Beth Anders

Olympic medal record
Women's field hockey
	1984 Los Angeles	United States

Elizabeth Rambo ("Beth") Anders (born November 13, 1951 in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is a former field hockey sweeper from the United States, who was a member of the national team that won the bronze medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. Later on she became the head coach of the USA National Women's Team. She attended Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School.

Beth Anders As a hockey player, Beth Anders is easily recognized for her past contributions to the U.S. National Team – two-time Olympian, scoring star of the 1984 Olympic games, team captain – but her most noteworthy contributions to the sport result from the sidelines as the head coach of Old Dominion University field hockey team.

With nine National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I championships, and a 390-55-7 record over a 19-year tenure, Anders is the “winningest coach in college field hockey history.”

In 1990, Anders and her Lady Monarchs began what has become known as “The Streak.” With a 4-2 win over Temple in 1990, ODU went on to win 66 consecutive games over three years, which included three national titles. Anders has guided her teams through undefeated seasons in 1984 (23-0), 1991 (26-0) and 1995 (25-0).

Last season (2000) Anders’ team garnered a 25-1 overall record and a 5-0 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) record. In postseason play her team captured their ninth CAA conference title and went on to beat the University of North Carolina for their ninth NCAA championship.

Anders has twice been named National Coach of the Year by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association and five times CAA Coach of the Year. Anders was inducted into the United States Field Hockey Association Hall of Fame in 1989 and into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1998.

Anders is also the author of “Field Hockey – Steps to Success” published in 1998.

For Old Dominion head coach Beth Anders, winning is a tradition. Anders has cemented her status as one of the greatest in field hockey in all facets of the game. As player, she has participated at every level possible, including World Cup and Olympic events and as a coach, her coaching achievements are nothing short of impressive, including nine national collegiate titles, a bronze medal at the Pan American World Cup Games, and the distinction of being the winningest Division I field hockey coach in the country. Considered by many to be a pioneer of her sport, her resume is dotted with a long list of incredible achievements and monumental firsts. At Old Dominion, Anders has mentored the field hockey team for over 23 years and has led her teams to perennial appearances in the NCAA tournament. Under her tutelage, the Lady Monarchs have achieved more honors than any other field hockey program in NCAA history. Among the most prestigious, Anders and her teams have brought the NCAA Championship trophy back to Norfolk an unprecedented nine times. In addition, the Lady Monarchs have won the CAA crown 13 of 15 times since joining the league in 1991 and remain the only team to make all 25 NCAA Tournaments dating back to 1981. In national coaching records, Anders has coached more games than any other active Division I coach, having been on the sidelines of 546 games over her 23- year career. She became the first Division I coach to reach the 400-career victory mark, a milestone only reached by four other coaches in the sport, and is moving closer and closer to becoming the first Division I coach to reach the 500 victory milestone. With a 461-78-7 overall career record, Anders posts an amazing .850 winning percentage and her 461 overall wins are the most of any Division I coach in history. Anders' coaching experience has not been limited to the Old Dominion sidelines. Internationally, Anders guided the 1991 U.S. National Team to the bronze medal and masterminded the qualifying campaign for the 1994 World Cup. Most recently, in the summer of 2003, Anders was asked to take over the U.S. National Team and prepare them for the Pan American games in the Dominican Republic, the stepping stone necessary to qualifying for the Olympic Games. The love affair between Anders and field hockey, however, goes well beyond her immediate reign in the coaching ranks. In 1980, Anders made the first of two Olympic field hockey teams as co-captain, but was forced - because of the boycott in Moscow - to wait four more years to realize her dream of winning a medal. In 1984 though, nothing stood in the way of Anders and her teammates as they cashed in on a bronze medal at the Los Angeles games. Anders, whose strong penalty corner was consistently clocked in the 90 m.p.h. range, nearly single handedly lifted the US team to victory, scoring eight of her team's nine goals in its five-game performance for an Olympic record that still stands today. Throughout her international playing career, Anders played in over 100 international matches, was a participant in every World Cup from 1971-84, was on the National team from 1969-1980, and was the high scorer for the United States every year she was on the team. Anders participated in the first World Cup field hockey event to have both men's and women's competition at the same venue. She was one of just 24 field hockey coaches from around the world to be in attendance for a clinic during the 1998 World Cup in Holland. After three NCAA titles as coach of Old Dominion and a bronze medal as a player and two-time captain with the Olympic team, Anders was named Olympic Athlete of the Year and Virginia Coach of the Year in 1984. Bringing the two realms of the sport together, Anders was recognized for her many contributions with an induction into the United States Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Anders' love for her sport is infectious as many former Old Dominion student-athletes have grown into respectable players and coaches in and around the world's field hockey family. Nine former Old Dominion players coached by Anders have participated in the last three Olympics, which include a bronze medalist in NCAA all-time leading scorer Marina DiGiacomo for Argentina and a silver medalist for Maacha van der Vaart of the Netherlands at the most recent Olympics in Athens, Greece in the summer of 2004. Anders challenges her teams to not only excel on the field, but in the classroom as well. Since 1989, the Lady Monarch teams have had a G.P.A. of 3.0 or better. This past season, the team put forth five National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Academic All-Americans, including two student-athletes who graduated with perfect 4.0 grade point averages during their four-year careers. Certainly the epitome of Anders' student-athletes is Samantha Salvia, the school's first ever Rhodes Scholar who graduated in 1996 with a 4.0 GPA in environmental and civil engineering. The key to Anders success on and off the field hockey field seems to be her love for and dedication to the game. Her development of the Futures Program during her national coaching stint in 1993 and her active mentoring of the field hockey youth are just two examples of her will to succeed better than anyone in her vocation. A fine all-around athlete herself, Anders was a four-time All-College field hockey and lacrosse player before graduating from Ursinus College with a B.S. degree in health and physical education. The Norristown, PA. Native was also selected to the national collegiate basketball team and won the intercollegiate squash championship in 1970. Anders is the daughter of Alice and Stanley Anders. She has one brother and enjoys fitness, golf, tennis, reading, and creative teaching tools. She also authored two books, Field Hockey: Steps to Success published in 1999 and Lessons in Field Hockey released in 1996. An avid golfer, Anders resides in Virginia Beach.