The legend isn’t leaving.
The winningest head coach in program history isn’t going anywhere.
Northwestern field hockey head coach Tracey Fuchs signed a long-term extension with the university on Tuesday, according to a press release from Northwestern Athletics. This extension comes after Fuchs led the Wildcats to their most successful season in program history, culminating in a 2024 NCAA championship game victory.
The release does not specify the length of Fuchs’ extension. However, Northwestern athletic director Mark Jackson indicated that the contract was intended for Fuchs to finish her coaching career as a Wildcat.
“It’s easy to point to the on-field success – the four consecutive championship games, and, most recently, her second national championship this past season – as justification for this long-term extension,” Jackson said. “But Tracey’s leadership has such a deeper, more profound impact on our entire community. Her energy, enthusiasm, intelligence and her willingness to mentor and support others, including myself, separate her as just a phenomenal person. We could have no other way for Tracey to finish her career than as a Northwestern Wildcat and we are beyond excited to make this commitment.”
Fuchs, 58, last signed a multiyear contract extension with Northwestern in February 2022. She has led the program since 2009 and took it to new heights during her 16 years and counting in Evanston.
In Fuchs’ first season with Northwestern, she led the program to a 12-8 overall record — its first winning record in 15 years. The team then made its first NCAA tournament since 1994 in 2014 and its first Final Four since then in 2021. That same year, the Wildcats won their first national championship. They followed that season by reaching three consecutive national title games in 2022, 2023 and 2024. During the 2024 national championship season, Northwestern finished with a program-best 23-1 record, including a perfect 18-0 regular season.
During Fuchs’ tenure, she has earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors three times. In addition, graduate student Maddie Zimmer became the first Northwestern player to win the NFHCA Player of the Year Award in 2024.
“This contract extension is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our exceptional coaching and support staff, as well as the single-minded focus of the team as they pursued a fourth straight appearance in the championship game and, ultimately, won a second national championship in 2024,” Fuchs said. “I am honored to work with the most talented student-athletes in D1 field hockey, and I couldn’t be more proud to lead this team as we press forward to vie for more Championships.”
Fuchs is also involved with the U.S. National Field Hockey team, where she most recently served as an assistant coach during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Northwestern Olympians Zimmer and sophomore Ashley Sessa played under her during that competition.
Northwestern has been busy with contract extensions lately, as men’s basketball head coach Chris Collins signed a multi-year extension on April 4. Collins’ extension runs through 2030.