Hall of Fame
Bertie Landes served as Shippensburg University’s head field hockey and lacrosse coach from 1999-2005 before transitioning solely to field hockey, completing her 18-year tenure in 2016. Landes built and maintained SU's modern tradition of field hockey excellence and brought the university its first two NCAA Division II championships in any sport.
Landes totaled a 302-77-1 record as the Raider field hockey coach – winning 79 percent of her games. SU won at least 12 games in all 18 seasons under Landes and qualified for the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Tournament 17 times – reaching the PSAC Semifinals 16 times.
In seven seasons as the head women’s lacrosse coach, Landes totaled a 40-53-2 record that included 24 conference victories. During her final season, the Raiders won eight games and advanced to the PSAC Women’s Lacrosse Tournament for the second time in three seasons.
Landes is the only SU coach to ever be inducted into their sport’s national coaches’ Hall of Fame: she was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Hall of Fame in 2011. She was also inducted into Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 21, 2009, the same day as fellow SU Hall of Famer Jane Goss.
The numerous standout athletes Landes has mentored include Kristina Taylor, the 2010 NFHCA Division II Player of the Year, Bre White, the 2013 NFHCA Division II Player of the Year, Kristen Brooks, the inaugural NCAA Elite 88 Award winner who repeated as a senior, and Lucy Kauffman, the 2015 NCAA Walter Byers Scholarship recipient.
In total, Landes coached 33 different SU players who combined for a total of 51 NFHCA All-America awards. She also coached 76 NFHCA All-Academic award winners, three CoSIDA Academic All-Americans and three different NCAA Elite 88/89/90 Award winners. Another example of her long-lasting legacy is evidenced in the fact that 27 of her former players have gone on to coach field hockey following their graduation, the majority of whom are still active in the profession.
Landes retired by going out on top, having led Shippensburg to the 2016 NCAA Division II Field Hockey National Championship with a 2-1 victory over LIU Post on November 20. SU also won the 2013 NCAA National Championship under Landes' direction and qualified for 12 NCAA Tournaments during her tenure. In 2005, Landes guided Shippensburg to its only PSAC Championship, a 5-4 win over Bloomsburg, and its first of five 20-win seasons in her career.
Landes received numerous awards during her tenure, including twice being recognized as the NFHCA’s Division II National Coach of the Year after SU’s titles in 2013 and 2016. She is a four-time NFHCA South Region Coach of the Year (1999, 2005, 2010 and 2013) and a six-time PSAC Coach of the Year (1999, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011).
Prior to Shippensburg, Landes spent 19 seasons at Cairn (Philadelphia Biblical) University. In 37 years as a field hockey coach, Landes compiled an overall record of 486-133-17 for a .778 career winning percentage. Landes ranks No. 11 all-time among all NCAA divisions for head coaching victories and retired as the winningest active coach at the NCAA Division II level.
