After just two years in Williamsburg, Martu Loncarica has helped William & Mary reach new heights in field hockey, including its first-ever conference championship. Loncarica is primarily responsible for coaching the Tribe attackers, as well as helping with all on- and off-field aspects of running the Tribe's nationally-recognized program.
In her first season, Loncarica helped W&M to its third-best scoring season in school history, totaling 52 goals and 40 assists (144 points). That helped the Tribe reach the CAA Championship game for the first time since 2002, and finish the year 13-7 and ranked No. 19 in the NFHCA national polls. Seniors Emma MacLeod and Cammie Lloyd were both named first-team All-CAA and second-team all-region, and became the first teammates in 40 years to both finish their careers with over 30 goals. The pair were also the first Tribe players since 2003 to both score over 10 goals in the same season.
In her second season, Loncarica's offense continued to improve, scoring 54 goals and 44 assists (152 points) for the second-highest season total in school history, and the best since 1979. The Tribe's 7.6 points per game average was the highest in the modern era, and the best overall since the 1927 season. The 44 assists tied the school record set back in 2012, while the 54 goals were the fifth-most ever. Leading the way was senior Estelle Hughes, who was named the MVP of the CAA Tournament and a third-team All-American after scoring 13 goals and six assists. Junior Woodard Hooper also scored 13 goals, and the pair each had four game-winning goals as W&M went 12-8 overall while winning its first-ever conference championship and advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002. The Tribe defeated Monmouth, 3-2 in overtime at home in the opening round, its first-ever NCAA win and one of an NCAA record-tying nine overtime games on the season.
Loncarica came to Williamsburg in the summer of 2017 after spending the two years in Philadelphia, coaching at both the youth and collegiate levels while also pursuing her second Master's degree. She spent the 2015 and 2016 seasons as a volunteer assistant at St. Joseph's, working with all the athletes but especially the midfielders, and also serving as the team nutritionist. Loncarica was also the planner and manager of the on-campus camps and clinics as well as alumni outreach efforts, while also beginning her MBA program and serving as a graduate assistant for undergraduate accounting classes. Beyond St. Joe's, Loncarica also founded and coached at a number of youth field hockey clinics, partnering with a local secondary school to develop and promote field hockey as an activity option for children in the Philadelphia Area. She also had the opportunity to attend the NCAA Women's Coaches Academy in the process of continuing her coaching education.
Before moving down to Philadelphia, Loncarica spent six years in Syracuse, N.Y., first as a standout player for the Big Orange, and then as the team Director of Operations and nutritionist for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. In her professional role, she was responsible for all aspects of team travel and nutrition counseling, will also helping with alumni outreach and fundraising. During her undergraduate career, Loncarica was a three-time All-American for Syracuse, and helped the Big Orange to three Big East tournament titles and four NCAA Tournament Appearances, including the 2008 Final Four. She graduated as top scorer in school history with 139 points (37g, 65a) and still ranks second all-time, and still holds the all-time record with 65 career assists.
Loncarica graduated from Syracuse in December of 2011 with her degree in nutrition, and added a Master's of Science in the same field in 2015. She is currently finishing up her MBA from St. Joseph's with a projected completion date of 2018. Originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Loncarica now resides in Williamsburg with her husband, former New Zealand U20 Soccer player Nick Roydhouse, and their dog, Branca.
