Our Staff

Brit Paulus

Owner / Head Coach

Brit Paulus

Owner / Head Coach

Brit holds a B.S. in Kinesiology and Exercise Science from SUNY Cortland and is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer, NASM Women’s Fitness Specialist, NASM Sports Performance Trainer, and certified Group Fitness Instructor. She is the Founder and Co-Commissioner of the Somers Youth Field Hockey Program and serves as Co-Head Coach of Field Hockey at Able Athletics.

Brittany is currently an assistant varsity coach at Yorktown High School and previously spent 15 years coaching at Horace Greeley High School. She has also served as a head coach and commissioner with the Somers Youth Field Hockey organization. Through her company, Perrotti Fitness, Brittany has trained high school and collegiate athletes for more than 17 years.

A former standout field hockey player at SUNY Cortland, Brittany was a captain of a nationally top-five ranked team and was named a Second Team All-American. She graduated from Pleasantville High School, where she played five years of varsity field hockey beginning in eighth grade. As team captain, she helped lead Pleasantville to a runner-up finish in the New York State Championship.

Brittany has fulfilled a lifelong dream as both an athlete and coach by reaching the NYSPHSAA Field Hockey State Championship Finals twice, with both teams earning runner-up finishes.

Melissa Ponzio

Owner / Head Coach

Melissa Ponzio

Owner / Head Coach

A winner of the 2024 USA Field Hockey “Grow the Game Award,” she currently serves as the Director of Field Hockey at Able Athletics and is the Founder and Co-Commissioner of the first Somers Youth Field Hockey Program.

She holds a B.S. in Physical Education and an M.S. in Physical Education and Coaching from SUNY Cortland and has been a physical education teacher since 2006. She served as the varsity field hockey coach at Fox Lane High School from 2008–2016, earning Coach of the Year honors in 2010 and leading the team to a league championship in 2008. She also served as a U15 Head Coach for USA Field Hockey’s Futures Program (Olympic Development Program) from 2005–2013.

A former standout player at SUNY Cortland from 2000–2003, she was a member of the 2001 National Championship team, team captain in 2003, and an All-SUNYAC selection. A Somers High School alumna, she played field hockey from 1996–1999 and was named All-State in 1999.

Shannon Scavelli

Owner / Head Coach

Shannon Scavelli

Owner / Head Coach

Shannon Scavelli is the current varsity field hockey coach at Somers High School.

Prior to Somers, Shannon served as the assistant field hockey coach at Lakeland High School for five years, where the team won a New York State Championship.

Shannon is a former four-year Division I field hockey student-athlete and captain at the University of Michigan. She was the 2016 Big Ten Medal of Honor recipient, becoming the first field hockey player in University of Michigan program history to receive the award.

A Lakeland High School alumna, Shannon holds the school records for goals in a single season and career goals. During her high school career, she was a three-time New York State Champion, three-time All-State selection, and two-time High School All-American.

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