Catholic University of America

Palumbo Highlights

• 2022 Landmark Conference Champions
• 1 NCAA Tournament appearance (2022)
• 3 NFHCA All-Region Selections (Mary Parker, 2023; Mary Rojack, 2023; Molly McEvoy, 2022)
• 1 LC Rookie of the Year (Mary Rojack, 2022)
• 2 National Players of the Week (Mary Rojack, 2023; Molly McEvoy, 2022)
• 17 all-conference selections (10 1st Team, 6 2nd Team, 1 Honorable Mention)
• 2 CoSIDA/CSC Academic All-District selections

Rachel Palumbo completed her fourth season at Catholic in 2024 after being named the head field hockey coach on March 26, 2020.

In 2024, the Cardinals posted a record of 9-10, winning seven of its nine Landmark Conference contests, placing second in the conference in the regular season before falling in the Semifinals to Scranton. Niki Micciche and Lauren Keast earned All-Landmark First Team honors for Catholic while Mary Rojack, Emma Shallow, and Ella Bowman were all honored by the league. Under Palumbo's leadership, Micciche closed out her four years of Catholic field hockey in a tie for fifth place in the program's history in goals scored with 37. 

Palumbo's program improved on its win total in the first three seasons with her at the helm, going from 7 to 11 to 12 wins. In 2023, Palumbo's program posted a record of 12-5 while earning the number two seed in the Landmark Conference Tournament. The Cardinals ended the regular season on a seven-game winning streak, defeating top-seeded Susquehanna before falling to Scranton in the Landmark Semifinals. Catholic opened the season with wins over #11 TCNJ and #3 Rowan. The Cardinals moved up as high as #20 in the NFHCA poll during the 2023 season. 

Palumbo's squad saw a pair of student-athletes earn all-region honors in 2023 as Mary Parker and Mary Rojack were both selected to the second team. Parker, Rojack, and Niki Micciche were all first team all-conference choices while Gracie Burford and Kellie Caputo represented Catholic on the second team. After the early season victories over ranked opponents, Rojack garnered national recognition, adding an NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week honor. 

In just her second season at the helm, Palumbo led the Cardinals to a Landmark Conference Championship in 2022. Catholic defeated Moravian, 4-2, in the championship game to claim the program's first championship conference title since 2015. Mary Parker was named the conference tournament most valuable player while Mark Rojack was tabbed Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year for her cumulative performance throughout the campaign.

In 2021, she led the Cardinals to seven wins and an appearance in the Landmark Conference Championship game. Catholic upset top-seeded Moravian, who were 14-2 before the loss, in overtime of the Landmark Conference semifinal to book a spot in the championship match. The Cardinals became just the third fourth-seed to upset the No. 1 seed on their home field in the tournament's 14-year history.

After just two seasons, Palumbo has already accumulated three post season wins, making appearances in the conference championship contest in two of three seasons. In 2022, with the program making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in seven seasons, the Cardinals fell 1-0 to eventual national quarterfinalist, Trinity (Conn.).

Palumbo came to Catholic after two seasons as an assistant coach at Middlebury where she won back-to-back national championships in 2018 and 2019. Under Katharine DeLorenzo, she helped guide the Panthers to a school record 21 wins each year and a 42-2 overall record, including a mark of 18-2 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC). Middlebury was also recognized as the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Coaching Staff of the Year twice and won two NESCAC championships.

Palumbo, who received her USA Field Hockey Level II Accreditation in Spring 2019, served as the recruiting coordinator for the Panthers who had six All-America, eight all-region and eight All-NESCAC selections the last two seasons. Middlebury also boasted the 2019 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, Katie George, who led the team with 13 goals and 29 points this season.

In November 2018, Palumbo joined DeLorenzo on a community service trip to Jharkhand, India where she participated in a week-long field hockey residential program for young women ages 14-17 known as the East India Field Hockey Project.

Palumbo spent the 2016 and 2017 seasons as a graduate assistant coach at Salisbury under Dawn Chamberlin. The Sea Gulls posted a record of 30-7 during her two seasons, advancing to the national semifinals of the NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship and winning a Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) in 2016. The team also finished the 2016 season ranked at No. 2 in the NFHCA Coaches Poll.

As a player, Palumbo appeared in 68 games and made 47 starts as a defensive midfielder at Division I James Madison. She scored two game-winning, overtime goals for the Dukes who made three Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Field Hockey Championship appearances, advancing to the finals in 2014.

Palumbo began her coaching career as an assistant coach at Perkiomen Valley High School in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. While there, she served as the head coach for the USA Field Hockey Futures Program Site 5Y and as a coach for X-Calibur Elite Indoor Field Hockey Club. While at Salisbury, she coached for the Shore Byrds Field Hockey Club.

Palumbo received her bachelor's degree in kinesiology and exercise science with a minor in coaching education from James Madison in 2015 before earning a master's in post-secondary education from Salisbury in May 2018.