Cornell University Athletics

At Cornell

"I have known Kellie since 2006. I had the pleasure of coaching her as an up-and-coming player and then watching her flourish on the collegiate and international stage. She is a great coach and will have an immediate impact on our student-athletes and our program as a whole," said Andy Smith, the head coach of Cornell field hockey.

In her first season, she helped the team to a 10-7 record, and a third place finish in the Ivy. The Big Red ended the year ranked in the nation's top-25 for three consecutive weeks, defeated its first top-5 ranked opponent, and saw had an All-American named in Caroline Ramsey.

Cornell was even better in 2023, setting a school record for wins (12), reaching No. 17 in the NFHCA poll and earning the No. 2 seed in the inaugural Ivy League Tournament as the conference runner-up. The Big Red led the nation in scoring average (3.21), assists per game (3.65), and points per game (10.47), all single-season school records. Cornell was also second in Division I in scoring margin (1.99) and second in the Ivy League and 15th nationally in scoring defense (1.22 goals allowed per game) with five shutouts. Caroline Ramsey was nation's No. 2 scorer and became the school's all-time scoring leader, while sister Julia paced Division I in assists. Caroline Ramsey became the first Cornellian to earn All-America honors twice, was the Northeast Regional Offensive Player of the Year, and also gained recognition as Offensive Player of the Year by the Ivy League and ECAC. In recognition of the staff's good work, the Big Red earned the NFHCA Mideast Regional Coaching Staff of the Year in 2023.

Prior to Cornell

Joyce spent four seasons as assistant coach at Providence, including the final year as the top assistant. The Friars posted a pair of double-digit win seasons and qualified for the four-team Big East Tournament both years.

She previously spent one year as an assistant coach at her alma mater, New Hampshire. The Wildcats were 9-12 that season, a two-win improvement over the previous campaign, and picked off top 25 foes Iowa and Maine on the road and Albany in the America East Tournament en route to the championship game.
 

Playing Career

Joyce was chosen as a NFHCA Third-Team All-America selection as a senior and was a three-time All-America East pick. The first-team NFHCA All-Northeast Region first-team pick earned America East Academic Honor Roll and NFHCA All-Academic Squad recognition. Joyce started all 85 games for the Wildcats (2011-14) and recorded 11 goals and 23 assists for 45 points. Her 23 assists were tied for seventh-most in program history.

After closing out her collegiate career, Joyce trained with the U.S. Women's National Team in 2015, during which time she traveled to England to compete in a four-game series.  She was a member of the U.S. Development Team until 2017. Joyce played overseas for the Royal Pungouin Hockey Club's elite team in Nivelles, Belgium from 2016-17, then played for the U.S. Women's National Indoor Team in 2019-20 before joining the national development team in 2020.
 

Personal

Joyce graduated from New Hampshire in 2015 with a degree in sports studies.

* Updated December 2023