Our Coaches

Meet Our Coaches

Our Coaches all have experience playing field hockey, many at the collegiate level, and have a passion for growing the sport in our community and sharing their love of the game!

Philomena fitzgerald

Coach U16 Purple

Coach Phil played field hockey at The College of the Holy Cross. She was a three year starter and captained the team her senior year, earning a spot on the Patriot League All-Tournament team.

ERIN SAYBOLT

Coach U14 Purple

Coming from Bucks County PA, Coach Erin competed collegiately as a center midfielder and captain at Ursinus College in the Centennial Conference (CC). She was named CC’s Rookie of the year after helping the Bears reach the NCAA Elite Eight tournament game. As a sophomore and senior, she garnered Second Team All-CC and as a junior, First Team all-CC.

Sophie Moniz

Coach U12 Purple

Sophie Moniz

Coach U12 Purple

Coach Sophie Moniz is a native Alexandrian and played as a four-year varsity goalie at T.C. Williams High School, captaining her senior year and earning first-team all-district honors, first-team all-region honors, and District Player of the Year honors in 2019. She is the last T.C. Williams HS / Alexandria City HS field hockey player to have earned the District Player of the Year award.

She is an alumna of Connecticut College where she played at goal for four years and was named to the NFHCA National Academic Squad and the NESCAC All-Academic Team.

KARYNNE BAKER

Coach U16 Purple

KARYNNE BAKER

Coach U16 Purple

Coach Karynne played at McLean High School where she served as team captain for two years where she tallied 34 goals and 47 assists. She continued her career at the Division I level with Ohio University. While at OU, she earned a MAC Honor Roll distinction and was a Spring Athletics Director Honor Roll selection.

MAYA FRANCISCO

Coach U14 Violet

MAYA FRANCISCO

Coach U14 Violet

Coach Maya is from Toledo, Ohio, and started playing competitive field hockey in middle school. She is an alumna of Allegheny College in Meadville, PA, where she played forward and midfield.

She is also an elementary school teacher in Alexandria City Public Schools.

ELIZABETH BATWINIS

Coach U14 Purple

ELIZABETH BATWINIS

Coach U14 Purple

Coach Elizabeth is from Maryland and captained her high school team. She played competitively for club teams throughout high school. After deciding not to play in college, she earned her degree from Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, VA

KELSEY SHEAFFER

Coach U12 Violet

KELSEY SHEAFFER

Coach U12 Violet

Coach Kelsey Sheaffer comes from Millerstown, PA, and has been playing field hockey since she was ten years old. She first put on the goalie pads at age eleven and helped Greenwood High School win a Class A State Championship and two District III Titles as a goalkeeper. Kelsey found her love for coaching at Central Penn Field Hockey Club and continued her work with goalies and indoor teams. She has relocated to Alexandria, VA, and is excited to continue to grow the game!

JULIA BRENEMAN

Coach U14 Violet

JULIA BRENEMAN

Coach U14 Violet

Coach Julia Breneman played Division I field hockey at Saint Francis University in Loretto, PA where she was a three-time captain and nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year in 2024. Hailing from Mechanicsburg, PA, Coach Julia developed her passion for the sport while playing competitively for the Central Penn Field Hockey Club. Her love for the game extends beyond playing, as she has enjoyed coaching players of various ages and skill levels. Now, Coach Julia is thrilled to join AVA Magic, where she is eager to contribute to training the next generation of field hockey champions.

Susannah Tombes

Coach U10 Purple

Susannah Tombes

Coach U10 Purple

Coach Susannah Tombes played field hockey in high school at Monacan High School and Saint Gertrude High School, both in Richmond, VA. She graduated from the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA in 2019. While working at Saint John Paul the Great Catholic High School here in Northern Virginia, she was brought back into the field hockey world as a head and assistant coach on both Varsity and Junior Varsity teams! She now works in elementary education in Alexandria, VA, and we're thrilled to have her join us!

NELE GRANER

Coach Magic Stars

NELE GRANER

Coach Magic Stars

Coach Nele Graner is from Bonn, Germany, and was a goalie for The Ohio University Women's Field Hockey Team where she was named defensive player of the week numerous times as well as defensive player of the MAC tournament. She was an Academic All-MAC all four years of her career. Coach Nele trains our goalies and runs AVA Magic goalie clinics.

emma hopper

Coach

emma hopper

Coach

Coach Emma Hopper began her field hockey journey in New Jersey, starting at age ten and continuing on to play at Eastern Regional High School as a four-year varsity player. After high school she played four years at the University of Richmond, captaining her junior and senior seasons. While there, she helped lead her team to win the A10 Championship in 2014. After graduation, Coach Emma played in a rec league during grad school before getting married and moving to Florida and then Texas. She is happy to now be back in field hockey country after seven years and can't wait to help the next generation of young hockey players fall in love with the sport like she did many years ago! 🏑

eimy alvarado

Coach U16 Lavender

eimy alvarado

Coach U16 Lavender

Coach Eimy Alvarado graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond with a degree in Biology and Chemistry. She is a Northern Virginia native who graduated from FCPS and currently works as a teacher at her alma mater! She played club field hockey at VCU for four years, serving as the captain and club president for two years. She is currently the Head Varsity Field Hockey Coach at Hayfield Secondary School, where she has coached for two years . She is excited to grow field hockey in Northern Virginia and inspire the next generation of female athletes.

GRACE SENSENIG

Coach

GRACE SENSENIG

Coach

From Lancaster PA, to Indiana University, Coach Grace is a former high school team captain, MVP, and multi-time all-league honoree. Coach Grace coaches at Yorktown High School, leading the field hockey program to back-to-back state championships in 2023 & 2024

anna skrot

Coach U12 Purple (Indoor)

anna skrot

Coach U12 Purple (Indoor)

Originally from Feasterville, Pennsylvania, Coach Anna Skrot began playing field hockey when she was ten years old. She is an alumna of the University of Maryland where she played club field hockey all four years, and then began umpiring field hockey games soon after college.

madison hatcher

Coach U14 Lavender (Indoor)

madison hatcher

Coach U14 Lavender (Indoor)

Coach Madison Hatcher was a four-year starter/Varsity letter at Mountain View High School in Stafford, VA. She was a state runner-up in her sophomore season before winning back-to-back state championships during her junior and senior seasons. A three-time first team all-conference, region, and state selectee, during her senior year, she was the conference/district, region, state, and All-Area newspaper Player of the Year. Coach Madison went on to play Division 1 field hockey at Bucknell University where her teams won the Patriot League, helping Bucknell to the NCAA Elite Eight. Coach Madison was also a four-time Patriot League Academic Honor Roll recipient.