BOONE, N.C. – Earlier this month, MAX Field Hockey named Appalachian State alumna Erica Adcock the 2018 North Carolina Field Hockey Coach of the Year. The honor comes just two months after the Charlotte Observer also named Adcock the coach of the year in the Charlotte area.
Adcock, who played at Appalachian from 2003-06, helped lead her Myers Park High School squad to its third straight N.C. Field Hockey Association state title in 2018.
Myers Park finished the season undefeated, outscoring opponents 106-4 in 19 contests. Under Adcock's tutelage, the Mustangs have compiled a 48-5 record over the past three seasons. The Appalachian alumna has also helped develop top talent in the Charlotte area with five of her players earning a spot on the All-Observer field hockey team.
"This was an incredibly special season for Myers Park field hockey," Adcock said. "It is so rare to go undefeated and also be able to live up to postseason expectations."
While at Appalachian, Adcock was a three-time all-conference selection. She also earned a spot on the National Field Hockey Coaches Association National Academic Squad in all four years of her field hockey career.
After Adcock graduated from Appalachian, she stayed involved with the program by serving as a graduate assistant coach. Adcock also completed her master's in accounting in 2008.
Today, Adcock remains connected to the App State field hockey program in many ways, including on her own coaching staff at Myers Park. Kelsey Melando, another Appalachian State field hockey alumna, has been an assistant coach at Myers Park since August 2016. Like Adcock, she also earned a spot on the NFHCA National Academic Squad all four years at Appalachian.
"Even though we did not overlap during our years at App, we have a shared history as student-athletes on the field hockey team," Adcock said. "Kelsey and I both understand what being a part of the Appalachian family is all about, and we try to bring that same inclusiveness, passion and love to our field hockey program at Myers Park."
Aside from her work at Myers Park, Adcock and her husband Brandon, who is also an Appalachian alum, donated the lead gift for the field hockey facility named in their honor. Erica and Brandon earned the Appalachian Alumni Association's Young Alumni Award in 2013 for their donation.
Brandon & Erica M. Adcock Field is the first field hockey specific facility in the history of Appalachian State Athletics. The Mountaineers have played at the facility since 2014.
The Adcocks returned to Boone for the Sept. 23 contest against Louisville to celebrate the opening of a new field house at the facility. The celebration was part of Appalachian State Athletics' celebration of 50 years of women's sports.
"As a high school student, playing field hockey allowed me to discover what a great school Appalachian is, and the idea of other current prospective players having that same experience is exciting for me," Adcock said. "As an alum, I'm so proud of the direction the program is headed and excited for what the future holds."
