Phil Sykes, a former standout on the U.S. national team, has been named the interim head coach of field hockey at Cornell for the 2003 campaign after serving as an assistant at Towson University over the past two seasons.
With the Tigers, Sykes assisted in recruiting, coordinating practices, offensive and defensive strategies, team fitness and developing starting lineups. During his two seasons, Towson doubled its win total, winning 10 games a season ago, while helping the squad to wins over nationally-ranked Delaware and Hofstra, both firsts in program history.
A national team member from 1986-97, Sykes competed for the 1996 U.S. Olympic team. He was a member of the U.S. indoor team in 1994, and then again in each of the last two seasons. The 2002 indoor squad captured a silver medal at the World Cup qualifier and earned a bronze at the 1995 Pan American Games. Sykes has represented the United States in more than 30 junior national and 60 senior national matches. He also competed in the Australian Premier Division for the UTS Hockey Club in Sydney. He previously had served as a volunteer assistant coach at U.C.-Davis during the 1998 and 1999 campaigns.
An accomplished tennis pro, Sykes received his U.S. Professional Tennis Association certificate in 1999 and was an all-conference singles and doubles player at Chabot Junior College, later serving as assistant men's tennis coach there.
Sykes, a native of Livermore, Calif., earned his bachelor's degree in kinesiology from California State University, Heyward, in 1999.
