Hall of Fame
Kristina Taylor Kulp is a three-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-American and three-time Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Field Hockey Athlete of the Year who was named the 2010 NFHCA Division II Player of the Year and who graduated with Shippensburg’s school record for career goals (80), a total that lasted for more than a decade and still ranks second in school history.
Kulp is one of just five players in SU history to finish as a four-time All-PSAC player. Overall, she was a part of SU teams that combined for a 76-14 record and four NCAA National Tournament appearances, four PSAC Tournament appearances, two PSAC Championship game appearances and a National Championship game appearance.
During Kulp’s senior season, she scored in 13 of the team's 21 games, including multiple goals in seven contests and game-winners in five. She earned her third straight PSAC Western Division Athlete of the Year award en route to her third straight All-America First Team classification. Her 23 goals were one short of her single-season career high of 24 set as a sophomore. She concluded her career with 80 goals and 26 assists for 186 points. She was the nation's active goals leader during her senior season and finished her career ranked among the Top 10 players in NCAA Division II history for both categories. Kulp was selected to play in the 2011 NFHCA Division II North/South Senior All Star Game and was also selected to ask a question of NCAA president Mark Emmert in an edition of NCAA “On Campus.”
In her junior year, Kulp was named the NFHCA Division II Field Hockey Player of the Year after a historic season in which SU advanced to the national championship game. She was also honored as the NFHCA South Region Player of the Year and as a NFHCA First-Team All-American. Kulp scored 19 goals – third-most in the PSAC and tied for fifth in Division II – while ranking sixth in the nation in goals per game and 13th in the nation for points per game. Kulp was selected to the All-Tournament Team at the 2010 Division II National Championships. She scored five game-winning goals, including an overtime golden goal in a 3-2 victory over No. 3 East Stroudsburg. Kulp had at least one goal in 15 of her team’s 23 games and was held without a point in just four regular-season games.
As a sophomore, Kulp emerged as one of the best field players in the country, earning her first Longstreth/NFHCA Division II First Team All-America honor and being named to the NCAA Division II All-Tournament Team. She was honored as the PSAC Western Division Player of the Year for the first time after finishing the season ranked second in NCAA Division II for goals per game (1.09) and points per game (2.59), third in total goals (24) and 12th in assists (nine). She scored six game-winning goals.
In her freshman year, Kulp was a starting forward and was named the PSAC Western Division Rookie of the Year as a member of the All-PSAC Western Division First Team at forward. Kulp finished second in school history for goals as a freshman, scoring 14 goals and recording seven assists for 35 total points. Among her goals was the game-winning goal in double overtime at IUP to give Shippensburg its first ever NCAA postseason victory. She had at least one point in 15 games during the season.
Kulp earned her undergraduate degree in social work from Shippensburg in 2013. She served as a student assistant coach with the team in 2012 and was a volunteer assistant coach with the 2013 team that brought home Shippensburg’s first NCAA National Championship in school history in any sport.
After graduation, Kulp was the USAAI Assistant Field Hockey Coach in Australia in 2016. For the last nine years, she has been a coach with the Field Hockey Sports Club (FSC) Falcons.
Kulp works as a social worker for Diakon Adoption and Foster Care as a child prep and profile specialist. In May 2019, she received the Diakon Child, Family and Community Ministries Service Award after serving as the event coordinator for the organizations Diakon Adoption Family Fun Fest to raise awareness about foster care. Earlier this year, Kulp received a Statewide Adoption Permanency Network (SWAN) team award.
Kulp and her husband Cody, a former SU baseball player, are the proud parents of their daughter, Reagan. The couple are also the proud parents of a German short hair pointer named Bane.
