Koeniges replaces Lynne Elphick, who was head coach for five seasons and stepped down following last season. Elphick and Koeniges helped the Warriors to PSAC playoff appearances and a school record-tying 11 wins in both 2008 and 2010.
“I am extremely excited and grateful for this opportunity,” said Koeniges. “I have seen the level of the program increase while working with Coach Elphick over the past four years and I am determined to continue its growth. We will work to continue a level of play that our friends, family and alumni can be proud of.”
“Besides being very familiar with ESU, Coach Koeniges’ work ethic and wealth of experiences has prepared her to lead our student-athletes to achieve their goal of winning ESU’s first PSAC championship in lacrosse,” Gioglio said.
ESU has a 29-24 record over the past three seasons after the program turned the corner from seven straight years with a record below .500. Last year’s team went 11-7 and scored a school-record 232 goals, led by 56 goals from PSAC East Athlete of the Year Molly O’Hara.
O’Hara returns for her senior season in 2011 along with five other players who have earned All-PSAC East recognition in their careers in seniors Brittany Bissell, Christine Bradley and Michelle Mangiaruga, junior Laura Riegel and sophomore Jennifer Kelly.
Koeniges has also worked with veteran field hockey head coach Sandy Miller for the past four seasons and has helped the Warriors to a number of accolades. ESU played in the NCAA Playoffs in 2009 and 2010, and tied the school record with 17 wins and played in the PSAC championship game this season.
Koeniges came to ESU after spending 10 years at the Division I level as an assistant field hockey and lacrosse coach at Lafayette College under head coach Ann Gold.
Prior to joining Lafayette’s staff, Koeniges served as the assistant varsity field hockey coach as Somers (Conn.) High School, as well as the assistant varsity softball coach at Belvidere (N.J.) High School. She also had the opportunity to aid in the coaching of the New Jersey/Pennsylvania Elite Performance Training Center, which is intended to identify and train national team-caliber players from the local region.
A 1995 graduate of Springfield College with a degree in Physical Education, Koeniges also has an associate’s degree from Mitchell College in New London, Conn. She also has graduate credits towards degrees in Sport Management at ESU and Sports Coaching at the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Alabama. She resides in Hope, N.J.
No comments:
Post a Comment