Head Coach Chris Blais begins her eighth season as head coach of the Pioneer field hockey program in 2008. Her teams have qualified for the Northeast Conference tournament seven-straight seasons, advancing to the championship game twice.

In 2006, Blais earned Northeast Conference Coach of the Year honors after leading the team to a 15-5 record and a second place finish in the league. In 2005, she led the Pioneers to the next level, winning the first Northeast Conference championship in program history.

Blais brings a wealth of international playing and coaching experience to the Pioneers. She most recently played and coached at the Klein Zwitserland Hockey Club in The Hague, Netherlands. On the collegiate level, Blais was an assistant coach at Boston University, where she assisted in all facets of the program, including recruiting, scouting and on-field coaching. This past off-season Blais joined up with Team USA Field Hockey as a regional coach for the New Jersey/Pennsylvania region, as well as a part of the College Open staff.

A 1995 graduate of Penn State, Blais was an All-American in 1994. She was also a three-time All-Big Ten Academic-Athletic honor winner and the recipient of the 1994 Academic-Athletic Achievement Award. Her 1993 Nittany Lions squad won the Big Ten Championship. In 1994, she was a member of the United States Olympic National Training Squad and took part in the U.S. Olympic Festival that year. She was also a member of the 1999-00 U.S. National Training Team.

In addition to her collegiate coaching, Blais has been actively involved in the USFHA. This summer she coached at the College Open Camp and also served as the head coach for the Pennsylvania Pride of the United Airlines Summer League. She has also served as a coach at B camp, a national developmental program, as well as a coach for the Futures program.