Field hockey coach Cristy Freese receives four-year contract extension
Cristy Freese has been the head coach of the Central Michigan field hockey team for 26 years, and that isn’t about to change.
Freese recently received a four-year contract extension that will take her through the 2015 season. There was no adjustment to her current salary of $88,894 as a part of her multi-year deal.
“I’m excited that I’ve been here over 25 years and that I can finish my coaching career here at Central Michigan and that administration had a lot of confidence of where our program is,” Freese said. “We certainly feel we’ve set ourselves up for some championship seasons.”
Freese has won 205 games since her arrival in 1986. In that time, she was won three Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year awards (1987, 1989 and 2002) and two MAC Championships (1990, 2002).
“When I took over in 1986 it was a program that had some success, but as it moved to the Mid-American Conference it really hadn’t made a big step forward,” Freese said. “We lost in the finals in 87’ and 89’ then got to the finals again in 1990 and that was important to win.”
Lately, the field hockey program has not only found success on the field but also in the classroom. The program boasted a combined team GPA of 3.47, good for the fourth highest in the NCAA, according the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
The Chippewas' GPA has gone two consecutive years of having the highest mark among public universities.
In fact, a nation-high 15 athletes were named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division 1 All-Academic Squad.
Although she has been around for over 25 years, this extension isn’t leading up to Freese’s retirement. She believes she’ll be on the CMU sidelines for many more years to come.
“It’s hard to predict what happens after that, but as long as I’m energetic and competitive and passionate as I am today, maybe I’ll be fortunate to get another four years,” Freese said.
