Meet Our Coaches

Our Coaches

Michelle Van de Braak

Founder, Director, Coach

Michelle Van de Braak

Founder, Director, Coach

Michelle Smulders Van de Braak started her field hockey career in 7th grade at The Kinkaid School in Houston and fell in love with the sport. She played for the University of Michigan (1992-1996). While at Michigan, Michelle was named NCAA All-American her Senior Year and Big Ten All Conference Team her Junior and Senior Years. She was the first All American in Michigan's history.

After graduating with a B.A. in Business, Michelle moved to The Netherlands to continue to play field hockey. She played for five years for the Pinoke Club in Amsterdam. During this time she had the honor to represent the USA as a member of the U21 and U23 squads. In 1998 Michelle attended the US Olympic Trials with hopes of making the USNWT for the 2000 Sydney Games.

In 2017, Michelle founded the San Francisco Youth Field Hockey Club in an effort to give back to the sport that has given her so much.

Michelle coached at University High School for the 2020 and 2021 season.

In 2022, she joined the St Ignatius High School as the Head Varsity Field Hockey coach. In 2023, Michelle led the Wildcats to the CCS Championship game - a first in program history. In 2024, Michelle led the Wildcats back to the CCS Championship game - which the team won to clinch the programs first CCS title. She was voted as the Coach of the Year for 2024 and 2025 seasons.

In 2022, Michelle joined the USA Field Hockey Nexus program as the Coach Manager for the California / Colorado Region (R11). In this role she is responsible for ensuring all local sites are staffed with the best coaches,

Michelle is USA Field Hockey Coach Certified - Level III

Michelle and Freek live in San Francisco with their three amazing kids, Luke, Olivia and Abigail, and dog, Mokum.

Kieran Minton

U19 Head Coach

Kieran Minton

U19 Head Coach

Kieran began coaching during his college years, building an early passion for player development and team culture. In 2019, he moved to the U.S. to attend Ohio University where he spent two years coaching on their varsity team while pursuing his PhD. In 2022, he stepped into a full-time assistant coaching role at Kent State, and in 2025 he moved to California to join the UC Berkeley coaching staff.

Matt Baker

U16 Head Coach

Matt Baker

U16 Head Coach

Sam Chabot

U14 Head Coach

Sam Chabot

U14 Head Coach

Sam Chabot grew up on the East Coast, where she first picked up a field hockey stick in middle school and hasn’t put it down since! Sam went on to play at Johns Hopkins University, where she helped her team to three Centennial Conference Championships and was a two-time NCAA National Championship runner-up. Having been coached by passionate mentors throughout her playing career, Sam is excited to now help grow the game in the Bay Area as part of the San Francisco Hawks. When she’s not out on the field, Sam works at Vector Capital and spends her free time skiing, playing tennis, and cheering on the New England Patriots.

Olivia van de Braak

U14 Coach

Olivia van de Braak

U14 Coach

Jeremy Lukins

U12 Head Coach

Jeremy Lukins

U12 Head Coach

Jeremy Lukins comes from Down under, where he played for the North Sydney club, eventually as the Captain of the Premier Division 1st Grade in Sydney. There he had the privilege of playing against a number of Kookaburra Olympians, as well as touring to Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and the US/Canada with his club team. He has been playing hockey for over 40 years, including stints with the BAFHA League in San Francisco. Jeremy believes that no matter where you are on the planet, you can find a great community of hockey players that will welcome you. Jeremey is looking forward to helping grow the game in San Francisco. While not coaching, Jeremy works at the San Francisco Water Department and also likes to bike, surf and play guitar.

Jeremy has a Level II Coaching Certification from USA Field Hockey

Jo Hankar

U10 Head Coach

Jo Hankar

U10 Head Coach

Coach Jo played in Belgium’s Top Men’s Division for nine years before moving to the U.S. Since then he has played in the Bay Area Field Hockey Association and has captained the San Francisco team. Jo has always given back to the sport that has given him so much, beginning his youth coaching career when he was 16 - eventually overseeing more than 300 athletes for his previous club’s youth teams.

Flor Anguiozar Miller

U08 Head Coach

Flor Anguiozar Miller

U08 Head Coach

Florencia Anguiozar Miller ("Flor") is from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Flor has been teaching Field Hockey since she was 18, and she is an umpire for the AHBA.

Her best friend introduced her to field hockey when she was 11, and she has never stopped playing! Her first field hockey club was JCP Hockey where she learned the meaning of teamwork and supporting each other. Her second team was Mitre where she played for 3 years, and she learned what it meant to travel to play the game she loves. Flor continued playing for Hurling Club where she was a captain for the intermediate team for 2 years. She also played for her university team UNPAZ during her education of becoming a PE teacher.

Flor started coaching for the Hawks in 2021 and has her USA Field Hockey Level II Coaching Certification.

Hazel Buckingham

U06 Coach

Hazel Buckingham

U06 Coach

Eric Velge

Indoor Head Coach

Eric Velge

Indoor Head Coach

Eric's field hockey journey began at age 6 and flourished at Royal Orée THB in Belgium, where he played throughout his career. A standout leader, he captained the under-14, under-16, and under-19 teams, guiding them to four Belgian youth national titles, with two championships to his name. At 14, Eric joined the Belgium youth national team, and by 16, he was captain, leading his team to a second-place finish at the European Youth Championships. After moving to the US for college, he was recruited by the US National Team, serving as a development player and captain of the U21 team. Although Eric has since prioritized his professional career, he continues to play in various leagues around the Bay Area, maintaining his connection to the sport he loves.

Corey Hastings

Stick Skills Director

Corey Hastings

Stick Skills Director

Corey Hastings is an enthusiastic coach for the San Francisco Hawks Club. Corey is from Edinburgh, Scotland, and started playing field hockey at 10 years old. He fell in love with the sport quickly and represented Scotland internationally at U18 level where he was part of the winning team of the European Division II Championships. Corey studied Design for Industry, which saw him work for Lego in Denmark, before completing a Masters in Multi-Disciplinary Innovation. Corey loves to travel and is most fond of Zambia where he coached and played hockey at the Olympic Youth Development Centre in Lusaka.

In 2020 Corey started coaching at University High School.

Corey has a Level II Coaching Certification from USA Field Hockey

Grace Baylis

Goalkeeper Head Coach

Grace Baylis

Goalkeeper Head Coach

After playing at the national and regional level in the UK, Grace hopped across the pond to to play at the college level. She played at Princeton for 4 years and was captain for 2.5 where the tigers won 2 Ivy League championships, made the NCAA tournament 4 times, punched a ticket to the Final Four 3 times, culminating in an NCAA championship appearance her senior year. This fall will mark her fifth year coaching at Convent and Stuart Hall in San Francisco.

Damian Glennon

Offensive Specialist

Damian Glennon

Offensive Specialist

Derek Cheng

Defensive Specialist

Derek Cheng

Defensive Specialist

Luke van de Braak

Hitting Specialist

Luke van de Braak

Hitting Specialist

Agustina Singh

Coach

Agustina Singh

Coach

Maddie Eade

Coach

Maddie Eade

Coach

After years of soccer and basketball, Maddie Eade picked up her first stick the summer before starting high school and quickly fell in love with a sport she could call her own. Maddie grew up in McLean, Virginia and was a multi-sport athlete at The Madeira School. She was the starting center midfielder during her tenure which included an appearance in the state tournament. She continued to play field hockey in college for Northwestern’s second best field hockey team (the club team!). After graduating in 2017 with a degree in Radio/Television/Film, she returned to Madeira to coach field hockey and basketball, which is where she found purpose, endless laughter, and community working with young athletes. Maddie is currently the head coach of the U14 teams, and is the JV coach at Saint Ignatius. Her favorite player to work with is one that is totally new to the game, and believes in fostering skill and confidence on and off the field. Maddie has her Level I certification from USA Field Hockey.

Ro Zea

Coach

Ro Zea

Coach

Madison Gilbert

Coach

Madison Gilbert

Coach

Madison Gilbert brings a wealth of coaching experience from Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas. Before her move to the Bay Area, she spent three successful years as the head coach at Casady School in Oklahoma City, where she led her team to a conference championship and played a pivotal role in fundraising for the state's first water-based turf. Prior to her time in Oklahoma City, Madison also coached for two seasons at Holland Hall in Tulsa, Okla. In addition to her coaching roles in Oklahoma, Madison worked for Harrow Sports in Denver, Colo., and coached at Colorado Academy. Madison is the USA Field Hockey's Region 11 Administrative Manager and is committed to growing field hockey in the west.

Tara Natesan

Summer Camp Coach

Tara Natesan

Summer Camp Coach

In 2021, she was selected for the Nexus National Championships, and after recovering from an ACL and meniscus injury in 2022, went on to compete for Bryn Mawr College’s Top 20 Division III program. She began coaching in 2024 by introducing the sport at a summer camp and is excited to now share her experience and passion with the Hawks.

Ryan March

Summer Camp Coach

Ryan March

Summer Camp Coach

Ryan Marsh is a locally born junior coach for San Francisco Youth Field Hockey. They have played for Hawks since they were 10, and now work with younger players to help grow the sport. They have competed nationally in the Nexus program on multiple occasions and gone all over the country to various showcases and tournaments. Ryan is college bound and will be playing D3 field hockey at Hobart and William Smith Colleges this fall, but looks forward to coming home and coaching during breaks.

Chloe Fisher

Summer Camp Coach

Chloe Fisher

Summer Camp Coach

Chloe is a coach who will bring a smile to practice every day! She has been playing and coaching for four years and has been very dedicated to the Hawks program. She played for the St. Ignatius Varsity Field Hockey Team throughout high school and was a captain her senior year. As a center defender on the field, Chloe grew strong in her communication on the field. With this, she teaches her players how to communicate effectively on the field and with kind words off of it. Chloe absolutely loves coaching and forming relationships with all of her players!

Ezaurua Bisaillon

Summer Camp Coach

Ezaurua Bisaillon

Summer Camp Coach

Ezaura is an enthusiastic junior coach for the SF Hawks. A senior at St. Ignatius College Preparatory, she has played field hockey there for four years under Coach Michelle. During her senior year, Ezaura served as a varsity captain and earned a Second Team All-League award. At St. Ignatius, she also plays varsity lacrosse. Ezaura is excited to coach this year as a leader who loves working with athletes of all age groups.