Val Cloud, former head field hockey coach at the University of Pennsylvania, died on Thursday, July 24. Cloud spent three decades with Penn’s field hockey program, including 15 seasons as an assistant coach under Anne Sage and another 15 years as head coach from 1995 to her retirement in 2009.
Cloud also served as Sage’s assistant for the women’s lacrosse team for 15 years. During her tenure as head field hockey coach, she led Penn to 115 wins and secured the Ivy League title in 2004. That season, the team finished with a record of 13-4, marking the second-highest win total in a single season for the program.
Alanna Wren, T. Gibbs Kane Jr. W’69 Director of Athletics and Recreation and a former Penn lacrosse player from 1993-96, said: “I was blessed to have Val as a coach at Penn, sadly for just one season before she moved off lacrosse and took over field hockey full-time as head coach. Val impacted so many young women who wore the Red and Blue as field hockey and lacrosse players on Franklin Field. She played an important role in establishing those programs—not just as they found their way as varsity programs, but as national powers and programs for other schools to emulate. Most importantly, when you played for her you knew she cared about you and wanted you to have a positive experience. This is truly a sad day for those of us who were lucky enough to play for her.”
Cloud began her head coaching career at Penn in 1995 with a 10-7 record and third place in the Ivy League standings. In later seasons, she guided the team to further achievements such as an ECAC Championship berth in 1997 and hosting duties for the NCAA Field Hockey National Championship at Franklin Field in 1998.
During her leadership, Cloud coached three athletes who became National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-Americans: Sue Quinn (1995), Liz Lorelli (2003), and Lea Salese (2005). Sixteen players earned Mid-Atlantic Region honors under Cloud’s guidance; additionally, there were thirty-eight All-Ivy honorees during her time—four of whom were unanimous first-team selections—and Melissa Black received Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors in 2004.
As an assistant coach from 1980 to 1994, Cloud contributed to seven Ivy League titles and five NCAA Tournament appearances across both field hockey and lacrosse teams. Collectively during that period, Penn achieved a total of 236 victories.
Cloud graduated from SUNY College of Brockport in 1969 where she played both field hockey and basketball; she was inducted into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988. She also served multiple years as an official across college sports including being named Philadelphia Official of the Year in 1981.
Services will be held at Elam United Methodist Church in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania on Friday, August 1. The viewing is scheduled for 10 a.m., followed by funeral services at 11 a.m., with burial set for noon.
