Natalie Holder

Natalie (Barrett) Holder is entering her eleventh season with the Monarch Field Hockey program in 2023, after joining the ODU coaching staff in March 2013. Since March 2019, she has served as associate head coach.
 
Old Dominion began the season with an overtime loss at William & Mary before reeling off five-straight wins, including wins over No. 14 Boston College and No. 21 American. An overtime setback to No. 11 UConn stopped the streak, but ODU began another win and doubled it by winning 10-straight games, highlighted by a 1-0 shootout win over Liberty in the final game of the regular season to clinch the Big East regular season championship. The Monarchs fell to Liberty in the Big East Title game and were robbed of an NCAA Tournament bid. Holder along with head coach Andrew Griffiths and Peter Taylor were named the Big East Coaching Staff of the Year, Marlon de Bruijne was named the Big East Offensive Player of the Year and Cam MacGillivray was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year.

The Monarchs finished the spring 2021 season with a 9-5 record, going 8-3 in the BIG EAST, reached a second-consecutive BIG EAST Tournament Final and finished the season ranked 16th in the nation. Under the watchful eye of Holder, Marlon de Bruijne received National Field Hockey Coaches Association Second Team All-American honors after leading all Division I freshmen in goals (15) and points (32). Far from the only new face in the Monarchs’ starting lineup, de Bruijne was one of five newcomers who were immediately and successfully integrated into the team, including unanimous First Team All-BIG EAST honoree Delphine Le Jeune and All-BIG EAST Second Teamer Rina Tsioles. Holder helped guide ODU to a pair of wins over in-state and BIG EAST rival Liberty. The first, a 2-1 home victory over the No. 4 Flames, gave the Monarchs their first top-five victory since 2015. The second, another 2-1 result, propelled ODU past No. 6 Liberty and into the conference tournament finals. 
 
ODU posted an 11-7 record and finished the season ranked No. 17 in the country in 2019. The Monarchs earned three ranked wins on the year, all away from home, including beating Big East foe Liberty twice, once in the regular season when the Flames were ranked No. 15 and once in the Big East Championships when the Flames were ranked No. 19. Early in the season, the Monarchs downed No. 17 Penn State. After missing out on the Big East Tournament in 2018, Holder helped lead the Monarchs to a 6-1 conference record and to the Big East Championship Final match, where they fell to No. 3 Connecticut. Rebecca Birch was named a third-team All-American, while her and Erin Huffman were named first and second team All-State and first and second team All-Region, respectively. ODU had five Monarchs named All-Big East as well, as Birch and Huffman were named to the first team, while Marlee McClendon, Cam MacGillivray and Nicole Fredricks all earn their first all-conference honor with their selection to the All-BIG EAST Second Team. 

In 2018, the Monarchs posted a 10-7 record and were ranked as high as No. 11 in the country. ODU recorded three wins over ranked opponents, including a signature victory over No. 8 Virginia in overtime on the road. For the season, ODU outscored its opponents, 40-27, and posted five shutouts. Individually, Erin Huffman and Rebecca Birch were both named First Team All-Big East. Huffman also earned First Team All-NFHCA South Region honors, while Birch was named Second Team All-Region.
 
In 2017, her second season at ODU, Holder helped guide the Monarchs to an 8-10 record. ODU played one of the toughest schedules in the nation in 2017, taking on eight top-25 opponents, including four top-five foes. The Monarchs qualified for the Big East Tournament, but fell in the first round to Liberty. Two ODU players in Danielle Grega and Erin Huffman earned NFHCA All-Region honors, while three players in Grega, Huffman and Julia Van Dorsten landed on the All-Big East Team.
 
In 2016, ODU finished the 2016 season with a 7-10 record and 3-4 mark within BIG EAST action. The Monarchs knocked off a number of nationally-ranked opponents throughout the season, including their 3-2 OT win over eventual NCAA champion Delaware on Sept. 2 as well as a come-from-behind 2-1 OT win over then-No. 14 Liberty on Sept. 30. Holder helped guide several Monarchs to individual accolades during the 2016 season, as senior Meg Byas and junior Danielle Grega earned first team All-BIG EAST honors, and Chrissy Horn was named to the All-BIG EAST second team. 
 
In 2015, the Monarchs finished with a 9-10 overall record, but defeated five natinally ranked teams during the season. ODU took down No. 7 Penn State, No. 19 Michigan State, No. 8 Wake Forest, No. 19 James Madison and No. 5 UVA.
 
During her second season as an assistant coach with Old Dominion in 2014, Holder helped the Monarchs finish the season with an 11-8 overall record and a 4-1 mark in the league, ending the regular season ranked 18th in the NFHCA Coaches Poll.
 
In her first season as an assistant coach with Old Dominion in 2013, Holder helped ODU to their first BIG EAST regular season title. During the 2013 season ODU won 12 straight games (longest since 2011) on route to an NCAA at-large berth and fourth straight NCAA appearance.
 
She was previously an assistant at Syracuse. In two seasons, she helped guide the Orange to a combined 38-7 record, including an 11-1 mark in BIG EAST play, a BIG EAST regular season title (2012), a BIG EAST Tournament title (2011), two NCAA Tournament appearances and a Final Four (2012).
 
Holder came to Syracuse after her first season as the assistant coach at Christopher Newport University, where she helped lead the Captains to the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
 
Holder received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Kent State University in 2009 and continued at Kent State to receive her Masters of Arts in exercise/leisure and sport in 2010. She started 47 of the 60 games in which she appeared at Kent State, scoring 17 goals and adding eight assists while at Kent State. As captain her senior season in 2008, Holder led the Golden Flashes to the MAC Conference regular season and tournament titles.
 
Holder holds a USA Field Hockey Level II Certification. She is also a USA Field Hockey Level 1 Futures Site DIrector and U16/U19 National Futures Coach.
 
A native of Glasgow, Scotland, she was a member of the Scotland National U16 and U18 squads before attending Kent State.

Holder is happily married to Ian and the two have a daughter, Luna, who has become the team’s little mascot.