Bio

Ashley "Stick" Kishorn joined Mitchell College as Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator in August of 2023.

Kishorn joins the Mariners following a six-year tenure at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she served as both a head field hockey coach and administrator. Kishorn will oversee all internal operations for Mitchell's department, which is comprised of 12 varsity sports. She will also serve as the compliance coordinator and Title IX Deputy, and as SWA she will be involved in senior-level management decisions at both the campus and conference levels.

“We are excited to welcome Ashley Kishorn to the Mitchell College community,” stated Director of Athletics Matt Finlayson. “This is a pivotal leadership role for athletics and Ashley’s combination of coaching, playing, and administrative experience at the Division III level will have a positive impact for the College. Her passion for the student-athlete experience and their overall development will serve our current and future Mariners extremely well.”

Along with serving as the head coach of the Eastern Mennonite field hockey program since 2017, Kishorn also held the title of Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance and the SWA. In these roles she facilitated all compliance inquiries for student-athletes and coaches including, but not limited to eligibility paperwork, transfer portal, rules interpretation, and NCAA waivers and reports. Additionally, Kishorn was the Athletics Diversity and Inclusion Designee at EMU, while also assisting the Athletic Director with coach evaluations and serving on all hiring committees within the athletic department. During her tenure with the Royals, she developed the Women in Sport program, assisted with organization and implementation of end of year student-athlete recognition banquet, and served as a committee member for the University’s giving day event.

“I am thrilled to join Mitchell College Athletics, thank you to the search committee for this opportunity,” said Kishorn. “I am excited to step into athletics administration under the guidance and leadership of Matt Finlayson. Matt's enthusiasm and vision for the growth of Mitchell Athletics inspired me to take the position. My coaching background has led me to pursue a leadership role in athletics, and this experience has prepared me to serve student-athletes, coaches, staff and the campus community. I am excited to experience life on the Connecticut coast and look forward to an exciting future with the Mariners!”

After arriving as the head field hockey coach at EMU, Kishorn immediately began to make an impact. In her second season at the helm, she led the squad to an eight-win season, the most wins since 2011. In 2020, Kishorn led the Royals to their first .500 record since 2010, then in 2022 the team posted a 10-7 record, the most since the 2011 season. She also excelled in recruiting, landing the largest EMU field hockey roster in over twenty years.

Prior to taking over the EMU program, Kishorn served as an assistant field hockey coach at Williams College, Lynchburg College, and Wilson College. During her playing career she was a member of the Salisbury University Division III National Championship field hockey team in 2009.

Kishorn holds a Bachelor's Degree in Exercise Science with minors in athletic coaching and marketing/management from Salisbury. She earned her Masters of Education in Educational leadership from Lynchburg College.