Shannon Karl
Assistant Coach
Third Season • William & Mary '06
Former collegiate standout Shannon Karl is entering her third season as an assistant coach with the VCU Field Hockey program.

A native of Centreville, Va., Karl possesses a depth of field hockey expertise to draw on as she assists in all facets of the Rams’ program.

She enjoyed an outstanding career as a midfielder at William & Mary, leading the Tribe to a 47-33 record from 2002-05. As a freshman in 2002, Karl was a part of the second team in program history to play in the NCAA Tournament. In 2004, she helped steer the Green and Gold to a 13-7 mark, including a perfect 7-0 ledger in CAA play.

Karl ranks fourth in Tribe history in assists with 18, third in games played with 80 and is second in career starts. In addition, she was selected to the CAA All-Tournament squad in 2004.

In addition to her college exploits, Karl was selected for United States Field Hockey Association’s (USFHA) A & B Camps in 2002-04. Those camps serve as a pipeline to the national team, and her presence at the sessions earned her a spot as an alternate for the USA Field Hockey U19 and U21 squads in 2004. Karl was also selected to the South squad for the NFHCA North-South All-Star Game in 2005.

She has also worked numerous college field hockey camps at William & Mary and the University of Richmond, as well as Champions Edge in Chicago and at the University of Connecticut. Additionally, Karl served as head coach at VCU’s “Futures” site in 2007.

Before becoming a college standout, Karl was a two-sport star at Centreville High School in lacrosse and field hockey.

Karl received her bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from William & Mary in 2006 and earned The President’s Award for Leadership the same year. She added her master’s in sports administration from Louisville in May of 2007.