By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
On X @tortreports
Nearly eight months after an unexpected and mysterious departure from the Kingsway Regional High field hockey program — where she led the Dragons to the last three consecutive Group 4 state titles during her seven-season tenure — coach Dana Ott is now thriving at the collegiate level.
The new head coach at Neumann University, Ott has guided the Knights to a 2-3 start, navigating the early stages of a rebuilding phase for the program.
Ott brings a championship mentality to Neumann.
“You have to be resilient. And if we’re not coaching that as coaches — and not acting on that and living that — we’re living it wrong,” Ott said. “Welcoming, open hearts, open mind, and open faith. Everyone’s just been so wonderful and gracious. It’s been a special place to be a part of.”
Located in Aston, Pa., Neumann University is only a 20-minute drive across the Commodore Barry Bridge for Ott, a Logan Township resident who’s embracing her new challenge of leading a collegiate program for the first time. After graduating from Kingsway in 2006, she was a successful player herself for Villanova University, where she graduated with a degree in English.
Alongside assistant coaches Courtney Keith and Sara Hussey, Ott is bringing her expertise to players from all across the East Coast, as Neumann’s roster includes players from Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, and, of course, New Jersey.
“We were excited to bring Dana on board,” Neumann athletic director John Krimmel said. “She obviously has a championship pedigree. We really thought she was someone that was going to transform our program. Already we know that we are going to go to new heights here at Newman with her leadership, passion for field hockey, and her overall care for the student athletes and the student-athlete experience. She’s bringing a championship culture here to Newmann.
“It was an easy hire as soon as we met Dana.”
Among the diverse group of athletes on the team is sophomore Meghan Sheldrick, a 2024 Washington Township graduate who competed against Ott numerous times during her career as a Tri-County Conference division rival of Kingsway.
“It was definitely a competition. It was always a good game against Kingsway, they were our rivalry school,” Sheldrick said. “Anytime we played them they made us better. She’s a great coach, and she’s relaying that to Neumann.
“She sees the potential in every player that she’s coached. She pushes us to our limits. She makes us better every single day. She’s not only an amazing coach, but an amazing person on and off the field. We can always talk to her. But when it comes to the game, she knows what she’s doing.”
There are eight other South Jersey players on the roster: Cadence Conti (Cumberland Regional), Jacki Connolly (Camden Catholic), Natalie Zoffer (Burlington Township), Ashley Bach (Haddon Heights), Lauren Brown (Cinnaminson), Kortney Kaelin (Triton), Ariel Sprague (Northern Burlington) and Torie Millward (GCIT).
“It’s fun. When I first came here, the first couple practices we were like, ‘I remember seeing you on the other side,’” Ott said. “They’ve been so welcoming and embracing. They know the history of where I come from and they know what we’re capable of doing. My South Jersey girls — and everyone else — have just bought into the process.”
For Ott, the process is simple.
It extends beyond winning and losing.
It’s all about being the best version of yourself that you can be — on and off the field.
“Every day is a new day. That’s what life is all about,” Ott said. “We have to preach that there are going to be setbacks. There are going to be dark times and high times, and the people that are in your corner — who love you and see you for you — you rally. You show that you can fight. We’re showing that here, and it’s just been a wonderful, wonderful process.”
NOTES: Neumann’s next game is Tuesday at Delaware State, and the Knights have two more road games before returning home on Sept. 27 to face Eastern University at 1 p.m. … Ott was not retained as the Dragons’ head coach in 2025 despite winning three straight state championships. In high school sports in New Jersey, coaches are one one-year contracts and must be re-approved each year by their respective boards of education.
