Daan Polders Position: Assistant Coach Experience: 5th season

Daan Polders enters his fifth season as an assistant coach for Wake Forest in 2008. In his three seasons with the Demon Deacons, Polders has helped the squad advance to the NCAA Final Four every year, as well as capture the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship in 2006.

In addition to helping the Deacs reach their eighth consecutive the NCAA Final Four in the 2007-08 season, Polders had a chance to see some of his current and former athletes find success on the national field hockey stage. Lauren Crandall, a 2007 WFU graduate who Polders mentored as head coach of the Southeast Olympic Development Select/Elite Team in 2006, played for the U.S. Olympic Team in Beijing in August 2008. Current WFU senior Michelle Kasold, also on the Polders' 2006 Elite Team, played with the U.S. National Team during the spring of 2008.

In 2006, Polders was instrumental in sending the Deacs to NCAA title match for the fourth time in program history. Wake concluded the season with a 22-2 record, tying the program's record of most wins in a season set in 2003. Lauren Crandall, Jamie Whitten and Michelle Kasold were All-ACC selections before being named NFHCA All-Americans.

When Polders signed on with the Wake Forest coaching staff in 2005, he helped lead the team to its first undefeated regular season and its sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament semifinals. Three Demon Deacons were named NFHCA All-Americans under his tutelage, as well as four All-ACC selections and the ACC Rookie of the Year in Christine Suggs.

Before joining the Wake Forest family, Polders had a successful four-year stint with Michigan State, where he helped lead the Spartans to a combined 74-18 record and four straight NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2004, the Spartans finished 18-4, losing in the NCAA semifinals to Duke. The team was ranked in the top 10 the entire season and reached the No. 1 ranking after jumping out to a perfect 8-0 start. Ironically, the Deacons handed the Spartans their first loss of the season.

In 2003, the Spartans went 17-5 and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 2002 season was the best in program history. At 23-3, the Spartans lost in the NCAA semifinals to Wake Forest and the previous year, Michigan State finished 16-6, losing in second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2001. In 2001 the Spartans won their first regular season Big Ten Championship and had their first NCAA appearance in history. Polders won a total of three Big Ten Championships and two Big Ten Tournament Championships in his four seasons with Michigan State.

Prior to his collegiate coaching career, Polders served as a consultant in finance and insurance services.

Polders, who has been an active coach among youth and adult teams, was selected by the United States Field Hockey Association as the head coach of the Midwest Cyclones in the Summer League in 2003 and 2004, which is made up of members of the U.S. National Under-21 and Under-19 Teams and selected players from Division I programs. Polders has also been involved as head coach for US Field Hockey's Junior National Camps since 2003. In 2006 Polders also worked as a guest coach with the Men's National team at the Olympic Training Center in California.

During the summer of 2006, Polders continued his US Field Hockey coaching resume as the head coach of the Southeast Olympic Development Select/Elite Team that included some of the nation's top players, including Wake Forest standouts Kasold, Crandall, Whitten and Liz Fries.

Polders' playing resume is extensive as well. He played field hockey in the Dutch Major League, as well as for the Dutch National Army Team. As a Dutch International player, he saw action with some of the best players in the world, competing against England, Spain, France, Russia and Germany.

Upon his hiring in March of 2005, head coach Jen Averill said, "We are very pleased that Daan is joining us, we know he brings a tremendous amount of knowledge to the program as well as an international flair. He has proven at Michigan State to have a very positive impact upon the staff and players both as a coach and as a person."

Polders focus for the Wake Forest field hockey team is primarily on player and team development, including technical and tactical advancements and he will assist in the administrative duties as well, including officials, travel and budgetary items.

Polders currently resides in Winston-Salem with his wife Jamie.