After seventeen years of coaching MFS field hockey, Athletics Director Danielle Dayton announced that she will be stepping down from the head coach position at the end of the 2020-21 school year.
On Wednesday, March 24, 2021, Dayton met with the field hockey team and said she will be leaving the field hockey program. Dayton began working at MFS as Assistant Head Coach of the team for two years before finding herself in the head coach position.
“It’s bittersweet because I love field hockey, and I’ve either played or coached every day since third grade,” said Dayton about the decision to step down. “It’s always been a part of my life and my family’s life. I think when you make decisions like this in life, it takes time. You need to think about it and weigh out the pros and cons. It’s not like I just woke up and decided to do it, but it wasn’t blazing in my mind. Over time, I came to the decision.”
Under Dayton’s leadership MFS field hockey has won two Friends League Championships and had eight athletes inducted into the 2020 Keith Waldman National Academic Squad, which is for junior and senior field hockey players with high academic achievement in the first quarter of the year.
The MFS field hockey program has run under Dayton’s leadership with the assistance of Julie Rothwell and Julia Applegate ’03. Starting in the 2021-22 school year, Rothwell will serve as head coach and Applegate as assistant.
“They’ve put in so much time and effort and it’s time for them to have their chance (to step up to new roles). I’ve been coaching for a very long time and I love every year. Each season comes with different challenges. I think I have been reflecting a lot about the two amazing coaches we have, and I wanted to stop at a time I knew the program would be in good hands,” said Dayton about Rothwell and Applegate.
Applegate began playing field hockey at MFS during Dayton’s first year coaching the team. Now side-by-side on the coaching staff, Applegate reflects on the experience. “She shaped my entire field hockey experience at MFS. She’s shown me exponentially how much this program means to me as a player and a coach,” said Applegate.
As for the new JV coach, Dayton said she is working diligently to find a replacement.
Dayton stepping down isn’t just a big change for the coaching staff. This change is affecting students who are in the class of ’22, ’23, and all of the future classes. Danielle Dayton says she understands the impact of her decision to step down, and it is something that she had considered.
“The hard part is no matter what year you decide to do this you are leaving ninth, tenth, and eleventh graders that you care so much about. There’s a joy watching the players grow in so many ways; it is deeper than field hockey. It weighs on me that I won’t be able to finish out with these grades,” said Dayton.
But Dayton challenged the idea that a sport is ever about one coach. “Field hockey has traditions stronger than any coach, and what keeps them going is the athletes and families and it just feels like a family. It is so strong that I can’t imagine traditions going anywhere,” she said.
Players in these grades had similar reactions to the news about Dayton stepping down. Abby Taylor ’22, who has been playing since freshman year, said, “I’ll miss her inspiring words on the field and her ability to bring the entire team together. That being said, I do think that Ms. Rothwell will do a great job.”
A theme throughout the MFS high school field hockey players’ reactions is the confidence in the team’s future coaching staff. Sophomore Tia Obermeier ’23 explained, “[Dayton’s] presence will be missed on the field, but I know we are in great hands.”
Danielle Dayton had a lasting impact on the players she coached. Shelby Diebler ’20, former MFS student and field hockey player, said, “Coach Dayton has inspired me to push myself not only in sports, but in life. I still hear her words of encouragement in my head as I prepare to take on a challenging task. Dayton has prepared me to be a team player on every team that I’m on.”
Applegate summarized what all players were feeling: “My initial reaction is I’m happy for [Dayton], and I know she will still have responsibilities, but it’s going to be bittersweet because she’s been here my entire career. It will definitely be strange to not have her coaching on the field.”
