Coaches

Cay Miller - Varsity Head Coach

Coach Cay Miller played field hockey, basketball and softball at Churchill, earning all-county, all-state, and all-met honors in field hockey and all-county honors in softball. She played field hockey at Haverford College (with a semester abroad playing for the University of Melbourne club team in Australia) and twice earned all-Centennial Conference honors. In 2005, she became the first field hockey player to be inducted into the Churchill Sports Hall of Fame. She coached Churchill's JV field hockey team between 2005-2007. In 2010, she became the varsity coach. She was awarded Maryland Field Hockey Coach of the Year by the MPSSAA in 2021 and Outstanding Field Hockey Coach of the Year in February 2018 and 2022 by the Pigskin Club of Washington, DC. She teaches English Language Development at Wheaton Woods ES, achieved National Board certification in 2013 and 2022, and was named MCPS Elementary ELD Teacher of the Year and the MCPS finalist for The Washington Post Teacher of the Year in 2021.

Beatriz Cerda Salazar - JV Head Coach

Coach Beatriz Cerda Salazar has played field hockey since she was six in Chile. She was a four-year starter at her high school in Chile and played for the Universidad Catolica Club, where she won the Best Player of the Year in 2016 and team spirit of her category. Her team won third place in 2017, playing in her club's second division. She has also made many trips to Argentina to play against Argentinian teams, where she learned new skills and techniques. Coach Bea is committed to teaching field hockey to new players and helping them improve their game.

Candy Thurman - Volunteer Assistant Coach

Coach Candy Thurman is a retired MCPS social studies teacher with 40 years of field hockey coaching experience including one 4A Maryland state championship, three WCAC championships, and numerous region and division titles. She has served in the past as the head varsity coach at Walter Johnson, Academy of the Holy Cross, and Montgomery Blair High School. She founded and coached Tazmaniacs Club in Montgomery County for twenty years and coached at Junior Olympics for five years. She was a four-year starter at American University and was recognized as MVP in 1979. She has been volunteering with Churchill field hockey since the 2019 season.

Amy Wood - Volunteer Assistant Coach

Coach Amy Wood coached the Bethesda-Chevy Chase field hockey program for nearly 20 years, winning a record 9-straight state championships between 1994-2002 and leading the program to 277 wins. She was twice named Washington Post All-Met Coach of the Year and received the Morgan Wootten Lifetime Achievement award. Wood was inducted into the Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame in 2020. She coached the Washington Wolves Club for many years. She played collegiately at the University of Connecticut. She has been volunteering with Churchill field hockey since the 2021 season.

Ilana Sophie Ascher - Volunteer Assistant Coach

Coach Ilana Ascher played field hockey for Churchill in 2013 and 2014. Ilana, going by Sophie at the time, performed as one of the top goalkeepers in Montgomery County, tallying 81 saves in her senior season and earning honorable-mention all-county and NFHCA national academic squad recognition. Ilana was selected captain during her senior year, and she earned the coach's award during her final team banquet. Ilana was recruited to the Oberlin College field hockey team in 2015. She first began coaching at summer camps and in private lessons in 2014, and she is committed to using the unique perspective of a goalie to encourage a strong defense and give insight on how offense can effectively get by the last lines of defense. Ilana spent the last year in Germany teaching English on a Fulbright scholarship, and she plans to go back to school with a focus on childhood development and psychology.