Jessica Bergen Returns as Field Hockey Head Coach

WESTFIELD, Mass. –  Jessica Bergen will return as Westfield State University's head field hockey coach for the fall 2026 season, Owls athletic director Richard Lenfest, Jr. announced today.

Bergen comes back to Westfield State after a three-year stint as the head coach at Trinity (CT) College.

"We're pleased to welcome Jess back to Westfield State," said Lenfest.  "Her wealth of coaching experiences stood out among our candidates, and she has a successful track record as a collegiate head coach.  Given her past experience with our program, I hope for a smooth transition and I think we have a team that can continue to compete for MASCAC titles and get another shot at an NCAA tournament bid."

Bergen previously coached the Owls program from 2012 to 2022, where her teams won 85 games, including an appearance in the Little East Conference championship game in 2017.  The Owls were 11-7 under Bergen in 2016, and 10-9 in her final season at the helm of Westfield State's program in 2022.  She was named as the Little East Conference coach of the year in 2021 after leading the Owls on a late season six-game winning streak to earn a bid in the conference tournament.

"Returning to Westfield State feels like coming home," said Bergen.  "I am deeply thankful to Dick Lenfest, Nancy Bals, Mike Young, Tucker Bachand, and the members of the field hockey team for welcoming me and my family back with such warmth and enthusiasm. Throughout this process, I appreciated the openness, support, and honesty that reinforced why Westfield has always been such a special place to me."

"The university, athletic department, and MASCAC have experienced tremendous positive growth, and I am excited to contribute to that momentum," she added.  "I look forward to reconnecting with the Westfield community, investing in the development of our student-athletes, and building a program that reflects the pride, passion, and values of Westfield State. My family and I cannot wait to return and begin this next chapter together."

Bergen replaces Carden Brown as the head coach of the Owls, as Brown departed earlier this summer to take the head coaching position at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.   Brown served as an assistant coach under Bergen in the 2022 season.

Westfield State field hockey transitioned to the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference as its primary league in 2023, after MASCAC members played as affiliates of the Little East Conference in Bergen's previous tenure.

Bergen inherits a talented Westfield State squad that is coming off two of the best seasons in program history, as Owls' field hockey was 13-9 and won the MASCAC Conference title in 2024 to advance to the NCAA tournament, and was 18-4 in 2025, again winning the MASCAC and advancing to the NCAA tournament for the third time in the history of the program.  Bergen recruited many of the players who were part of the Owls' two NCAA tournament teams.

At Trinity, Bergen took the Bantams to a 9-7 overall record in her first season in the ultra-tough NESCAC Conference.   Her teams posted three wins over teams ranked in the NFHCA Top 25 poll, and the Bantams hosted the 2025 NCAA Division III Tournament's Final Four on the Hartford Campus.

A 2008 graduate of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., Bergen competed on four nationally-ranked field hockey teams, participated in four Liberty League Championships, and hosted two NCAA regional matches advancing to the second round of the tournament.  She was also a member of the softball program and SAAC during her time at Skidmore.

Bergen holds a master of science in exercise science with a concentration in sport and exercise psychology from Springfield College, where she served as an assistant field hockey coach and teaching fellow.  

Bergen is a native of Wells, Vermont, and attended high school just across the border in Granville, N.Y., where she excelled in field hockey, basketball, and softball.  She was a two-year field hockey captain, MVP, and helped her team to the C-CC title game.  

An active participant in the USA Field Hockey Futures Program, Bergen attended a Level I site and was selected to participate in two National Futures Championships.   Bergen has achieved Level 3 coaching certification through USA Field Hockey, the highest possible level, and continues to work with USA Field Hockey's Nexus program as well as Sport Development.

Owls field hockey will begin the 2026 preseason on August 19, with the season-opening game at Clark University on September 1.