UMass Lowell Athletics

Jill Putnam is in her third year at UMass Lowell after joining the River Hawks prior to the 2014 season. Putnam came to UMass Lowell from the Boston Field Hockey Club where she was the director of player development and from Beaver Country Day School where she was the head coach. She also previously served as an assistant field hockey coach at Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).  
 
A 2009 graduate of Northwestern University, Putnam oversaw the varsity, junior varsity and middle school teams at Beaver Country Day School. During her tenure, she was responsible for planning practices, organizing travel and communicating with faculty, staff and parents concerning her student-athletes’ well-being. As the director of player development for the Boston Field Hockey Club, she handled business decisions, such as budget, pay roll and facilities, and traveled to multiple national tournaments, including the National Field Hockey Festival.
 
Putnam helped guide the BC field hockey program for two seasons (2011-2012) where she focused on the development of the midfield line and attacking aspects of the game. After receiving her US Field Hockey Level II Coaching Certification in January 2012, Putnam began working as an assistant coach/administrator with the US High Performance and Junior High Performance Programs. Prior to Boston College, Putnam worked for Windy City Field Hockey in Chicago as the director of player and program development.
 
Putnam totaled 46 points, including six game-winning goals, in her collegiate career with the Wildcats. In 2005, she was the nation's leading freshman goal scorer with 11. Putnam earned Big Ten Athlete of the Week accolades in her freshman and junior seasons, as well as Big Ten All-Academic honors as a junior. During her tenure at Northwestern, Putnam also received the Howard Award for all-around excellence.
 
A native of Greenfield, Mass., Putnam attended Greenfield High School and earned All-America Second-Team accolades after leading her team in scoring for four years. She was a four-year, All-Northern League selection and a member of the All-Western Massachusetts Scholastic Team from 2001-04.