WILLIAMSBURG — William & Mary Head Field Hockey Coach Tess Ellis announced the addition of Christina Walker and Mimi Smith to the Tribe as assistant coaches for the 2024 season.
“I am so excited to bring this staff together and welcome both Christina and Mimi to the tribe,” Ellis said. “The level of coaching and playing experience these two bring to the program will only help us move forward to win more championships in the future.”
Walker joins the Tribe with extensive experience at the collegiate and international levels. During his college career, he served as the head coach at Virginia Wesleyan University for nine years, leading the Marlins to two ODAC Tournament appearances. Walker served as his assistant coach for six seasons at Wake Forest and the Demons, where he helped lead the Deacons to four NCAA appearances and two national semifinals.
Overseas, Walker was the Futures Site head coach from 2008-2012 and the Futures Site Director in Winston-Salem from 2009-2011. She was also invited to coach the AAU Junior Olympic team in 2015, and also coached her USAAI teams in Australia, England, and Scotland.
Walker was a standout goalie at Maryland during his playing days, leading the Terrapins to back-to-back national championships in 2005 and 2006. In 2022 she was selected to represent the United States in the Women's Masters World Cup, and she won a Golden Globe Award. She as the tournament's top goalkeeper.
Like Walker, Smith also has extensive experience as a player both in college and internationally. She was a standout player at Old Dominion, where she gained attention in 1999 when she became the second African American to win the Honda Broderick Award in field hockey. She was a two-time All-American, earning first-team honors as a senior in 1998 while serving as her backup. Monarchs head to NCAA Championship. Smith was inducted into the ODU Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.
Smith was a member of the U.S. Women's National Field Hockey Team from 1999-1904. She represented the United States in the World Cup tournament, the Pan American Games, and the Four Nations Tournament.
Most recently, Smith was the head coach at Garrison Forest School in Baltimore. She led the program to back-to-back Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A championships in 2022 and 2023. She also served as a director for She's Black She's Field and She's Hockey Network. She volunteers with her NFHCA and was also the first Black Coaches Council representative to serve on the NFHCA Board of Directors.
Last season, the Tribe won its second CAA championship with a 3-2 overtime win over Monmouth. W&M won his second NCAA tournament, defeating Sacred Heart in the first game. The Green and Gold finished the 2023 campaign with a 12-9 record.
