A career defined by championships and mentorship
Tina Mattera, the longtime Tufts University field hockey coach, will be inducted into the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2026, joining a select group of pioneers who have shaped the sport at the collegiate level.
Her journey at Tufts began in 2004, and within a few seasons she guided the program to its first NCAA Championship Game appearance in 2008 and a Final Four run the following year. The pinnacle came in 2012 when her squad captured the school’s inaugural women’s NCAA title, a milestone that earned the team a place in the Tufts Athletics Hall of Fame two years later.
Mattera’s impact was not confined to a single triumph. Over 22 seasons she compiled a 305‑90 record, a .772 winning percentage, and led the Jumbos to a second national championship in 2025 after appearances in the championship finals of 2016, 2018 and 2024. Her teams have logged 16 NCAA Tournament berths, including seven trips to the Final Four and six appearances in the championship round.
The NFHCA recognized her staff as National Coaching Staff of the Year for both 2025 and 2026, and she was named National Coach of the Year in 2012 before the award was restructured to honor entire coaching units in 2017. More than 30 of her players have earned NFHCA All‑American honors, and senior Hannah Biccard was crowned the 2025 Division III Player of the Year.
Tufts Director of Athletics Ryan Pissari praised Mattera’s contributions, calling her a “well‑deserved Hall of Fame inductee” whose leadership has extended far beyond the field, influencing countless former players who now serve as coaches across the country.
The 2026 Hall of Fame class also honors Ange Bradley, Jill Cosse, Karen Doxey and Carol Anderson, the latter receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. Together, the inductees have amassed over 2,000 career victories, three NCAA national championships and more than 65 conference titles, underscoring the breadth of their collective legacy.