By Harry Minium
NORFOLK, Va. – A decade is almost a lifetime for an assistant coach to remain at any university, but particularly in field hockey, where coaches often climb the ladder by frequently moving from job to job.
So, it speaks volumes about the field hockey program that Andrew Griffiths has built at Old Dominion that associate head coach Natalie Holder has spent a decade at ODU. She was the first coach he hired and has been with him his entire 10 years in Norfolk.
"For a field hockey coach to remain at one school for that long, it's almost unheard of," Griffiths said. "She's shown incredible loyalty."
Holder has had job offers from other schools, including head coaching jobs. But she elected to stay not only because she and Griffiths work together as smoothly as mac and cheese, but because they have a mutual goal – build a program with the right culture and great academics that can win a championship.
"I've had opportunities to go elsewhere; I've been approached," she said. "But the last 10 years, it's been an amazing journey. We have had ups and downs and challenges.
"I feel like what we've been through has been a 10-year building process to get where we are today."
ODU is in a very good place. The Monarchs (14-2)haven't lost since a game since Sept. 16, when they fell 2-1 in double overtime to UConn in spite of outshooting the Huskies, 11-7, and having a 9-2 advantage in penalty corners.
They won the nine matches since by a combined score of 37-2 and are ranked 13th nationally in the coaches' poll and 16th in the NCAA RPI. They claimed a share of the Big East regular-season title and begin play in the Big East Tournament Friday at 1 p.m. at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex.
UConn and Liberty meet at 4 in the other semifinal with the winners set to play Sunday at 4 for the Big East title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
ODU's coaching staff, which includes assistant coach Peter Taylor, was named the Big East's coaching staff of the year.
All three coaches are from foreign countries about as widely dispersed as possible. Griffiths is from Canada, Holder from Scotland and Taylor from Australia, although he played and coached in the Netherlands and his knowledge of Dutch has helped ODU recruit from of the team's best players from Holland and Belgium.
Both Griffiths and Holder are happily married and have kids, but frankly, admit they see each other more than they see their spouses. At times, they seem almost seem like a married couple.
"On paper, Andrew is my boss," Holder said. "But he's more than that. He's my friend. We've spent almost every day together the last 10 years."
"I call Natalie my work wife and she calls me her work husband," added Griffiths. "But for both of us, this wouldn't work without our spouses."
Clearly not for Holder, who had two daughters in the last three seasons, and never skipped a beat. Luna, her oldest, was born on a Tuesday three years ago and on the following Sunday she flew out to the Big East Tournament.
She also has a six-month old named Roma who was born during the spring workout season.
Her husband, Ian Holder, is a financial adviser for Cary Street Partners in Virginia Beach. And while he works long hours, he's a former soccer player for Norfolk Academy and the University of Virginia, where he was a star midfielder; thus, he knew the score when he married Natalie, that coaches work long hours.
"Natalie and Ian have a great marriage," Griffiths said. "He's a phenomenal guy. In spite of having a great job that demands a lot of time, he really helps out."
Natalie says Ian Holder "knows what to say and what not to say after a big win or a tough loss. He's been there and knows what it's like. He's been a huge part of the reason I've been able to stay in coaching.
"He has prioritized things to make sure I'm able to travel."
Tara Griffiths, Andrew's wife, also went into her marriage with her eyes wide open. She played field hockey at Quinnipiac. They have two sons – Aidan and Owen.
"Andrew always wanted a family atmosphere here," Holder said. "When I got here, his small boys were always running around the field. My stroller is in our building and my kids are often here.
"When my daughters were born, I hardly took any maternity leave. I told myself, 'Who needs maternity leave? We're trying to win a championship.' That was my decision. I could have taken more but didn't want to.
"I'd like to think I'm a good role model for the team, that our players see that I can be a coach and a mom."
Holder, 35, played field hockey for Kent State, and planned to go home after her playing career ended. But she stuck around to get a master's degree at Kent State and then coached at Christopher Newport and then two years at Syracuse.
Griffiths lured her away from the ACC school during her interview in Norfolk.
"I'd heard great things about Andrew, but he was so impressive during the interview," she said. "I felt like shared the same values."
Natalie twice had to take control of the team temporarily after Griffiths had seizures, one that kept him away from the team for several months during the spring season of 2019.
"We had been working together at that point for some time," Holder said. "It was an important time of the year and the team needed to stay on task. We had to practice and they needed to be in the weight room.
"I knew he would trust me with the program."
Both coaches say that his time in the hospital and in recovery marked a turning point for Griffiths.
"I think it put life in perspective for our players," she said. "It also had an effect on Andrew. The game has always been important to him, but from that point on, I think his health and health of those around him became more important."
Holder has no plans to leave and says she is only focused on beating Temple, which is ranked 24th nationally.
ODU has perhaps its most talented team since the Monarchs last went to the NCAA Tournament in 2013, the first year Griffiths and Holder coached together, and is led by a heavy dose of international players.
Four of ODU's top five scorers, including Big East Player Offensive Player of the Year Marlon de Bruijne, are from Netherlands or Belgium. Goalie Cam MacGillivray, the Defensive Player of the Year, is from Canada.
"I feel like in the past, the culture was great, but we haven't always had the right players," Holder said.
"We've had minimal drama over the years, which for a college team is unique. And we've had great players.
"But this year, we're really clicking on the field. We've had great teams along the way, but not with the 'It Factor' we've had this year.
"This year, everything has come together."
Contact Minium at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
Minium: ODU's Griffiths and Holder Have Coached Together for a Decade and are Now Reaping the Rewards
