Coaching Experience
• Assistant Coach, Cornell University (2010-14; 2016 – Present)
• Goalkeeper Coach, WC Eagles (2015)
• Assistant Coach, Sancta Maria College Catholic School for Girls (2009)
• Student Assistant Coach, Lock Haven University (2008-09)
Education
• B.S.,
Secondary Education, Lock Haven University (2009)
At Cornell
Ali Harris, who served as an assistant coach for four seasons with the Big Red from 2010-14, returned to East Hill to rejoin Coach Hornibrook's staff prior to the 2016 season.
A former goalkeeper that enjoyed a tremendously successful career at Lock Haven University, Harris helped the Big Red's netminders to earn first-team All-Ivy honors three times during her first go-around with the program. Harris also helped Kelly Johnson '18 transition from high school to a stellar rookie season in which her 1.22 goals-against average was the sixth best GAA in Cornell history in a single season. Under Harris' tutelage, Johnson became the winningest goalie in Cornell field hockey history, a distinction that had been held by one of Harris' first Big Red goalie pupils - Alex Botte '12
With Johnson sidelined with injury for most of her senior campaign, Harris coached Maddie Henry to a second-team All-Ivy selection in 2017. As a sophomore, the netminder opened the year with a shutout streak of 291:09, the second longest in program history, and finished the year with a 7-5 record. She ended the season ranked first in the Ivy League and fifth in the NCAA with a .795 save percentage, while posting the third best goals-against average in the conference (1.49), a mark good for 20th in the nation.
Harris helped Carolyn Horner ’13 to back-to-back first-team All-Ivy selections in 2012 and 2013. Horner finished her career at Cornell ranked second overall for career shutouts (eight), fourth overall in winning percentage (.548), seventh in career victories (17), ninth in goals-against average (2.39) and 10th overall in both career saves (229) and save percentage (.787). In 2013, she saw her senior campaign interrupted by a mid-season injury, but still finished with a 7-5 record to go along with a 2.00 GAA and a .736 save percentage. In 2012, Horner led the Ivy League and ranked fifth nationally in save percentage while posting the league's second-best goals against average (1.88), pacing the circuit in shutouts (5) and posting the fourth-most saves (121) in her first full season as a starter. She was also 11th in the NCAA in saves per game (7.56) and 33rd with her goals against average.
In her first season with the Big Red, Cornell finished with an 11-5 record overall and a mark of 5-2 in the Ivy League. The 11 wins matched the school record for wins in a season, initially set in 2008, while the 5-2 record gave the Big Red its fourth second-place finish in the conference standings in the last five years. Additionally, Harris' work with Botte earned the goalkeeper a first-team All-Ivy selection.
Prior to Cornell
Prior to coming to Cornell, Harris was an assistant coach at Sancta Maria College Catholic School for Girls in Dublin, Ireland, a position she acquired after serving as a student assistant coach at her alma mater for nearly two years. During her time on the Eagles’ sideline, Harris worked with the goalkeepers and defensive unit, helping Lock Haven to a record of 37-9 (14-1 NEC), a pair of NEC tournament championships and one NEC regular season championship.
Since 2004, Harris has held a myriad of coaching positions on the club level, including head goalkeeper coach for the WC Eagles in 2015 as well as the goalkeeper coach for the East Coast Field Hockey and USFHA Futures. She was also an assistant coach for CNY Field hockey and for the Maine-Endwell Summer Field Hockey Camps program.
Playing Career
Harris’ coaching career began on the heels of a very successful playing career between the pipes for Lock Haven. She saw action in 35 games, making 18 starts and posting a 12-4 record. A team captain as a senior, she was a part of four NEC regular season championship teams and helped the Eagles to back-to-back NEC tournament championships. An exceptional student-athlete, she was also named to both the NFHCA National Academic Squad and the NEC Fall Academic Honor Roll four times. In 2007, Harris earned the NEC’s Top-Three Senior GPA award.
Education
Harris graduated from Lock Haven in 2009 with a bachelors of science in secondary education with a concentration in social studies. She holds teaching certifications in both New York state and Pennsylvania.
