Rolf van de Kerkhof Position: Head Coach Experience: Second Year E-mail: vandeke4@ath.msu.edu

The 2008 season marks Rolf van de Kerkhof's tenth year at Michigan State University as part of the field hockey program, and his third as the head coach. He was named to the position in February 2006, after spending seven seasons as an assistant. During his time at Michigan State, he has helped the Spartans put together the most successful era of the program's history.

During Van de Kerkhof's tenure as an MSU assistant, the team had an overall record of 106-46 (.697), made two trips to the Final Four, and another two into the Elite Eight. MSU's finest season came in 2002, with an overall record of 23-3 and a trip to the Final Four for the first time in program history.

Van de Kerkhof has carried that success into his tenure as a head coach. After an 8-12 mark in 2006, his 2007 team posted a 16-6 record, marking the fourth time in Michigan State history that the field hockey team has finished with 15 or more regular-season wins. He was an assistant with the program when the Spartans did the same in 2001, 2002, and 2004. Van de Kerkhof is now 24-18 in two seasons as head coach of the Spartans.

A native of Tilburg, The Netherlands, Van de Kerkhof brings more than 20 years of playing and coaching experience to MSU's program. In addition to aiding with the overall operation of the field hockey program as an assistant, Van de Kerkhof specialized in recruiting, camps and clinics. As an assistant, he focused his coaching efforts on goalkeeping and the defensive unit, as well as technical and tactical areas with individual players.

While living in The Netherlands, Van de Kerkhof coached the under-12, under-14, under-16 and under-18 boys and girls teams.

Van de Kerkhof earned a degree in sports, economics and communication at the Fonty's Hogeschool in Tilburg. He also graduated with two official coaching degrees offered by the Royal Netherlands National Field Hockey Association in 1997 and 1998.

During the 1998 Field Hockey World Cup in Utrecht, The Netherlands, Van de Kerkhof was in charge of World Cup projects for Whise International Coaching Experts and Brabo International Hockey Equipment.

Van de Kerkhof spent 16 years playing field hockey, obtaining experience as a goalkeeper, defender and midfielder. In August of 1999, he gave up his playing career to become a full-time coach at the intercollegiate level.

Since 2000, Van de Kerkhof has been involved in the Youth Olympic Development and Youth Elite Coaching programs, sponsored by the United States Field Hockey Association. This past summer he coached at the AAU Junior Olympics. In 2007 he served as the head coach of the US under-16 national team which finished first in the runners-up pool in the HOD tournament in the Netherlands. In 2001, he served as an assistant coach with the under-16 U.S. National Team, coaching the squad to a bronze medal in the same tournament. In addition, Van de Kerkhof has been coordinating the under-19 U.S. Futures Elite Hockey Tours to The Netherlands and served as head coach of the squads in the spring of 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006.

Van de Kerkhof also assists in developmental programs for coaches across the nation and enjoys volunteering for charity organizations, including the Greg Gephart Fund in Houston, Texas and the Worthington Weed Whackers Program in Columbus, Ohio.

Van de Kerkhof and his wife Mary reside in Lansing with their newborn son Sebastiaan.