in GAA in six of his seven seasons including 10^th last season.

In Coach Dan’s other role as head recruiter, Rider has enjoyed having the NEC Rookie of the Year in three of the six classes he has brought in with current junior Tricia Crotty winning the award in 2005. 

Dan is a 1977 graduate of State University of New York at Brockport, where he twice captained the Brockport basketball team. At WWP, Dan has also coached football, boy’s basketball and ice hockey, and has been named the Mercer County Coach of the Year three times (1983, 1985, 1997), and has earned Colonial Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors (1995) and was named the Coach of the Decade (1999) by the Princeton Packet newspaper. 

Dan and Lori are the parents of three children; Michael, Colby and Tommy.