Shenandoah University

Introduced in February 2013, Ashley (Smeltzer) Smeltzer-Kraft is the third head coach in SU field hockey history.

In the fall of 2013, Smeltzer-Kraft led her Hornets to 10 overall wins and six ODAC victories, setting a new program record, as the squad finished in the runner-up spot in the regular season race.

This second place showing earned her 2013 ODAC Coach of the Year honors.

SU had a program-best three women earn first team All-ODAC accolades in the fall of 2013, including a Player of the Year award for junior Ashley Cross.

In 2016, Smeltzer-Kraft led her Hornets to their first-ever ODAC title with wins over Virginia Wesleyan, Lynchburg and Washington & Lee. The semifinal round victory over LC was the first in program history and set the stage for the 2-0 win over W&L in the championship game.

She again was named ODAC Coach of the Year as well as VaSID Coach of the Year.

In 2019, Smeltzer-Kraft led the Hornets to an ECAC Championship with a 3-2 OT victory over Lebanon Valley, capping off a 17-win season which is a team record.

In 2021, the Smeltzer-Kraft led the Hornets to a 14-3 overall record, a runner-up in the ODAC regular season race, and a first-ever national ranking. Shenandoah entered the NFHCA Top-20 as the No. 19 team in the final ranking of the regular season. SU also had a program-record 12-match winning streak during the season.

In 2022, Smeltzer-Kraft coached her team to another 17-win season, tying the 2019 team for most wins in a season for the program. Her squad also went a perfect 10-0 on home turf in the first year of play at Aikens Stadium. Along with the 17-win season, Smeltzer-Kraft's team earned two All-American players, Mairead McKibbin and Kelsey Jones.

Smeltzer-Kraft joined the SU Athletic Department after five years as an assistant coach at longtime DIII power University of Rochester. While at the Liberty League institution, she was involved in all aspects of the Yellowjackets program.

In the fall of 2012, Smeltzer-Kraft helped lead U of R to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.

Prior to her experience at Rochester, the Delaware native served as a student assistant coach at her alma mater, Michigan State University, in 2007-08.

She played four years for the Spartans on a full scholarship and helped MSU to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and a Big Ten championship.

In addition to her collegiate coaching experience, Smeltzer-Kraft is the commissioner for the Hammers Field Hockey Travel Club in Northern Virginia. From 2016-20, she served a five-year term on the NCAA Division III field hockey national committee and the South Atlantic Region chair. In this role, she selected the championship field and assisted in the administration of the national championship tournament. Smeltzer-Kraft was the chair of the national committee in her final year.

In September 2018, Smeltzer-Kraft was promoted to the department's Senior Woman Administrator. As SWA, Smeltzer-Kraft is part of the department's leadership team and represents Shenandoah at both league and NCAA meetings. She is also the co-advisor for the SU SAAC.

In June, 2022, she was promoted again, this time to assistant athletic director for student-athlete development and outreach. In this role she directs all community service initiatives for the department and develops and supervises student-athlete programming. She continues as SWA and head field hockey coach with this new title.

Smeltzer-Kraft and her wife, Melissa Smeltzer-Kraft, the Hornets women's basketball coach, were married in July 2014. The couple are parents of two sons, Welles Ralph Smeltzer-Kraft, born in March, 2017, and Warner Edward Smeltzer-Kraft, who was born in April, 2019.