When Donna Hornibrook assumed the reins of the Houghton field hockey program in the fall of 1995 she had already proven herself as a premier athlete on the international stage, and established a record as one of the rising stars in the coaching world.
Nine years later Hornibrook left Houghton as the winningest coach in Highlander field hockey history, accumulating a career record of 111-39-4 (.734).
During her tenure, Houghton's national affiliation (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) did not sponsor field hockey, eliminating the opportunity for official post-season play. Despite this potential handicap, Hornibrook's Highlanders posted 15-win seasons in 1998, 1999, and 2001, and in her final campaign posted a program-record 16 wins in 2003.
In a recent interview, Hornibrook noted several additional career highlights, some of which included:
- A 1997 end-of-season victory over William Smith College, who would go on to claim that year's NCAA Division III National Championship. Houghton then defeated William Smith again at the beginning of the 1998 season
- Another 1997 win against defending NCAA Division II National Champion Bloomsburg University, who would eventually win their second consecutive national title that year.
- A victory over eventual NCAA Division II Finalist Lock Haven University in 1998.
Of the Bloomsburg victory, Hornibrook noted:
"We loved the underdog role as a team… [That game] was the first breakthrough win for us. …we knew their right wing was outstanding and we had to make a change to deal with her. [Our] players unselfishly changed roles to make things happen. Our left attacker, Laura Chevalier, moved to left defender to mark her. Laura shut her down, and when the game went into overtime I knew we would win because [in] 7v7 I was confident that the speed of our overtime group with more open space would get the job done and they did."
Prior to Houghton:
A four-time all-conference and four-time national tournament all-star selection while attending the University of New Brunswick (1978-82), Hornibrook scored an Atlantic Universities Athletic Association (now Atlantic University Sport) record 73-goals, and was named the Prince Edward Island Female Athlete of the Year in 1980 and 1981.
During her time at university Hornibrook was selected to play on the Canadian national team, for whom she competed from 1979-1983. During that span the team earned a bronze medal in the 1981 European Championships in Berlin (Hornibrook scored three goals in the bronze medal game) before finishing fifth at the 1981 World Cup in Argentina. She also played on the 1986 Canadian national championship British Columbia team.
After her playing career, Hornibrook began her career on the sidelines, guiding the New Brunswick provincial team to a gold medal at the 1989 Canada Games.
She went on to coach at her alma mater, the University of New Brunswick, posting a 60-8-6 record from 1990-1995. During that period, her teams never lost a conference game, winning five AUAA conference titles and two silver medals at the Canadian University championships. Twenty-five of her players earned all-conference honors and one was selected as the national player of the year. Eleven of her players were also junior and senior national team members. Hornibrook was selected as the conference coach of the year four times and in 1990 was named National CIAU Coach of the Year.
Hornibrook was inducted into the Prince Edward Island Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
After Houghton:
From 2004-2017 Hornibrook guided the Cornell University Big Red to an overall record of 129-101, and an Ivy League record of 54-44, making her the winningest coach in program history in both categories.
During her 14 seasons at the helm, Hornibrook's Big Red teams earned at least 10 wins in a season 10 times, while finishing second in the conference six times. She coached 51 All-Ivy players, including 20 first-team selections, as well as one Defensive Player of the Year and one Rookie of the Year. Additionally, 22 of Hornibrook's players earned Mideast Region All-Americans honors, and at least one player placed on the Mideast Region All-American team in 12 of her 14 seasons at Cornell.
At the conclusion of the 2017 season, Hornibrook ranked 17th among active Division I head coaches in career wins (240) and 18th overall in winning percentage (.630), and if the NCAA counted her record at University of New Brunswick (60-8-6), she would currently have 300 career victories.
Hornibrook currently resides in Lansing, NY with her husband, Dwight, who coached the Houghton College men's soccer team from 1995-2003 and also served as assistant, interim, and head coach of the Cornell women's soccer team. They have two daughters, Kathryn, who and Emily, who both attended Houghton College.
