William & Mary head field hockey coach Tess Ellis announced the hiring of Ayla Halus today, completing the Tribe's coaching staff ahead of the 2021 season.  Halus will serve as an assistant coach on W&M's sideline, assisting with all on- and off-field administrative duties and recruiting, with a specific emphasis on coaching the Tribe goalkeepers.
 
"We're thrilled to add Ayla to the staff," said Ellis. "When we were searching for our second assistant, we knew that we wanted someone who would complement the team dynamic in addition to being an excellent technical coach, and we feel that Ayla knocks it out of the park in both regards.  She has excellent experience both coaching and playing at the highest levels both athletically and academically, which will be instrumental in helping to continue the Tribe's development over the coming years."
 
Halus comes to Williamsburg after spending four years as an assistant at Colgate, including briefly serving as interim head coach for two months in early 2020.  She helped lead the Raiders to new heights, including leading the NCAA in save percentage in 2020-21 as well as ranking 13th in saves per game and 14th in goals-against average.  Halus helped coach four all-Patriot League selections and two all-region honorees.  This past year, Anna Unger ranked top-20 nationally in three goalkeeping categories, including fourth in save percentage, 13th in saves per game, and 16th in goals-against average.
 
Prior to her time at Colgate, Halus spent two years as the goalkeepers coach at Indiana.  With the Hoosiers, she coached Noelle Rother to a pair of All-Big Ten honors and a spot on the all-region second team.  Rother led the Big Ten in saves per game in 2016, and had a save percentage over .750 in 2015 and 2016.  Halus started her college coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Lock Haven in 2013 and 2014.  She helped develop Elaina White to a spot on the all-region second team by her second year, totaling 14 shutouts with a 1.39 GAA and over a .750 save percentage.
 
In addition to her college coaching duties, Halus has been deeply involved in club and camp coaching, appearing at dozens of camps and clinics over the years.  She's been a member of the USA Junior High Performance team coaching staffs four times, in addition to three years as a USA Field Hockey Futures Level I & II regional and national tournament coach and selector.
 
Halus also has an impressive playing resume, including a stint on the U.S. National Indoor Team in 2014-15.  She was an NFHCA Second-Team All-American as a goalkeeper at Penn State in both 2010 and 2011, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors and all-region accolades both years as well.  In 2010, she was the NCAA national statistical champion with an .826 save percentage.  Halus was also named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team in 2012, after leading the Nittany Lions to back-to-back conference championships in 2011 and 2012.  She wrapped up her career with a total of 15 solo shutouts, which still ranks seventh-most in program history.
 
During her time at Penn State, Halus was selected by her teammates as a co-captain in 2012, and was named to NFHCA/Gladiator National Academic Squad and the All-Big Ten Academic Team every year.  She was also chosen as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2011-12 and 2012-13. Halus graduated from Penn State in 2012 with her degree in biology, and earned her Master in Education from Penn State in 2015.  She resides in Williamsburg with her fiancé, Chris.