Coaching Staff
Field Hockey
Kristine Jackson
kristine.jackson@danahall.org
Varsity Field Hockey Coach
Assistant Coach
Jan Rushton
Coach Jackson was named Dana Hall’s Varsity Field Hockey head coach in 2022. She brings a wealth of field hockey experience to Dana Hall.
Jackson credits her high school varsity team as sparking her love for the game, which led her to play for several club teams, including the New England Futures program. She continued her pursuit of the sport as a collegiate athlete at Nichols College and Lasell University. Following her playing days, Jackson began her coaching career at Newton South and Austin Prep. She also served as a coach at the collegiate level, working as an assistant coach at her alma mater, Lasell University.
After earning her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Northeastern University, Jackson has served as a registered nurse in addition to her coaching positions.
Field Hockey
Volleyball
Mike Murphy
Varsity Volleyball Coach
Assistant Coach
Dimitri Stewart
Coach Murphy brings nearly a quarter century of volleyball coaching experience to Dana Hall, and has been involved with the sport as a player and coach for more than 35 years. His passion for the game, understanding of the skills and dedication to constantly improving as a coach has helped him build and rebuild programs at the high school, community college and NCAA Division III college level. This has included teams for women and men as well as girls and boys. He has also developed top performing club teams that have competed on the regional and national level, and Murphy has worked at numerous local volleyball camps and clinics.
Previously, Murphy has served as the head coach for girls' teams at Weston High School (two trips to the state tournament) and Waltham High School (two trips to the state tournament and the Greater Boston league title). At the college level, Murphy created and launched Mass Bay Community College’s first ever women’s and men’s teams. He also turned the Pine Manor College Women’s Team (NCAA DIII) into a winning program and gave them their best record in nearly two decades.
Soccer
Rachel Wood
rachel.wood@danahall.org
Varsity Soccer Coach
Associate Head Coach
Carlton Wheeler-Omiunu
Goalie Coach
Barry Friedman
Coach Wood began coaching varsity soccer at Dana Hall in 2020.
Coach Wood strives to have a "positive impact on young athlete's lives" and "increase each player's knowledge of the game, athletic ability, leadership skills and, most importantly, confidence.”
Wood has a Bachelor's in Psychology and Social Behavior from University of North Carolina Chapel Hill where she played soccer. In high school she was a three sport athlete in soccer, volleyball, and track and field. She was a high school All American, #3 recruit in country, 2x NCAA Champion, 2x ACC champion, NCAA all regional team. Coach Wood has played with some of the best players in the women’s game at the University of North Carolina and the Boston Breakers.
Wood is a sought-after trainer for female and male soccer players at every level from youth through college athletes. A popular speaker who is thoughtful, relatable, and knowledgeable about sports psychology and the power of positivity, Rachel spoke at a Positive Coaching Alliance event at Harvard University in November 2016 and is now a PCA trainer.
Soccer
Cross Country
Brian Cook
brian.cook@danahall.org
Varsity Cross Country Coach
Assistant Coach
Amanda Feldman
Coach Cook has coached cross country at Dana Hall since 2013.
He enjoys coaching for the spirit and camaraderie of the athletes, the positive sporting attitude of all teams in the EIL, and for the opportunity to see young people challenge themselves to do things they didn't think they could do. Cook is also a member of the Social Studies Department.
Cook holds a Bachelor's in Economics from Holy Cross where he was pre-med, and earned his M.Ed. from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire. During his time at Holy Cross, he was a member of the track team, where he competed in the high jump. He played both basketball and ran track at Chelmsford High School where he earned All-Conference Honors in track and field. Cook has completed two marathons, multiple half-marathons, and many 10k and 5k races.
Basketball
Jackie O'Neil
jaclyn.oneil@danahall.org
Varsity Basketball Coach
Assistant Coach
Jacquelyne Anderson
Coach O’Neil became head coach in 2021, and she has coached middle school volleyball, basketball, and lacrosse at Dana Hall since 2019. Before Dana Hall, she coached at Hammond School in South Carolina, AAU 15U and 16U for the State Champion Carolina Shooting Stars, The Newman School in Boston, as well as numerous camps and clinics in Boston and South Carolina.
Coach O'Neil is passionate about sports and competition. She enjoys sharing this passion with young women, seeing them grow into confident young adults, and watching them come together as a group to accomplish great things.
O’Neil earned a Bachelor's in Sports Management with a minor in Business from Newbury College in South Carolina. At Newbury, she was a 4-year Letter winner, and she was a member of the Women's Golf Team. In high school, O’Neil played volleyball, basketball and soccer where she was a State Champion runner up, All-Conference, All-State and Player of the year for Independent Schools in the State.
She coaches fitness classes at Dana Hall, and is NSCA - CPT, CSCS. ACE Group Fitness, Functional Movement certified.
Squash
William Iselin
will.iselin@danahall.org
Varsity Squash Coach
Coach Iselin has coached the Dana Hall squash team since 2019.
He notes that he coaches because he has "a lifelong passion for the game of squash and enjoy[s] helping student-athletes improve across all aspects of the game.”
Iselin earned his Bachelor's degree in Medieval History from Harvard College where he also played squash. In high school, he played soccer, squash, and tennis. He is a 4-year varsity letter winner on undefeated national championship squash teams and was an Individual NCAA division champion in his senior year.
Swimming
Jen Dutton
jennifer.dutton@danahall.org
Varsity Swim Coach
Assistant Coach
Douglas Doucet
Coach Dutton began as head coach at Dana Hall in 2021, after serving as the assistant coach. Dutton has coached high school (boys and girls) locally for more than 20 years. She works with Masters Swimmer, professional triathletes, and fitness swimmers every day. She served for ten years as the Natick Girls Head Coach and is in her 11th year as the Wellesley High School Girls Coach. Most recently, her accolades include MIAA D2 State Champs 2019, Boston Globe All Scholastic Coach of the Year 2019, 2016, and South Sectional Champs 2018, 2019.
Dutton is passionate about coaching because she loves "watching athletes (of any age) accomplish things they once thought impossible/improbable. Teenage girls have incredible resilience, and through sport they can become mentally and physically strong and they can learn to work together to build emotional strength. There is nothing better than that!”
Dutton is an ultra-marathon swimmer, and she is certified in lifeguard training, CPR/AED, ASCA level 3, ASCA level 5 Open Water, WOWSA open water coaching, EMSOA swim official, and a USA Swimming certified Coach.
Diving
Kelly Gilmore
kelly.gilmore@danahall.org
Varsity Diving Coach
Kelly Gilmore has been coaching at Dana Hall since 2018.
Born and raised in Dedham, she attended Dedham High School and dove for their swimming and diving team. After breaking the school record, she went on to dive for Keene State College in New Hampshire. During her freshman year season, she earned titles including “Athlete of The Week” for Keene State, as well as “Rookie Diver of the Year” for their division.
Gilmore earned a Bachelor's degree in Elementary Education and Mathematics and discovered a passion for coaching in 2018. She also coaches for Brookline High School and Wellesley High School. Gilmore loves being a role model to young athletes and watching them grow over the course of the season. She has coached athletes who have placed within the top 10 in the state, and she motivates athletes to achieve their full potential each and every practice.
She is certified as a dive coach through NFHS.
Diving
Ice Hockey
Taya Latham
taya.latham@danahall.org
Varsity Ice Hockey Coach
Assistant Coaches
T.J. Spencer
Brian Tyndall
Coach Latham grew up playing hockey in Edina, Minnesota, and she has been coaching high school hockey since college. Latham majored in History at Williams College, where she was a four-year varsity hockey player. Latham spent three years with the Minneapolis Novas program before moving to the Blake School. While at Blake, she helped guide the Bears to back-to-back Minnesota State Championships in 2013 and 2014, as well as a runner-up finish in 2015. After taking a year away from coaching to earn her MA in Classical Archeology, Latham moved to Boston in 2016 to become the founding coach of the girls’ hockey program at Saint Joseph Prep. Latham also coaches lacrosse and is a published fiction author.
Ice Hockey
Fencing
Jane Carter
jane.carter@danahall.org
Varsity Fencing Coach
Assistant Coaches
Eliot Ayres
Anna Craven
Coach Carter has been coaching at Dana Hall since 2006.
Carter states, “I love giving back. I love teamwork and camaraderie. I love empowering young women.” Carter is a National Champion in Foil for her age group and has a long history of accolades from the Veterans National Foil Team. She is a member of three Halls of Fame: Peabody Veterans Memorial High School Athletic Hall of Fame, UPenn Fencing Hall of Fame, and UPenn Athletic Hall of Fame. Carter was a member of the US Fencing Executive Committee for 12 years, and has chaired multiple committees in US Fencing. She is currently Chair of the New England Division of US Fencing Association.
Carter earned a Bachelor's degree in International Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a member of the fencing team. In high school, Carter was a three-sport athlete in basketball, track and field, and fencing. She holds her high school record for discus, was the Under 16 Women's Foil Junior Olympic Champion, a 1986 NCAA Champion at the University of Pennsylvania, and a 3-time All American.
Lacrosse
Janet Sullivan
janet.sullivan@danahall.org
Varsity Lacrosse Coach
Assistant Coach
Carly Kunkler
Coach Sullivan, better known as “Sully,” has coached varsity lacrosse since 1990 and has more than 10 years of experience coaching varsity soccer.
Sullivan states, “I love playing sports, watching sports and I want to instill my love and passion for playing to student athletes in hopes that they have a great experience while playing. The Dana Hall student athletes work hard, have fun, and have a strong desire to build camaraderie within their team, and I like to be a part of that environment.”
Sullivan has a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education with a minor in Recreation from Ithaca College. In high school, Sullivan was a state champion in field hockey and swimming. She was captain for field hockey and lacrosse, earning All-League honors for both. At Ithaca, she won a New York State Championship. For lacrosse, Sullivan has been inducted into the Eastern Massachusetts Hall of Fame and the New England Hall of Fame.
Sullivan also serves as the Associate Director of Athletics at Dana Hall. Sullivan is certified in US Lacrosse Level 1, 2, and 3.
Lacrosse
Softball
Amanda Feldman
amanda.feldman@danahall.org
Varsity Softball Coach
Assistant Coach
Jake McShane
Phil Landers
Coach Feldman became the head varsity softball coach in 2021.
Feldman, a graduate of Dana Hall, is passionate about softball and empowering young women. "As a former player on the Dana Hall Varsity Softball team, being able to give back to a program and school that helped shape the person I am today is extremely special to me."
Feldman instills in her student-athletes what being part of a team at Dana Hall taught her: collaboration, resilience, and dedication.
Feldman attended Trinity College where she played softball for two years, and went on to graduate from Boston University where she earned a Bachelor's in Biology. In high school, Feldman played softball for Dana Hall, and led her team to two varsity EIL Championships in 2010 and 2011.
Currently, Feldman is studying for her Master’s degree in Nutrition & Dietetics at Boston University and works as an account manager. After graduation, she will be a Registered Dietician Nutritionist. She is also a fitness instructor at Pure Barre Newton and Wellesley.
Softball
Tennis
Maureen Sumner
maureen.sumner@danahall.org
Varsity Tennis Coach
Assistant Coach
Jennifer Gandel
Coach Sumner has been coaching tennis at Dana Hall since 2018, and that year, she led Dana Hall to an EIL Championship.
She is passionate about tennis, teaching athletes how to improve their technique, and equipping them to reach their full potential.
Summer played singles and doubles for four years at Holy Cross. She was inducted into the Holy Cross Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 2017. Sumner continues to play competitively, and she has represented New England at Nationals seven times.