Cristy Freese has been a staple as a part of the Central Michigan athletic department and the leader of its field hockey program for 26 seasons.

A three-time recipient of the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year award (1987, 1989 and 2002), Freese has led CMU to two MAC Tournament titles (1990 and 2005) and one regular season championship (2002). Her squads have been in the conference championship game five times and in the semifinals on seven other occasions.

Freese earned her a milestone victory in 2011, earning her 200th career win when the Chippewas defeated Missouri State, 4-0, on October 1. The victory marked the second milestone of Freese's career that came against the bars after she became the program's all-time winningest coach, surpassing Mary Bottaro in 2002 with a 1-0 victory.

In her 26th season, Freese took the Chippewas back toward the top of the Mid-American Conference, leading them to a 5-5 record during conference play, a second place finish in the standings, and their fifth-straight appearance in the MAC semifinals. Freese also mentored five All-MAC selections, including first-team selection and MAC Freshman of the Year Cayleigh Immelman, first-team selection Simone Lazar and second team selections Erin Dye, Paulina Lee and Anastasia Netto.

The Maroon and Gold made an appearance in the MAC Tournament semifinals by closing the 2009 season with four straight victories. The winning streak began with a 1-0 victory over Big Ten foe Michigan on Oct. 28. Kim Erasmus and Melinda Curran each earned first-team All-MAC honors while Kelly Jordan and Kim Sihota were second-team All-MAC selections.

During the 2008 campaign, the Chippewas recovered from a 1-8 start to win seven of their final 11 matches, including six of seven league contests to close the regular season. Central finished 8-12 overall (6-4 in the MAC) and advanced to the second round of the MAC Tournament with a dominant 5-0 victory over Ball State. CMU gave eventual tourney champ Kent State a scare in the semifinals, tallying the first goal before eventually succumbing to the NCAA-bound Golden Flashes, 4-1. CMU faced three ranked opponents during the ’08 season, including a Syracuse team (No. 18 at the time) that climbed to No. 1 in the rankings, No. 6 Iowa and No. 10 Michigan State. Three Chippewas earned All-MAC honors, including first team recognition for Kim Erasmus and MAC Player of the Year Samantha Sandham.

The Chippewas enjoyed a breakthrough 2005 season that saw the squad win the MAC Tournament for the second time in program history. The Maroon and Gold rebounded from an 8-11 regular season to win three straight contests as the host school in the tournament, outscoring the opposition 9-1 to earn their first berth in the NCAA play-in. Central’s season would end in a wild 5-3 loss to Boston University where CMU nearly erased a three-goal deficit in the second half.

In 2002, Freese led Central to its first regular season MAC title in program history. The Chippewas posted a 7-3 MAC record to go with an overall mark of 14-7, their best record since 1985. The campaign netted Freese her third MAC Coach of the Year award.

The 1990 season saw Freese guide CMU to a 9-9 overall record with a 3-2 mark in conference action. The Chippewas finished in a second-place tie in the regular season standings, but caught fire to win their first MAC Tournament crown. Central downed host Ball State in overtime, 3-2, in the conference title match as CMU ended its season on a five-match winning streak.

Freese's Teams Strive for Excellence On and Off Field
Freese’s teams succeed on the field and in the classroom. Forty-six athletes have earned NFHCA National Academic Squad honors over the past four seasons and 20 Chippewas have been placed on the Academic All-MAC team since the 2001 season.

Forty-four first-team All-MAC selections, 41 second-team picks, 24 regional All-Americans, 123 NFHCA All-Academic team selections, one third-team Academic All-American, three MAC Freshmen of the Year and two MAC Player of the Year recipients have donned the Maroon and Gold uniforms under Freese.

“We stress the total student-athlete at Central Michigan University,” Freese said. “It is extremely important to me that our players set high goals for their academic achievement. They work hard to achieve those goals and represent the field hockey program in a positive light.”

Freese graduated cum laude from Ohio State University in 1980 with a degree in education. She was a four-year letterwinner in field hockey and was a captain her senior year for the Buckeyes. Freese earned her master’s degree in physical education and coaching from James Madison University, where she was a graduate assistant coach for field hockey and lacrosse from 1980-82. She also was a full-time assistant at JMU from 1982-85. She was the head coach at Davis & Elkins College for one season before coming to CMU in 1986.

Freese has been active as a key member of the field hockey community. She was the chairperson of the All-American Committee from 1990-92 and was the chairperson of the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Committee from 1995-99. Most recently, she served as the first vice president of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association from 1999-2004. She has also served on the Division I West Region All-America committee.

Freese has coached in the USA Field Hockey Futures Program and was the coaching director for the Midwest Region in 1992-93. She also has coached and directed various camps across the country.