Director of Athletics Jason Singleton announced two high-profile hirings in his department today: Jacque DeMarco will be our new Assistant Director of Athletics for Middle and Upper School Sports and Columbus Academy’s varsity field hockey head coach, and Brian Stutzman has been promoted to varsity head coach within our girls soccer program.
DeMarco will leave Columbus School for Girls to replace Anne Horton, who is retiring from her role as Assistant Director of Athletics and as the only varsity head coach in our field hockey program’s 31 seasons. Anne compiled a record of 526-46-29 at Academy and won 12 state titles over that span. She completed her 38th season of coaching field hockey with an overall record of 600-72-39. Please save the date of Saturday, May 14, to celebrate Anne’s accomplishments and to wish her well in retirement.
Prior to leading the Unicorns to a 6-10 record in her first season at CSG last fall, Jacque spent 14 years coaching field hockey at various divisions in NCAA intercollegiate athletics. Nine of those years were at Kenyon College, where she was the field hockey head coach as well as an instructor and Title IX coordinator. A native of Hudson, Ohio, Jacque earned her bachelor’s degree in sociology and religious studies from Colgate University in 2007 and her master’s in sport management from SUNY-Cortland in 2011.
“I am excited and grateful to become a member of the CA athletic department,” she stated. “Athletics at Academy is a great community that mirrors the excellence of the school. As a coach and administrator, I am honored to have the opportunity to work in this community. The field hockey program has a strong tradition of excellence and success, and I look forward to building on the impressive legacy of the program and working with a team of great coaches and driven athletes.”
Brian, meanwhile, has served as an assistant coach to Matt Thompson since 2017, helping our varsity girls soccer squad compile a 58-19-14 record over those five seasons that included two league titles and the program’s only two appearances in the state final four. Matt decided to step away from soccer at the conclusion of last fall to focus on his new role as Academy’s Upper School Dean of Students.
“I would like to thank Coach Thompson for the great job he has done leading the team the past five years,” said Brian. “I’m excited to continue with the program to see players step into new roles, adapt to new systems of play and continue to build on their skill and knowledge of the game.”
Brian graduated from Painesville’s Riverside High School in 2002 and from DeVry University with a business degree in 2008. He has been actively playing soccer for 33 years, started coaching club teams in 2011 and has also been a referee since 2017. Outside of soccer, Brian is a Senior End User Technology Engineer at Designer Brands and is an avid cyclist who enjoys weekly rides with “The Cycling Club” of New Albany.
“I’ve seen the work ethic of the players in this program and have no doubt we can find solutions to any problem we face,” he told us. “We will work to achieve the goals we set for ourselves individually and as a team, but most importantly we’ll enjoy playing soccer in the process.”