Ryley van der Velde '17 was named head coach of the field hockey program in April 2025. She is the seventh coach in the program's history.

A graduate of Connecticut College who played four years of field hockey for the Camels, van der Velde has spent the last three years as head coach at Virginia Wesleyan University in Virginia Beach, Va. This past season the Marlins posted their highest win total since 2005, finishing the year with a 12-7 overall record that included a 4-4 mark in the competitive Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC). The squad qualified for the ODAC Tournament for the first time since 2016, and garnered an ECAC Championship bid for the first time in school history.

Under van der Velde's watch, Virginia Wesleyan produced six All-ODAC selections over the past three seasons, including three in 2024. Her most recent freshmen class included a goalie who earned both ODAC and ECAC Rookie of the Year honors.

Prior to joining the Marlins, van der Velde coached at Rocky Hill Country Day School in East Greenwich, R.I., and served as an assistant coach at Salve Regina University in Newport, R.I. With the Seahawks, she was responsible for individual skills, player development, and academic success, and she was also involved in program operations, formulating practice plans, and planning film breakdown and evaluation sessions. 

A native of Louisville, Ky., van der Velde played four seasons of field hockey as a goalkeeper for the Camels from 2013-16. In 42 career games she recorded 252 saves and posted four shutouts while sporting a 0.689 save percentage. A team captain in both her junior and senior seasons, she was also named to the NESCAC All-Sportsmanship Team three times in her career.   

Van der Velde received a bachelor's degree in Human Development from Connecticut College and a master's degree in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from Salve Regina University.