Kara Velez is in her second year on the Hofstra Field Hockey coaching staff and was promoted to associate head coach on May 2, 2019.
Velez, a native of Queensbury, New York, came to Hofstra after serving as head field hockey coach at Siena College from 2012 through the 2017 season before the program was discontinued in March 2018. Under her direction, she coached the first-ever All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) team selections in school history including co-Goalkeeper of the Year and three All-MAAC second team honorees. She also coached student-athletes who earned spots on the United States National Team and the Zimbabwe National Team.
In the classroom, the Siena program received the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Academic Team Award for six consecutive years including five student-athletes named to the 2017 NFHCA National Academic Squad. The Saints also produced 11 MAAC All-Academic Team selections in the past two years.
Prior to taking over at Siena, Velez served as an assistant coach at Fairfield University from July 2007 through May 2012. In that role she served primarily as goalkeeper coach for the Stags. Her arrival coincided with the elevation of the program from three wins in 2007 to nine victories in both 2010 and 2011. During that time, Velez also served as coach and administrator for the Fairfield County United Club program. In addition to assisting in the start-up of the program and overseeing the management of teams, she coached the U12, U14, U16, and U19 teams.
As a student-athlete, Velez was a four-year member of the University of Iowa Field Hockey program that won 46 games from 2003 through 2007. She served as the Hawkeyes’ team captain in 2006 and was part of NCAA Tournament teams in 2004 and 2006, a Big Ten Tournament championship team in 2006 and a Big Ten regular season championship squad in 2004. Velez, who was selected Iowa’s Practice Player of the Year in 2005, was a three-time Big Ten Sportsmanship Award nominee and the 2007 recipient of the honor. She was also a member of the U.S. High Performance Midwest Team in 2006.
Velez, who earned a USA Field Hockey Level II Coaching Certification in 2012, earned her bachelor’s degree in health and sports studies, with a concentration in exercise science, from Iowa in 2007, and a master’s degree in elementary education from Fairfield in 2012.
Kara and her husband, Dan, who is the Director of Athletics at New York Institute of Technology, are the proud parents of Conner, who was born in October 2018.
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