Ole Keusgen
Ole Keusgen was named the ninth head coach in program history on Nov. 21, 2023.
He joined the staff in 2015 as an assistant coach, focusing on the Cavalier defense. He was promoted to Associate Head Coach in May of 2021. He served as the team’s acting head coach from the final week of the 2023 regular season, leading the team to the semifinals of the NCAA Championship.
During his time at Virginia, the Cavaliers have made the NCAA tournament eight times, including twice advancing to the NCAA semifinals (2019 and 2023), won the ACC regular-season title in 2017 and won the ACC tournament championship in 2016, the only ACC title in program history.
Keusgen has coached players to All-America status 15 times, including nine first-team selections, with 34 all-region recognitions and 25 All-ACC honors. Tara Vittese was named the NFHCA National Player of the Year each of his first three years in Charlottesville as well as twice being named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year. Current Netherlands national team player Pien Dicke was named the ACC Rookie of the Year during Keusgen’s second season.
In his six games serving as Virginia’s acting head coach, the Cavaliers went 4-2, with both losses coming against No. 1 North Carolina. Keusgen guided the Cavaliers to a 3-2 comeback victory against Syracuse in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship and, in a signature victory, defeated fourth-seeded Maryland 4-0 in the NCAA quarterfinals with the UVA defense holding the Terrapins to just one shot on goal.
In addition to serving as an assistant coach for the Cavaliers, Keusgen has coached USA Field Hockey junior high-performance teams. In 2019, he was the head coach of the U19 U.S. Women’s National Team after serving as an assistant coach for the program and a mentor for the Junior High-Performance program in 2017. He has also served as the head coach of the US Rise National Team.
Keusgen played professionally in Germany with one of the most successful field hockey clubs in European history, Uhlenhorst Mülheim, winning the German Indoor championship in 2015 and the Euro Indoor Club Cup in 2015. Keusgen also competed with the German National Team, winning a bronze medal at the 2013 World University Games in Kazan.
In addition to playing, Keusgen also coached both the men’s and women’s first teams of Oberhausener THC.
Keusgen graduated with a bachelor of science in sport science with a focus on training and health from Ruhr University Bochum in Germany.
He and his wife, Erika Ralston, reside in Barboursville.