2025 SESSION
ENROLLED
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 464
Commending Mary Werkheiser.
Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 20, 2025
WHEREAS, after 30 years of exceptional leadership and service to young athletes in Hampton Roads, Mary Werkheiser retired as head coach of the Norfolk Academy varsity field hockey team in 2024; and
WHEREAS, Mary Werkheiser joined Norfolk Academy in 1989 as a physical education teacher and reshaped the Norfolk Academy Lower School's approach to fitness and athletics by developing a daily physical education program that has instilled an appreciation for healthy habits and a love of exercise in generations of students; and
WHEREAS, beginning with the 19951996 academic year, Mary Werkheiser served as the head coach of the Norfolk Academy varsity field hockey team for three decades, developing a culture of excellence that inspired countless student-athletes to achieve their fullest potential both on and off the field; and
WHEREAS, during Mary Werkheiser's historic tenure as head coach, the Norfolk Academy Bulldogs won more than 450 games, 25 Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools (TCIS) championships, and six Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association state championships; and
WHEREAS, to cap off Mary Werkheiser's final season, the Norfolk Academy Bulldogs finished with an impressive 183 overall record and secured the school's most recent state title; and
WHEREAS, outside of Norfolk Academy, Mary Werkheiser ran the Futures Program at the USA Field Hockey National Training Center, an intensive training program for elite high school players, and founded the TCOYO (Take Care Of Your Own) Hockey Club; and
WHEREAS, many of Mary Werkheiser's former players have gone on to play field hockey at the collegiate and national levels, and several have followed in her footsteps as an educator and coach; and
WHEREAS, over the course of her distinguished career, Mary Werkheiser was selected as the TCIS Coach of the Year 14 times and received one of Norfolk Academy's inaugural Excellence in Coaching Awards for her accomplishments as a role model to both student-athletes and her fellow coaches; and
WHEREAS, Mary Werkheiser was also inducted into the USA Regional Field Hockey Training Center's Ring of Honor, which recognizes the contributions of exemplary individuals who have advanced the sport of field hockey in Hampton Roads; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Mary Werkheiser hereby be commended on the occasion of her retirement as head coach of the Norfolk Academy varsity field hockey team in 2024; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Mary Werkheiser as an expression of the House of Delegates' admiration for her legacy of achievements in service to young people in Hampton Roads.