After finishing his four years with Malden High, as well as working for our newspaper The Blue and Gold as Editor-in-Chief, graduate Daniel O’Toole has made history by becoming the youngest coach in Malden’s history.
Due to COVID impacting his first two years, O’Toole began playing field hockey as a junior. “I knew coming on as a first-year player that it was going to be a learning season for me. It was the first time I’d ever picked up a field hockey stick,” O’Toole commented. “I was hungry for opportunity: I always wanted to keep getting better every day. I wanted always to be the first person on the field, the last person off.”
His dedication quickly became evident. After just a few weeks on the JV team, O’Toole eventually earned a spot as a starting defensive line player on varsity. Varsity Coach Samantha Souza and Assistant Coach Tiffany Cane recognized his effort and growth, and by the end of the season, he was named captain for his senior year. “It was a big responsibility for me, but it was a title I definitely wouldn’t let down.”
Transitioning into his senior year, O’Toole embraced the role with a specific target in mind: “I knew our one goal was to win the GBL (Greater Boston League Championship). We’re at six times in a row at this point, so it has become the standard,” O’Toole explained.
In a remarkable season, the 2023-2024 field hockey team not only claimed GBL All-Star honors but also became the second team in school history to reach the State Tournament. After winning their opening game, the season ended with a loss in their second tournament match—the furthest the team had ever progressed. “I was and am so grateful to be on that team and to be around such a great group of players,” he had commented, reflecting on his field hockey journey.
In March of this year, Coach Souza informed Coach Cane of her pregnancy and that she would be on maternity leave during the next season. Cane stepped into the role of Varsity Coach, prompting Malden High to search for a new JV and Assistant Coach. “I was in the midst of the college process and looking at where I wanted to go to school, so it was only in the back of my mind at that point,” O’Toole noted.
As the months passed, the prospect of coaching became increasingly tangible. O’Toole committed to Emerson College in Boston and began the application process to coach. Throughout the summer, he worked closely with Athletic Director Charlie Conefrey and Athletic Administrative Assistant Jeanne Marquardo until he officially secured the coaching position in mid-summer. “I’m so thankful for every opportunity they’ve given me and the amount of trust they’ve put in me. I won’t let them down.”
As summer transitioned into autumn, O’Toole embarked on two new paths: coaching and college. Balancing school and sports is far from a simple task, hence Conefrey often reminds Malden High students, “We call it student-athletes, not athlete-students. The student comes first.” Although this specific label no longer applied, O’Toole felt he still had much to learn under this message. Over the past three years as a Malden student-athlete, he recalls learning “how to take care of myself and how to manage my time and my work.”
Now that the 2024 field hockey season has officially begun, O’Toole has been navigating his new position, though not without challenges. During the first week of practice, he acknowledged, “There was definitely a little bit of a barrier to establishing formality.” To address this, he quickly set clear boundaries: “I’m not Daniel, I’m not Danny. I’m Coach O’Toole. I’m here to do my job.” Transitioning from a peer relationship to a subordinate one has been difficult for the team, and O’Toole has found that “there are some times that it can be a little bit harder for them to take me seriously.”
Junior Audrey Nguyen started playing field hockey during her sophomore year, the year O’Toole became captain. She noted that the way she addresses O’Toole has shifted, and while it was difficult at first, she has made sure that she remains “respectful towards him at all times,” and has started addressing him “the same way” she addresses Coach Cane.
Despite these challenges, the transition has been overwhelmingly positive for both O’Toole and the team: “I’m able to offer a unique perspective and give them more of an insight into certain things, especially since I was a player in this program not too long ago,” he detailed. He emphasized, “Honestly, I think it offers a perspective not all coaches can give to their players.”
Nguyen followed this by commenting that it has been “easier to associate with a younger coach and to talk with him,” because there are fewer “barriers” in communication. She emphasized that knowing him previously has helped with the transition process involved with a new coach. “He already knew most of us and how we play,” she highlighted.
One part of O’Toole’s perspective includes knowing what the players do when the coaches aren’t looking. “I want to make sure that I’m setting the tone that, hey, I was in your same shoes last year, I know some of the things that we got away with, and I want to make sure that they’re they’re aware of that.”
“Obviously, I still have a lot to learn,” O’Toole noted, “but I’m excited to grow and learn.” Looking forward to the rest of the season, O’Toole hopes to learn more from his athletes, spotlighting, “I’m here to coach them and hope to win and grow as a team.”
