Head Coach

Emily Dinsmore

Emily Dinsmore prepares for her first season as head coach after six years as an assistant for App State.

Dinsmore, who has been on the Mountaineers’ coaching staff since 2017, helped lead App State to a school record-tying 14 wins and its first MAC championship game appearance this past season. She takes the reins of the program after Meghan Dawson stepped away following eight seasons at the helm.

This past fall, Dinsmore's first after being promoted to assistant head coach, App State won 10 straight contests leading into the MAC final, and the squad came within one goal of defeating No. 16 Duke and No. 15 Wake Forest on the road. The Mountaineers finished the season top 10 nationally in both offense (points per game) and defense (goals-against average).

Dinsmore used her skill at teaching defense to help lead the 2021 team to its first ranked win in program history when the Mountaineers defeated JMU in a 2-0 shutout. In 2019, Dinsmore helped charge App State to its first winning season since 2003. The Mountaineers also opened the 2019 campaign at 6-0, setting a new program best for consecutive wins to begin a season.

Dinsmore came to Appalachian after two seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Stevenson University, helping lead them to a second-place finish in the Middle Atlantic Conference in 2015. That same season, the team advanced to the conference tournament championship and the ECAC Division III Mid-Atlantic Field Hockey Championship final.

She completed her master's degree in business technology management during her two-year stint at Stevenson. Working primarily with goalkeepers and defenders, Dinsmore also worked in recruiting and as an academic mentor.

A Chesapeake Beach, Md. native, Dinsmore graduated from Liberty University in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in elementary education. During her time at Liberty, she lettered in both field hockey and lacrosse. In her first season of field hockey, she helped lead the defense to three shutouts as she appeared in 15 of the Flames' 17 games, making 13 starts.

On the lacrosse field, Dinsmore played in all 18 games in her first season, contributing six goals and three assists. In her second season, Dinsmore moved over to defense and recorded 17 ground balls and 10 caused turnovers.

Prior to her time at Liberty, Dinsmore started her career at Catholic University, where she played one season of field hockey. She was recruited out of Northern High School in Owings, Md., where she was a four-year letter winner in field hockey and lacrosse.