Field Hockey
Nina Klein
- Title:
- Field Hockey Assistant Coach
- Email:
- nina.klein@qu.edu
- Phone:
- (203) 582-7776
Nina Klein enters her fourth season with the Quinnipiac field hockey program in 2021, and third as associate head coach, after being hired as an assistant coach on May 3, 2018. Klein was elevated to associate head coach in July of 2019 after a successful first season with the program.
Klein has worked extensively with Quinnipiac's defenders and goalkeepers throughout her first three seasons with the program. In 2020-21, Klein coached defender Jess Halley to Second Team NFHCA All-Mideast Region and Second Team All-BIG EAST honors while first year goalkeeper Nina Santore earned BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors during the season after picking up her first career shutout. Santore led all BIG EAST goalkeepers averaging 6.62 saves per game.
The Bobcats saw a big improvement in 2019, allowing nine fewer goals and improving the save percentage by over 10% under her coaching. In 2019, goalkeepers Hedda Biermann-Ratjen and Mack Vorel each were named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honors Honorable Mention for contributions during the season.
Klein has also competed with the USA Field Hockey Women's National Development Team during her time as a coach with the Bobcats. In Spring of 2019, Klein attended several training camps and a training trip with USA Field Hockey. Over that summer, Klein competed at the USA Field hockey Young Women's National Championship and earned another invite to teh USA Field Hockey Women's National Development Team selection camp in January 2020.
Before coming to Quinnipiac, Klein was a standout goalkeeper for the UConn Huskies throughout her five years in Storrs, guiding the program to three national championships in that span.
Klein won her third national title this past in November 2018 as a fifth-year starting goalkeeper for UConn, earning first-team All-America honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. She had a spectacular effort in a semifinal win over North Carolina, recording a career-high 13 saves in regulation and then making three saves in a 3-0 win in the shootout as the Huskies earned a 2-1 victory to advance to the national championship game.
Klein and the Huskies clinched the national championship with a 2-1 win against Maryland to complete an undefeated season in the cage (23-0), only the sixth perfect season in NCAA Division I field hockey history. She was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team for the second time in her career, and received the UConn Athletics award for top Female Individual Performance of the Year at the 2018 Husky Awards Show.
In addition to earning All-America honors, Klein was named an NFHCA All-Mideast Region performer for the third consecutive year and was an All-BIG EAST selection for the third year in a row. A human development and family studies major, she was also named the 2017 Zag Field Hockey / NFHCA Division I National Scholar Athlete for having the highest grade-point average of any player named to the NFHCA All-America team.
Statistically, Klein led the NCAA with a 0.68 goals-against average, the second time in her career that she led the nation in that category, while her 87 career wins and 37 career shutouts are both UConn records. She played in every possible game in her four years after her redshirt season in 2013 and compiled a career record of 87-5.
As a redshirt freshman in 2014, Klein was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team after recording back-to-back shutouts in 1-0 wins over Albany and Syracuse in the national semifinals and finals to give the Huskies their second straight national title. As a sophomore in 2015, Klein led the nation in goals-against average at 0.62, the first of two times she led the nation in that category, while helping UConn to a 22-1 record.
Prior to attending Connecticut, Klein was a four-year starter for at Brandywine Heights High School in Pennsylvania. She was a Pennsylvania Field Hockey Coaches Association All-State selection in 2011 and 2012, and a second-team NFHCA All-America selection as a senior.
Klein also has significant playing experience in the United States national team program. In January 2018, she was one of a select group of 340 collegiate athletes who participated in the United States National Field Hockey Team trials in Pennsylvania. While in high school, she competed with the U17 Junior National Team in 2012, while her U19 Teams earned the gold in 2011 and 2012 at the USA Field Hockey National Festival.
Coach Becca Main on Klein:
"The addition of Nina Klein to our staff is an instant win for us. Who better to lead our program to a Big East Championship than a three-time Division I national championship player from UConn? Nina exemplifies leadership in her actions and is poised and cerebral in her thinking. We have worked with Nina as our volunteer coach for two months and she has elevated our teams' thinking and empowered a fierce championship mindset. Nina will take an active role in our defense and is in a position to be a strong tactical decision-maker on the sideline."
UConn Head Coach Nancy Stevens on Klein's New Position at Quinnipiac:
"Nina Klein is a three-time NCAA national champion who is an even better person than a field hockey player. As a four-year starter, she anchored one the nation's top defenses for all four seasons. Her leadership and work ethic inspired both her teammates and coaches. We are thrilled that she will have this opportunity to contribute to the Quinnipiac University community and Coach Becca Main's Big East field hockey program."
Nina Klein on Accepting the Assistant Coach Position at Quinnipiac:
"I am very grateful and excited for the opportunity to start my collegiate coaching career at Quinnipiac University. This opportunity is extremely special, and I am eager to learn, grow and develop as a coach, alongside Becca Main and Cheryl Canada. I am looking forward to using my experiences as a student-athlete in the Big East Conference to help teach and mentor the Quinnipiac University student-athletes to be the best that they can be on the field and in the classroom. Thank you to Becca Main and the entire Quinnipiac field hockey family: I cannot wait to start working towards our goals and aspirations together."
Klein has worked extensively with Quinnipiac's defenders and goalkeepers throughout her first three seasons with the program. In 2020-21, Klein coached defender Jess Halley to Second Team NFHCA All-Mideast Region and Second Team All-BIG EAST honors while first year goalkeeper Nina Santore earned BIG EAST Rookie of the Week honors during the season after picking up her first career shutout. Santore led all BIG EAST goalkeepers averaging 6.62 saves per game.
The Bobcats saw a big improvement in 2019, allowing nine fewer goals and improving the save percentage by over 10% under her coaching. In 2019, goalkeepers Hedda Biermann-Ratjen and Mack Vorel each were named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honors Honorable Mention for contributions during the season.
Klein has also competed with the USA Field Hockey Women's National Development Team during her time as a coach with the Bobcats. In Spring of 2019, Klein attended several training camps and a training trip with USA Field Hockey. Over that summer, Klein competed at the USA Field hockey Young Women's National Championship and earned another invite to teh USA Field Hockey Women's National Development Team selection camp in January 2020.
Before coming to Quinnipiac, Klein was a standout goalkeeper for the UConn Huskies throughout her five years in Storrs, guiding the program to three national championships in that span.
Klein won her third national title this past in November 2018 as a fifth-year starting goalkeeper for UConn, earning first-team All-America honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association. She had a spectacular effort in a semifinal win over North Carolina, recording a career-high 13 saves in regulation and then making three saves in a 3-0 win in the shootout as the Huskies earned a 2-1 victory to advance to the national championship game.
Klein and the Huskies clinched the national championship with a 2-1 win against Maryland to complete an undefeated season in the cage (23-0), only the sixth perfect season in NCAA Division I field hockey history. She was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team for the second time in her career, and received the UConn Athletics award for top Female Individual Performance of the Year at the 2018 Husky Awards Show.
In addition to earning All-America honors, Klein was named an NFHCA All-Mideast Region performer for the third consecutive year and was an All-BIG EAST selection for the third year in a row. A human development and family studies major, she was also named the 2017 Zag Field Hockey / NFHCA Division I National Scholar Athlete for having the highest grade-point average of any player named to the NFHCA All-America team.Statistically, Klein led the NCAA with a 0.68 goals-against average, the second time in her career that she led the nation in that category, while her 87 career wins and 37 career shutouts are both UConn records. She played in every possible game in her four years after her redshirt season in 2013 and compiled a career record of 87-5.
As a redshirt freshman in 2014, Klein was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team after recording back-to-back shutouts in 1-0 wins over Albany and Syracuse in the national semifinals and finals to give the Huskies their second straight national title. As a sophomore in 2015, Klein led the nation in goals-against average at 0.62, the first of two times she led the nation in that category, while helping UConn to a 22-1 record.
Prior to attending Connecticut, Klein was a four-year starter for at Brandywine Heights High School in Pennsylvania. She was a Pennsylvania Field Hockey Coaches Association All-State selection in 2011 and 2012, and a second-team NFHCA All-America selection as a senior.
Klein also has significant playing experience in the United States national team program. In January 2018, she was one of a select group of 340 collegiate athletes who participated in the United States National Field Hockey Team trials in Pennsylvania. While in high school, she competed with the U17 Junior National Team in 2012, while her U19 Teams earned the gold in 2011 and 2012 at the USA Field Hockey National Festival.
Coach Becca Main on Klein: "The addition of Nina Klein to our staff is an instant win for us. Who better to lead our program to a Big East Championship than a three-time Division I national championship player from UConn? Nina exemplifies leadership in her actions and is poised and cerebral in her thinking. We have worked with Nina as our volunteer coach for two months and she has elevated our teams' thinking and empowered a fierce championship mindset. Nina will take an active role in our defense and is in a position to be a strong tactical decision-maker on the sideline."
UConn Head Coach Nancy Stevens on Klein's New Position at Quinnipiac:
"Nina Klein is a three-time NCAA national champion who is an even better person than a field hockey player. As a four-year starter, she anchored one the nation's top defenses for all four seasons. Her leadership and work ethic inspired both her teammates and coaches. We are thrilled that she will have this opportunity to contribute to the Quinnipiac University community and Coach Becca Main's Big East field hockey program."
Nina Klein on Accepting the Assistant Coach Position at Quinnipiac:
"I am very grateful and excited for the opportunity to start my collegiate coaching career at Quinnipiac University. This opportunity is extremely special, and I am eager to learn, grow and develop as a coach, alongside Becca Main and Cheryl Canada. I am looking forward to using my experiences as a student-athlete in the Big East Conference to help teach and mentor the Quinnipiac University student-athletes to be the best that they can be on the field and in the classroom. Thank you to Becca Main and the entire Quinnipiac field hockey family: I cannot wait to start working towards our goals and aspirations together."
Quinnipiac Field Hockey Stadium Fall Drone Flight
Monday, July 07
Quinnipiac Athletics 2024-25 Highlight Video
Tuesday, May 20
FH vs. Sacred Heart (10.27)
Sunday, October 27
QU vs. ODU (10.25)
Friday, October 25
