ALFRED, NY – Alfred University Athletics has hired Chelsea Johnson as the Assistant Field Hockey Coach and Assistant Equipment Manager ahead of the upcoming 2026-27 academic year.
 
"I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to join Alfred University and work alongside Coach Bourn as I continue my field hockey journey," Coach Johnson said. "I'm excited to expand my coaching perspective and learn from Coach Bourn while helping bring an aggressive, attacking style of play to the program. After leaving the high school level, I was looking for the challenge of coaching in a more competitive environment and I look forward to fostering that same competitive passion within our student-athletes. As a relatively new program, this team has a unique opportunity to build a strong foundation for long-term success. I'm incredibly grateful for this opportunity and excited to be a part of the Alfred University field hockey family."
 
Johnson joins Head Coach Shelby Bourn after a one-year stay as the Dover High School Head Field Hockey Coach where she organized preseason training, regular season practices and game strategy. During her time at her alma mater, she gained experience with communicating with uniform and apparel vendors as well as fundraising companies. Johnson also hosted spring and summer youth field hockey clinics. Concurrently, she also was a 1-on-1 Instructional Paraprofessional for Dover High School, working directly with students with autism, providing support with educational work and emotional management and guiding the student through curriculum, helping them transition from special education classes to general classes.
 
Johnson was an accomplished collegiate field hockey player at Division III Albright College. She ended her four-year career with 86 points on 37 goals and 12 assists, scoring a total of nine game-winning goals. She was no stranger to finding placings on the All-MAC Commonwealth Teams, earning First Team honors in 2022 and 2023 and Honorable Mention in 2024. Earned MAC Offensive Player of the Week after recording four goals in a game against Cedar Crest, tying the school record for most in a game. Academically, Johnson was named to the MAC Academic Honor Roll and NFHCA National Academic Squad in 2021 and 2025. She graduated from Albright with a degree in business administration with a sports management focus and a minor in criminology. She then graduated with a Master's in Sports Management through the Commonwealth University of Pennsylvania in 2026.
 
"I'm thrilled to welcome Chelsea to the AU field hockey staff," Coach Bourn said. "As a former competitive Division III attacker, she brings valuable playing experience, a fresh perspective and an incredible passion for the game. I know she'll have a tremendous impact on the experience of our student-athletes. I'm excited to build this program alongside her and can't wait to see the energy and ideas she brings to the team."
 
Johnson's additional role as an Assistant Equipment Manager will primarily have her focus on the operations and needs of the teams at Saxon Hill. Saxon Hill is a $30 million athletics and recreation facility atop Jericho Hill in the town of Alfred on 200 acres of land that will expand Alfred University's intercollegiate athletics offerings, significantly increasing student enrollment, supporting student retention efforts and providing a high-quality experience for our student-athletes.
 
On the south end of the field hockey field, sits the Saxon Sports Center that houses locker rooms, athletic training facilities, offices, an assembly space and a media room. The AU field hockey team will play on the turf field inside of Alfred University's eight-lane track. The turf is a multi-purpose synthetic turf field and the stadium features controllable lights to offer practice and game schedules to fit around the students' class schedules.