Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Field Hockey Announces Dawson, Singleton as Newest Assistant Coaches
8/2/2013 8:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Aug. 2, 2013
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell field hockey recently announced the hiring of assistant coaches Meghan Dawson and Erin Singleton. Dawson, a former national champion at North Carolina, and Singleton, who is in her second stint with the Bison, join head coach Jeremy Cook for the start of the 2013 season which gets underway in less than a month's time.
Dawson graduated from North Carolina in 2011 with a degree in communications. During her time with the Tar Heels, the defender and Berlin, N.J., native helped the team to NCAA National Championship titles in 2007 and 2009 as well as additional Final Four appearances in 2010 and 2011. As a junior she received All-NCAA Tournament honors as the team finished runner-up nationally, adding to a resume that also included two selections to the All-South Region team.
Since leaving North Carolina, Dawson has played with the United States Field Hockey Developmental Squad and added to her coaching resume. While in Chapel Hill, she served as coach of the Carolina All-Star Field Hockey Club U16 team in 2012. She later returned to her high school alma mater, volunteering with Eastern Regional and helping the team to a Group IV State Championship. It was her fifth state title with the team as she also won four NJSIAA State Championships as a player before having her Eastern Regional jersey retired. In the last year, Dawson has split her time coaching the Spirit of USA Field Hockey Club in Berlin, N.J., and working with Harrow Sports as a sales consultant in Denver.
Dawson is not the only member of her family to have success on the field hockey turf. One of eight siblings, Meghan's sister Rachel was the 2007 National Player of the Year at North Carolina, and sisters Natalie and Sarah played at Iowa. All three have been members of the U.S. National Team during their careers. Her younger sister Melanie also played at North Carolina.
Dawson replaces Jamie Montgomery who resigned her position as associate head coach in the spring after earning a spot with the U.S. national team.
Singleton, a three-time Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Year at Holy Cross, originally joined the Bucknell staff in the summer of 2009 as a graduate assistant coach. She completed her master's degree in psychology at Bucknell in 2011 and after one year away from Lewisburg, has returned to the Bison sidelines. During her previous turn with Bucknell, Singleton worked with the team's goalkeepers. She will return to that role for the 2013 campaign after serving as a program support technician in Virginia Tech's Mechanical Engineering Department in 2012.
In her final season as a player with the Crusaders, Singleton recorded a 7-11 record in goal with a 3.12 goals against average and a .773 save percentage, which ranked 12th nationally. Her 8.5 saves per game also ranked third in the country. Singleton led the Patriot League in shutouts and goals against average as a sophomore before leading the league in saves, saves per game and save percentage as a senior.
During her career, the Amesbury, Mass., native earned three First Team All-Patriot League selections. Her trio of Goalkeeper of the Year honors marked the first time a student-athlete had claimed the league's award more than once. Away from the field, Singleton was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and the NFHCA National Academic Squad. She completed her degree in psychology from Holy Cross in 2009.
Bucknell will open its season on Aug. 30 when it plays Iowa in Easton, Pa. The Hawkeyes are the first on a difficult schedule that includes six squads that were ranked in the 2012 National Field Hockey Coaches Association season-ending poll. In addition to Iowa, that list also includes Drexel (Sept. 13), Lafayette (Oct. 5), Penn State (Oct. 13), Boston University (Oct. 19) and New Hampshire (Oct. 20). Patriot League play will begin for the Bison on Sept. 21 when they host Lehigh at Graham Field.
