2025 USA Field Hockey National Coach Award Winner: Wes Boersma

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Following the announcement of all winners, USA Field Hockey is individually highlighting each recipient of USA Field Hockey’s 2025 Annual Awards. This week, USA Field Hockey is honored to feature the 2025 National Coach winner, Wes Boersma.

Wesley Ann (Drew) Boersma’s field hockey journey began reluctantly. Growing up in Virginia Beach, Va., she wasn’t exactly sold on the idea of wearing a kilt and polo in 100-degree heat. But her father had a vision. Knowing Cox High School’s reputation as a powerhouse program, he convinced her to give the sport a try, confident she would thrive in a high-performance environment. He was right.

Boersma quickly fell in love with the competitive edge of the game and went on to star at Cox High School before continuing her career at the College of William & Mary. A Division I standout, she served as team captain during her junior and senior seasons and earned First Team All-Coastal Athletic Association (CAA), All-State Midfielder, and Regional All-America honors, as well as CAA All-Rookie Team in 2006.

Her transition into coaching was immediate. Following graduation, Boersma joined the William & Mary staff as an assistant coach, working alongside mentors Peel Hawthorne and Tess Ellis—figures who played a pivotal role in shaping her coaching philosophy. She later spent two seasons at Rutgers University, broadening her experience across programs and conferences, while also competing internationally with the U.S. Women’s National Indoor Team, touring in Austria and Argentina.

Boersma’s pursuit of growth took her overseas, where she earned a master’s degree in education and pedagogy from Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Netherlands. During that time, she competed for HV Victoria, helping the club reach promotion playoffs to the top Dutch league for the first time since 2003.

Upon returning to the United States, Boersma joined the Duke University coaching staff under Pam Bustin, where she spent six seasons helping guide the Blue Devils to their first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) regular-season title and the program’s first-ever No. 1 national ranking.

After stepping away from collegiate coaching following the birth of her first son, Boersma was encouraged by a local family to start a club—something she initially viewed as a small side project to stay connected to the game. That project quickly became BULL CITY Field Hockey Club. Built with a mission to both grow and elevate the game, Boersma set out to raise the level of field hockey in "The Triangle" of North Carolina.

Just three years later, BULL CITY has grown to more than 150 athletes, serving players ages 5 to 18 and establishing itself as a nationally recognized program. The club currently boasts a No. 7 nationally ranked U-19 team, a No. 15 U-14 team, and a No. 27 U-16 team. In 2024, BULL CITY qualified a U-19 team for the National Club Championship for the first-time in program history, and in its debut appearance, advanced all the way to the final, finishing second in the nation. 

Above all, Boersma values that the core mission of her work extends far beyond wins and losses. Guided by her core values—branded “Strong Like Bull”—she uses field hockey as a vehicle to develop character, mindset, and team culture, helping athletes grow into confident, resilient people both on and off the field. These lessons are what she finds most rewarding and have a lasting impact, carrying over into the classroom, within families, friendships, and well beyond the game.

Congratulations once again to Wes Boersma for winning the 2025 National Coach Award.