Melissa Krempa Mariano was named Franklin & Marshall's 12th varsity field hockey coach on Thursday, March 13, 2008. She joins the Diplomat staff after spending four years as the assistant field hockey coach, and strength and conditioning coordinator at William Smith College. During her tenure, she led the Herons to four consecutive Liberty League championships and four trips to the NCAA tournament, including the Final Four one year.

Mariano also coached four First-Team All-Americans, and two Liberty League Rookies of the Year, along with numerous regional All-Americans and first team all-league selections. A 2004 graduate of Middlebury College, Mariano enjoyed an exceptional career as a four-year starter on the field hockey squad. She was named a First-Team All-American and Academic All-American her senior year, leading the Panthers to the NESCAC title and the NCAA tournament championship game. That year, she scored six goals and assisted on four others, finishing third on the team with 16 points. Krempa's efforts in the NCAA Tournament earned her a spot on the All-Tournament Team and she was also named the womensfieldhockey.com Player of the Year.

In 2003, Mariano was a part of a team that set Middlebury records for wins (19), winning percentage (.950), winning streak (19), and goals in a season (71), while tying the school mark with seven shutouts. In 2004, she was named the Deborah Parton Memorial Award winner, presented to the Middlebury female athlete who exemplifies spirit and dedication, as well as the 2003 Panther Contribution Award for efforts on and off the hockey field and the 2002 Unsung Hero Award.

In addition to field hockey, Mariano also was a member of the Middlebury Division I Alpine ski team for two seasons, and spent another season as a member of the varsity golf team. From 1999-2001, she spent her summers facilitating groups through team building exercises such as indoor rock climbing, outdoor high and low ropes and various other challenges at the Adirondack Center in St. Johnsville, NY.

"I am thrilled to begin my head coaching career at Franklin & Marshall," said Mariano. "I am eager to start working with the team and continuing the strong field hockey tradition at such a wonderful athletic and academic institution."

In addition to her work with the field hockey squad, Mariano will serve as the assistant women's golf coach.

A native of Johnstown, N.Y., Mariano graduated cum laude from Middlebury in 2004 with bachelor's degrees in history and psychology. She presented an Honors Thesis in History, "The 'Woman Question': Exploring the Havoc it Wreaked on the Antebellum Abolition Movement" and presented advanced research in Psychology, "Looking Beyond the Lab: How Does Alcohol Myopia Manifest Itself in the Real World?"

Kaitlyn Hamilton will join Franklin & Marshall for the 2010-11 field hockey season. Kaitlyn gained extensive field hockey and athletic experience prior to F&M at Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

While at William Smith, Hamilton was involved throughout the Athletic Department. She worked in the Athletic Communications Office writing up stories for athletic events, assisting in program distribution, and furnishing all game statistics available online.

Hamilton's collegiate field hockey career took off while playing for the Herons. She gained honors as a two-time winner of William Smith's Charles P. Boswell II '50 Field Hockey Award, assisted in capturing two Liberty League Championships, and scored two goals in Division III NCAA Championships in 2006 and 2007. In Addition, Hamilton was named second team All-American as a sophomore and third team as a senior. From 2007 through 2009 seasons Hamilton was named to the NFHCA All-Region first team and Liberty League first team. She was also coined Liberty League Rookie of the Year.

Prior to joining the coaching staff at F&M, Hamilton coached at various camps including Tufts University, SUNY-Cortland, and Harpursville.

Allison Howard is in her first season as an assistant coach with the Franklin and Marshall Field Hockey team.   Howard, a Lancaster native, graduated from the University of Richmond in 2006 with a B.A. in Business Administration with a concentration in marketing.  While at Richmond, Howard played four years of field hockey, leading the Spiders to four consecutive Atlantic 10 Championships, an unblemished record of 33-0, and four consecutive bids to the NCAA Tournament.  She became the first player in Atlantic 10 history to win three straight Player of the Year awards and was a two-year captain for the Spiders.

Prior to coming to F&M, Howard worked for Harmelin Media in Bala Cynwyd, PA as an associate media buyer.  She is also an active member of the Philadelphia Interactive Marketing Association.