The 2011 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year, Michelle Marks Salmi will enter her ninth season as the head field hockey coach at La Salle for the fall 2017 season.
The team split conference play 4-4 in 2016, a one game improvement from the year prior, while seeing an 8-9 record in overall play. The team boasted three Second Team All-Conference players, two Academic All-Conference players as well as . Under Marks'Â guidance, Rachel Hartman was selected as an alternate goalkeeper for the Victory Sports Tour/NFHCAÂ Division I Senior game. Two of her rookies were named Zag Field Hockey/NFHCAÂ National Scholars of Distinction, along with eight other players recognized as National Academic Team members. Marks' team as a whole was recognized as a Division IÂ NFHCAÂ Academic Squad for maintaining a team GPA of 3.0 or higher.Â
Marks guided her team to a 5-3 record in conference play and a 9-9 record overall in the 2015 season. She guided 11 of her players to spots on the NFHCA Collegiate Academic squad and the entire team was recognized as a National Academic Team for their achievements in the 2016 year. She mentored a batch of players to Atlantic-10 Second team, a freshman to the All-Rookie Team, and two players to Academic All-Atlantic 10 honors. Twice she led players to Atlantic 10 Co-Rookie of the week awards in the 2015 season.
In 2014, Marks guided her squad to its best overall and conference records since joining the A-10, going 11-7 overall and 5-3 in league play. She coached the team to one of its greatest wins in recent history, a 2-1 comeback win over eventual Atlantic 10 champion Richmond. She mentored two All-Conference Second Team honorees, as well as a promising core group of freshmen which included two All-Rookie Team picks. Marks' squad continued its tradition of academic success with two Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference honorees, a Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area selection, an NFHCA Scholar of Distinction, 10 Atlantic 10 Commissioner's Honor Roll members and 11 NFHCA National Academic Squad honorees.
Three Explorers earned Atlantic 10 postseason honors in 2013, including two All-Conference Second Team picks and an All-Rookie Team honoree. In addition, La Salle placed a player on the Longstreth/NFHCA All-Region Second Team while seeing the program's single-season points record shattered.
La Salle placed four players on the All-Atlantic 10 teams in 2012 and just missed out on the conference tournament.Â
In 2011, the Explorers qualified for the Atlantic 10 Championship for the first time since 1997. La Salle also tied a program record for most A-10 wins.
The Blue and Gold finished among the national leaders in several categories, including placing fourth in save percentage (.803). La Salle was 13th in defensive saves and 17th in saves per game.
A program record tying four players earned all-conference honors with goalkeeper Lisa Shaffer earning all-region honors, the second under Marks to do so.Â
In 2010, four Explorers garnered Atlantic 10 all-conference recognition. In 2009, three players earned All-Atlantic 10 honors, including Rookie of the Year Rebecca Chylack. Chylack went on to receive Region All-American and Freshman All-America recognition by Womensfieldhockey.com.
Academically, La Salle has nearly unmatched success in the classroom. The Explorers had the second-best GPA in the country in 2009 and have placed over 70 student-athletes on the NFHCA National Academic squad in the past five years.
Two players have received Academic All-District while ten Explorers have earned Academic All-Atlantic 10 honors during Marks' tenure.
In her first season at the helm in 2009, she guided the Blue and Gold to the most wins in six seasons. She spent the 2008 campaign as an assistant on 20th and Olney.
A native of Lititz, Pa., Marks came to La Salle from Bucknell University, where she was an assistant coach for three seasons. Prior to Bucknell, she spent two years rebuilding a program at Washington & Jefferson College where she helped guide the team to the most victories and goals scored in program history. In addition, Marks served as head coach for the western Pennsylvania site of the USFHA Futures program for two years.
During her time at Bucknell, Marks played a role in mentoring 51 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll selections, 43 NFHCA Academic Squad honorees, four First Team and four Second Team All-Patriot League selections, five Regional All-Americans, and one Patriot League Rookie of the Year. The Bison also recorded the second-best GPA in the nation in 2006.
Marks, a 2003 Syracuse University graduate and a four-year starter, concluded her playing career with a career record of 51-31. A two-time Regional All-American and two-time All-Big East honoree, she was instrumental in helping the Orange win both the 2001 Big East regular season and tournament championships and advancing to the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament.
In addition to her playing experience at Syracuse, Marks was selected for the United States Field Hockey Association's (USFHA) developmental programs, having been named as an alternate to the 2000 U-19 National Team and was a multiple year participant in the USFHA A & B Camps, a selection opportunity for the junior and senior national teams, as well as competing on the United Summer League team.
Marks graduated from Syracuse with a bachelor of science degree in retailing and a minor in management. As a student-athlete, she was a two-time selection to the Syracuse University Athletic Director's Spring Honor Roll and Big East Academic All-Star in 1999. She is currently working on her Master's degree and played her high school field hockey career at Warwick High School in Lititz, PA.
She has also worked numerous college field hockey camps at Syracuse, William & Mary, Virginia Commonwealth, and Indiana, as well as Champions Edge in Chicago and Scranton. Additionally, Marks has served as assistant coach at the USFHA Futures site at Penn Charter in Philadelphia and currently coaches at the elite site in Downingtown.
