Former Central Regional Field Hockey Star Takes Over As Girls Varsity Coach

BAYVILLE, NJ - Sometimes you can go home again.

Agnes Whitfield burned up the Central Regional field hockey turf in the early 1980s. Now she is coming back to lead the team she once played on.

The Central Regional Board of Education approved Whitfield as the new head coach for the girls's field hockey team at its last board meeting. Whitfield was formerly the longtime head coach at St. Rose, according to Shore Sports Network.

She has a tough act to follow. She will replace Madeline Dutton, a former health and physical education teacher at Central who coached the girls field hockey team for 40 years.

Dutton won more than 490 games and 16 division titles. She was named either division, conference or state coach of the year nine times, according to the report.

In 1986 Central reached the NJSIAA Group III final and finished 14-4-1. Her former students include Colts Neck head coach Maria Merlucci, who played at Central from 1988 to 1991 and was a first-team All-Shore player, and Whitfield, who graduated in 1984 and was a great three-sport athlete. Dutton was inducted into the Central Regional Athletic Hall of Fame in October and is also a member of the New Jersey Scholastic Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Whitfield will take over a program that went 9-4 last season, including 7-2 in Class A South.

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Image: Central Regional School District