Key Athletic Leaders Ensuring the Success of Our Student-Athletes and Coaches

Jill Mountford joins Berwick from The Ethel Walker School, where she served as the Assistant Athletic Director for Operations and Head Varsity Lacrosse Coach. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Management from Bentley University and a USA Lacrosse Gold Coaching Certification. In addition to her administrative role, Coach Mountford will lead the Girls Varsity Lacrosse program on the Hilltop, bringing premium strategic insight from her years coaching elite club lacrosse for Nor’easter Lacrosse and 3d New England.

Melinda Neale comes to Berwick directly from the athletics department at Dartmouth College. She brings an impressive resume of high-level athletic administration and rowing expertise, including coaching tenures at the University of Miami, Merrimack College, and Franklin Pierce University, alongside community leadership roles with Adaptive Sports of New England and Community Rowing in Boston. She holds a B.A. in Psychology from UMass Lowell and a Master’s in Sports Administration from Northwestern University. Alongside her Assistant AD responsibilities, Neale will take the helm of our crew program as the new Director of Rowing.

Also new to our Athletics program, Christine Hodgdon has been appointed Middle School Physical Education teacher and varsity field hockey and lacrosse assistant coach. She most recently coached at Bedford High School and with the New Hampshire Tomahawks. She, along with all of our new Athletics staff, will add depth to the department in these important roles, and an elite level of mentorship.

This team will bolster the excellent work of Holly Bennett (Athletic Trainer), Marilena Canuto (Director of Physical Education and coach), and Meg Reynolds (administration and operations), all of whom continue in their vital roles to guarantee that every Berwick student is successfully served across our physical education and competitive landscapes.

A major strategic focus of this revamped athletic department will be a direct, localized partnership with Berwick’s College Counseling Office. Together, they will work to systematically enhance regional exposure and recruitment pipelines for student-athletes aiming for the NCAA level.

This initiative builds directly upon a historic wave of momentum: 20% of the Berwick Class of 2026 will play in college next year, utterly shattering the national norm of just 7%. With specialized administrative leaders like Clements, Mountford, and Neale on campus, Berwick is perfectly positioned to turn these extraordinary individual outcomes into a predictable, long-term athletic tradition.

To read Jeremy Clements’ announcement as Berwick’s new Director of Athletics, click here.