A two-time ACC and NFHCA South Region Coach of the Year and a member of the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame, Pam Bustin has revitalized the Duke field hockey program in her eight seasons in Durham, guiding the Blue Devils to a 114-54 ledger and a trip to the 2013 NCAA title game.
Under Bustin's direction, the Blue Devils made their 17th NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018, reaching the quarterfinal round for the sixth consecutive year. The squad rounded out the season at 16-6 and featured a pair of All-Americans in Margaux Paolino (first team) and Rose Tynan (second team). Duke won eight of its final nine contests in the regular season before reaching the semifinals of the ACC Championship for the third straight fall. The 2018 campaign also saw Bustin top the 100-victory mark at Duke, reaching the milestone in a 4-3 overtime win against Liberty Aug. 26.
Bustin added a coaching milestone in the 2017 season, earning the 250th win of her career in a 3-0 shutout of Old Dominion Sept. 24 to become the 14th active Division I head field hockey coach to reach the milestone. The 2017 campaign resulted in a 17-4 record, an appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals and three All-Americans in Alyssa Chillano, Paolino and Tynan. Under Bustin's guidance, the Blue Devils also led the ACC in all-conference and all-academic team selections for the 2017 season.
The Duke program accomplished a number of firsts in 2016, capturing its first ACC regular season title and reaching No. 1 in the national poll for the first time in school history. Under Bustin’s watch, the Blue Devils earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals. The squad compiled a 16-4 ledger against the nation’s toughest schedule and featured a pair of first-time All-Americans in Chillano and Heather Morris. At the conclusion of the season, Bustin was honored as the ACC and NFHCA South Region Coach of the Year.
The 2015 season saw Duke earn a spot in the NCAA semifinals for the second time in three years. Under Bustin’s direction, the Blue Devils went 14-7, with 11 of the 14 wins coming against ranked opponents. The squad matched a program record with seven players on the NFHCA All-South Region teams and boasted a pair of All-Americans in goalkeeper Lauren Blazing and midfielder Aileen Johnson.
The Blue Devils earned their third NCAA Tournament bid in four years in 2014, concluding the season in the quarterfinals with a 13-7 record. Bustin’s squad started off the fall on a six-game win streak for the program’s best start to a season since 1978. Duke hosted the ACC Tournament for the first time since 2008 and had three All-America selections in Abby Beltrani, Lauren Blazing and Aileen Johnson.
A historic 2013 campaign saw Bustin guide Duke to the NCAA championship match for the fourth time in program history and the first time since 2005. The Blue Devils reached the title match with a 3-2 semifinal upset of top-ranked and top-seeded Maryland, a win that also marked the 200th of Bustin’s collegiate coaching career. The squad finished the fall with a 17-7 ledger, including five wins over top-10 opponents, while Paula Heimbach, Emmie Le Marchand and Lauren Blazing received All-America recognition and Bustin was named the South Region Coach of the Year.
In 2012, Duke sent six players to the Junior Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, where they gained valuable international playing experience despite missing five regular season games. The Blue Devils concluded the fall with a 7-11 record, though 10 of the 11 losses on the season were to opponents ranked in the top 25 nationally.
Bustin’s first year at Duke saw the team finish the season ranked sixth in the nation, advance to the 2011 ACC Championship match with a 2-1 victory over eventual national champion Maryland in the semifinals and earn an NCAA tournament bid. Bustin earned ACC Coach of the Year honors at the conclusion of the season for the third conference coach of the year accolade of her career. She was previously named Big East Coach of the Year and MAC Coach of the Year.
In eight years, Bustin has overseen 20 All-America selections, 44 All-South Region picks and 30 All-ACC honorees. During her tenure, the team has also excelled off the field with 43 selections to the All-ACC Academic team. The squad has been recognized at a national level, earning Gladiator by SGI/NFHCA Division I National Academic Team distinction eight times after compiling a collective team grade point average that ranks among the best in the country. Individually, 40 Blue Devils have been named to the Division I National Academic Squad, with five student-athletes receiving Gladiator by SGI/NFHCA Division I Scholars of Distinction accolades and Lauren Blazing winning the Elite 90 Award in 2015.
At Louisville (1998-2010)
Prior to coaching at Duke, Bustin served 13 seasons at the helm of the Louisville program. After joining the Cardinals’ staff in 1998, Bustin transformed the squad into a six-time regular season conference champion – including three league crowns each in both the Mid-American Conference and the BIG EAST – and a mainstay among the nation’s elite programs. In her 13 years as head coach at Louisville, she recorded 11 winning seasons, compiling an overall record of 153-119 (.562) while playing one of the toughest schedules in the country.
As a member of the BIG EAST Conference, Bustin led Louisville to three consecutive regular season titles in 2006, 2007 and 2008. Following the 2008 season, she was named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year, directing the Cardinals to a 14-7 overall ledger, the conference regular season championship and a berth to the NCAA Tournament. In 2005, Louisville’s first season as a member of the BIG EAST, the Cardinals produced one of the premier offenses in the country, leading the nation in scoring.
In the Cardinals’ final season in the MAC, Louisville captured both the 2004 conference regular season and tournament titles, earning its second consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. The 2003 season saw Louisville win its first MAC Tournament championship, receiving the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history. In 2002, Bustin led Louisville to the MAC regular season crown, following the Cardinals’ debut in the top-20 rankings in 2001 as Louisville climbed as high as No. 6 in the national polls. For her efforts, she was named conference coach of the year in both 2001 and 2004.
At Hofstra (1997)
Before arriving at Louisville, Bustin served as head coach at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y. In just one season with The Pride, she was able to turn around a struggling program, leading Hofstra to a 9-9 overall record in 1997.
Bustin's Early Years
From 1992-97, Bustin served as an assistant coach at Michigan State University as the Spartans enjoyed consistent success as a top-20 program. In 1990, she took an assistant position at Temple University, helping the Owls to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances with quarterfinal runs in 1991 and 1992.
USA Field Hockey Experience
In addition to her collegiate coaching duties, Bustin has served as an assistant coach with the United States National Under-19 and Under-21 teams, working regularly to develop the nation’s junior players. She was previously an assistant for the U.S. National Team, helping the United States to an eighth place finish at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Bustin guided the United States to the country’s first Olympic berth since 1996 as the team went 6-0 at the Kazan Olympic Qualifier in 2008. Bustin is a U.S. Field Hockey accredited Level III coach and instructs coaching courses throughout the country as well.
Prior to coaching at the Olympic level, Bustin served as team captain on the United States Under-21 team from 1987-89, competing in the 1986, 1987, 1989 and 1990 U.S. Olympic Festivals. In 1989, she helped the U.S. capture a silver medal at the Junior Pan American Games before being named to the U.S. National Team, playing with the national squad through the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Bustin was selected to the USA Field Hockey’s Hall of Fame Class of 2014, the first group to be inducted since 2004.
Collegiate Career
A 1990 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Bustin was a four-year letterwinner (1985-88), team captain, team MVP and All-Atlantic 10 honoree, in addition to garnering a first team All-America selection and Honda-Broderick Award nomination as female athlete of the year in 1988. UMass made the NCAA Tournament in each of her four years in Amherst and advanced to the national semifinals in 1987. In the spring of 2012, Bustin was inducted into the UMass Hall of Fame.
Bustin Year-by-Year
1997 Hofstra: 9-9, 3-5 America East
1998 Louisville: 1-19, 0-10 MAC (6th)
1999 Louisville: 5-16, 1-9 MAC (6th)
2000 Louisville: 14-8, 5-5 MAC (3rd)
2001 Louisville: 16-5, 7-3 MAC (3rd)
2002 Louisville: 13-8, 7-3 MAC (t-1st)
2003 Louisville: 13-10, 6-4 MAC (2nd)
2004 Louisville: 12-10, 8-2 MAC (t-1st)
2005 Louisville: 14-7, 3-2 Big East (3rd)
2006 Louisville: 12-8, 5-1 Big East (t-1st)
2007 Louisville: 14-6, 5-1 Big East (t-1st)
2008 Louisville: 14-7, 5-1 Big East (t-1st)
2009 Louisville: 12-8, 4-2 Big East (3rd)
2010 Louisville: 13-7, 5-1 Big East (2nd)
2011 Duke: 14-8, 2-3 ACC (3rd)
2012 Duke: 7-11, 0-5 ACC (6th)
2013 Duke: 17-7, 3-3 ACC (5th)
2014 Duke: 13-7, 2-4 ACC (7th)
2015 Duke: 14-7, 2-4 ACC (5th)
2016 Duke: 16-4, 5-1 ACC (1st)
2017 Duke: 17-4, 4-2 ACC (2nd)
2018 Duke: 16-6, 5-1 ACC (2nd)
Bustin Career Record: 276-182 (.603)
Bustin Duke Record: 114-54 (.679)
Wesley Ann Boersma joined the Duke field hockey program in August 2016 as an assistant coach.
In three seasons with the Blue Devils, Boersma has seen the program capture its first ACC regular-season title and reach No. 1 in the national poll for the first time in school history. With her guidance, Duke has made three consecutive trips to the NCAA quarterfinals and featured seven All-America selections.
During the 2016 campaign, the Blue Devils compiled a 16-4 ledger against the nation’s toughest schedule and featured a pair of first-time All-Americans in Alyssa Chillano and Heather Morris. Boersma helped direct Duke to a 17-4 record in 2017, as well as a No. 2 spot in the final national rankings of the fall. Chillano, Margaux Paolino and Rose Tynan all received All-America recognition, and the squad led the ACC in all-conference and all-academic team selections. The 2018 season was capped by another appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals and All-America honors for Paolino (first team) and Tynan (second team). Duke claimed eight of its final nine contests in the regular season before reaching the semifinals of the ACC Championship for the third straight fall.
Boersma came to Durham from the Netherlands, where she competed for the previous two years for Victoria Hockey Club in Rotterdam. In her last season, she helped Victoria earn a spot in the playoffs toward the highest league in the Netherlands, marking the first time the club had done so since 2003. Prior to making her way overseas, Boersma served as an assistant coach at Rutgers during the 2012 and 2013 campaigns. During that span, she guided the Red Knights to an 18-19 ledger, with the team’s nine victories in 2012 marking the most for the program in 14 years.
In 2012-13, Boersma was also one of just 32 athletes to be named to the USA Field Hockey national indoor squad. During this stint, she was selected to both the Austria and Argentina tours and competed against various countries.
Prior to her arrival in Piscataway, Boersma spent two seasons as an assistant coach at her alma mater. At William & Mary, her duties included developing practice plans, assisting with in-game player development and facilitating communication with prospective student-athletes as the head recruiting coordinator. She also spent time assisting with communication, advertising, staffing and curriculum development for the Colonial Field Hockey club program.
A 2010 graduate of William & Mary, Boersma was a two-time captain for the Tribe on the turf. She graduated tied for third in program history in career assists (19) and was a National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) second-team All-South Region honoree as a senior in 2009. The Virginia Beach, Va., native was also selected for the 2009 Div. I Senior All-Star Game and was a two-time VaSID all-state selection in 2008 and 2009.
Boersma received bachelor’s degrees in kinesiology and psychology before earning a master’s degree in education and pedagogical sciences from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands in 2015.
Formerly Wesley Drew, Boersma resides in Durham with her husband, Ralph, who serves as an assistant coach on the Blue Devil staff.
Duke University head field hockey coach Pam Bustin announced the addition of Ralph Boersma to the squad's coaching staff in March 2017. A native of The Netherlands, Boersma joined the Blue Devil program as an assistant coach.
Boersma's first two seasons with Duke culminated in back-to-back trips to the NCAA quarterfinals. In 2018, he helped direct the squad to a 16-6 ledger and saw midfielder Margaux Paolino and forward Rose Tynan repeat as All-Americans. Behind the veteran front of Tynan, Caroline Andretta and Erin Scherrer, the Blue Devils ranked second in the ACC and 12th nationally with an average of 3.00 goals per game. The 2017 campaign saw Duke compile a 17-4 record and earn the No. 2 spot in the final national rankings of the fall. Under Boersma's guidance, Tynan and Paolino garnered third-team All-America and first-team All-South Region accolades from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. Tynan and Paolino also received All-ACC recognition while leading the Blue Devils in goals and assists, respectively.
During the summer of 2018, Boersma was appointed to coach within USA Field Hockey's Junior High-Performance Program, serving as an assistant coach with the U.S. U-19 women's national team.
Boersma boasts a wealth of prior coaching experience, having spent a number of years overseeing teams for the HV Victoria hockey club in Rotterdam, Netherlands. He most recently served as the head coach of the club’s U19 Boys Team from 2014-16 and occasionally as a field trainer for HV Victoria’s First Men's Team. His time in Rotterdam also included indoor and outdoor seasons with several age levels of boys and girls youth teams. During his stint at Victoria, Boersma coached several players who made it through the ranks of the Dutch National Teams at the U17 and U19 level. In addition, many of the youth players he coached are currently active on the highest Dutch senior level and some are active internationally in England and Canada.
In addition to his time spent with the HV Victoria hockey club, Boersma also coached with HC Hoeksche Waard club program, based in Mijnsheerenland, Netherlands. He served as the head coach of the First Men's Team from 2011-15 and as the head coach of the U19 Boys squad from 2009-11.
Boersma has previously coached in the United States as well, spending the summer of 2014 training athletes in the Virginia Beach area and the summer of 2013 working with players at Total Dutch Field Hockey in New Jersey.
Boersma has completed both the Hockey Trainer 3 and Hockey Trainer 4 coaching courses at the KNHB (Royal Dutch Field Hockey Association) in the Netherlands and holds Level 2 certification from USA Field Hockey. He was named an assistant coach for the U.S. U-19 women's national team by USA Field Hockey in May 2018.
Before joining the coaching ranks, Boersma enjoyed a successful playing career with HC Hoeksche Waard and HV Victoria, competing in several regional divisions with the two programs.
A 2011 graduate of Erasmus University Rotterdam, Boersma went on to earn a Master’s in Public Administration from the same university in 2013.
Jess Jecko joined the Blue Devils as an assistant coach in May 2022. Jecko previously served as a volunteer assistant coach for the Blue Devils during the 2020-21 season.
Jecko returned to Durham following one season as an assistant coach at Dartmouth College. The Big Green returned to the field hockey field for the first time since the fall of 2019 and Jecko was instrumental in leading Dartmouth through a challenging 2021 campaign.
"I am proud and excited to announce the return of Jess Jecko to the 2022 Duke field hockey staff as an assistant coach. Jess served as a committed and enthusiastic volunteer coach throughout the 2020 season and now returns to Duke after coaching the 2021 season with the Dartmouth College field hockey program."
Jecko returns to the ACC following her collegiate career at Syracuse in which she played from 2012-15. After graduating in 2016, Jecko was a member of the USA Women's National Team and competed in the Field Hockey Pro League for two seasons. A standout goaltender for Syracuse, Jecko will work closely with Duke's talented quarter of goalies this upcoming season.
"Jess's passion for the coaching profession and for all aspects of the game made this decision an easy one," Bustin said. "Jess understands the Duke True program philosophy and shares in the values in which we live and play. With her specialty in goalkeeping, Jess, alongside volunteer coach and Duke alum Sammi Steele, will have her hands full as we welcome goalkeepers Grace Brightbill, Piper Hampsch, Charlotte Johnson, and freshman Abby Spear to the field this fall."
During her time in the cage at Syracuse, Jecko played in 68 games, collecting 217 saves and posting a career goals against average of 1.31. As a senior, she helped her team win the ACC regular season and 2015 NCAA National Championship where she was named to the All-Tournament Team. In her junior season, the Orange were the NCAA Runner-Ups and won the BIG EAST title during her freshman campaign.
Over the years, Jecko has coached at various places along with working numerous camps. She began coaching in 2013, working as an assistant coach with USA Field Hockey Futures until 2019. Following her graduation, Jecko stayed at her alma mater to serve as the volunteer assistant coach for the 2016-17 year. Jecko has also been a goalkeeper coach for the WC Eagles, Spooky Nook, Old Alex Colts and Irish Juniors National Team. She also served as a volunteer assistant at Washington College.
Jecko brings with her incredible experience on the international level as well as a member of the U.S. Women's National Team. While training and competing all over the world, the native of Clinton, N.Y., earned Player of the Match honors against Australia in 2019 and Queen of the Match recognition versus Korea at the Four Nations Women's Ibaraki International Tournament in 2018.
Jecko graduated from Syracuse in 2016 with a bachelor's degree in child and family studies. While a student-athlete, Jecko was named to the Dean's List and ACC Honor Roll while representing her team for three years on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).