ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell head field hockey coach Donna Hornibrook has announced that Alesha Widdall, a seven-year member of the US Women's Field Hockey Senior National Team, will join the Big Red staff as an assistant coach for the upcoming 2018 season.
 
"We are thrilled to add Alesha to the staff," said Hornibrook. "Her international experience, along with her educational background in exercise science, will be a wonderful addition to our program. She was highly recommended by every coach that she either played for or worked with, and during the interview process it was clear that she is highly motivated to share her expertise as a goalie on the national team with our student-athletes."
 
A member of the 2016 US Olympic training team, Widdall helped prepare the US squad that took fifth place overall at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In total, she has won seven medals with Team USA, including gold medals at the 2017 World League Semifinals, the 2014 Champions Challenge, and the 2013 World League Round 2.
 
Widdall began her collegiate coaching career as a volunteer assistant at nearby SUNY Cortland. During her two seasons with the Red Dragons, she coached the goalies and the defense while assisting in scouting, video analysis, and pre-game preparation.
 
On the club level, Widdall served as the head coach of the U-16 team at Nook Sporting Complex and also worked as the head goalkeeping coach for both White Mountain Sports and at the College Connection Team Camp.
 
Widdall was a two-time NFHCA All-American and a four-time All-Region selection at UMass. She helped the Minutewomen to four A10 Championships and a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances during her career. The A10 Defensive Player of the Year (2011) and the conference Rookie of the Year (2008), she was a four-time first-team all-conference selection and a two-time ECAC All-Star.  
 
A native of nearby Whitney Point, N.Y., Widdall earned a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from UMass in 2012. She is currently working towards obtaining a Master of Science in Exercise Science and Rehabilitation from Logan University.