In Emily Dinsmore’s first staffing hire as head coach of the App State field hockey program, she has added Michael Warari as an assistant coach.

“I am so excited to add Michael Warari to the coaching staff,” Dinsmore said. “He is an excellent technical and tactical coach with the ability to develop student-athletes both on and off the field. Michael is known in the field hockey community for his character, integrity and passion. His success at Vassar, along with other institutions he has coached at, speaks for itself. He is committed to continuous growth and I know our student-athletes will grow tremendously under his direction and guidance. It is an honor to have Michael, his wife Emily and their son Samuel join our App State family!”

Warari comes to the High Country after 10 seasons as head coach of Vassar, a Division III field hockey program where he became the all-time winningest head coach in program history with a record of 118-50 (.702). Before his arrival, the program had tallied 12 consecutive losing seasons. Since he became head coach in 2013, they have showcased a winning record in every season.

“My family and I are thrilled to join the App State field hockey community,” Warari said. “We are grateful for this opportunity and look forward to what is to come.”

Warari’s teams have won two Liberty League championships and subsequently advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of those years, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 2018. Warari has also been awarded the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year three times, the North Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year and ECAC Coach of the Year in 2018. He has produced the only two All-Americans in the history of Vassar’s field hockey program.

Before his successful tenure at Vassar, Warari served as an assistant coach at Dickinson College for one year after spending three seasons as an assistant at Messiah College. Coaching under legendary coach Jan Trapp, the all-time wins leader in Division III, Warari helped the Falcons to a combined 72-10 record, including 31-0 against conference foes. During that time, Messiah appeared twice in the NCAA Division III Championship Game with Warari on the sidelines.

Additionally, Warari served as the head coach for the club field hockey team while at Messiah, where he led his squads to a 27-12-1 record over four years at the helm. He also served as an assistant basketball coach for the Falcons from 2006-2009.

Warari served a term as director of Key State Field Hockey, while also leading the Harrisburg site of the USAFH Futures Hockey program. Warari has attained his USAFH Level 1 Futures Coaching Certification, and his USAFH Level 2 High Performance Coaching Accreditation and Certification. Before his coaching career, Warari started for the Kenyan Junior National Field Hockey Team and was voted MVP for the Aga Khan Club Field Hockey Tournament in 1996. He then transitioned from field hockey to track, where he starred for the Cornerstone University track and field team from 1999-2002.

A 2002 graduate of Cornerstone with a degree in religion and business administration, Warari also earned his masters of divinity from Cornerstone in 2006.