Hens Hire Alum Linville as New Women's Coach
from press release
NEWARK, Del. -- The University of Delaware has
turned to a familiar face to take over the reigns of the Blue Hen
women’s lacrosse program.
Kateri Linville, a three-year letterwinner who played midfield for
the Blue Hens in 2000-03 and most recently served as an assistant
coach at Notre Dame, was introduced as the sixth head coach in
Delaware’s 33-year history Thursday by UD???Director of
Athletics and Recreation Services Bernard Muir.
Linville, whose first name is pronounced “kate-ur-ree”,
takes over for Kim Ciarrocca, who announced her retirement prior to
the 2010 season and led the Blue Hens to a six-year record of
51-50, including a 2009 Colonial Athletic Association Tournament
runner-up finish.
“We are excited to welcome back Kateri to her alma
mater,” said Muir. “She is a rising star in the
collegiate coaching ranks and played a key role in leading two of
the nation’s premier Division I programs to national
prominence. She was known as a hard worker and true team leader
during her playing career with the Blue Hens and we know she will
carry on those characteristics in leading our program to the next
level.”
Delaware, which has captured three national titles (1981-82-83) and
advanced to the national tournament seven times in school history,
made four CAA???Tournament appearances in the last five seasons.
The Hens last won a conference title in 1999 and most recently
advanced to the NCAA???Tournament in Linville’s freshman year
in 2000.
Linville, a native of???Moorestown, N.J., graduated with honors
from Delaware in 2003 with a degree in health and exercise science
(fitness and exercise science major with a minor in coaching and
psychology) and earned her master’s of education degree in
sport and exercise psychology from the University of Virginia in
2007.
“It is an honor to return to Delaware to lead the
Fightin’ Blue Hens women’s lacrosse program,”
said Linville. “I am impressed with Mr. Muir’s vision
for Delaware athletics and his commitment to the lacrosse programs.
I look forward to elevating Delaware’s level of play to
national prominence and to positioning the program to claim our
first CAA championship.”
Linville returns to Delaware with nine years of coaching experience
at the high school, international, and NCAA???Division I???levels,
most recently completing a five-year tenure as assistant coach at
Notre Dame under head coach Tracy Coyne.
While at Notre Dame, she helped lead the Irish to four straight Big
East Conference Tournaments and three straight - four total -
NCAA???Tournament appearances while working closely with the
defensive unit. This spring the Irish went 11-7, advancing to the
NCAA Tournament before falling to defending national champion and
eventual 2010 national runner-up Northwestern in the opening
round.
Notre Dame advanced to the NCAA semifinals during the 2006 season,
earning a No. 7 national ranking, and advanced to the
NCAA???quarterfinals during the 2009 campaign when the Irish were
ranked as high as No. 6 nationally by the IWLCA.
“We are so pleased that Kateri has been named as the new head
coach at her alma mater, the University of Delaware,” said
Coyne. “She has distinguished herself as one of the top young
coaches in the game. Delaware has chosen the right person to bring
its program back to national prominence. Kateri is enthusiastic,
passionate, and committed to excellence. She will tap into
these characteristics to inspire her players to compete at the
highest level. We thank Kateri for all she has given to the Notre
Dame program and wish her well. Under her leadership, I fully
expect Delaware to win a CAA championship in the near
future.”
Linville gained her first coaching experience in the summer of 2002
when she served as a camp director and clinician for the German
Club Lacrosse team and then served as a volunteer coach at her high
school alma mater, Moorestown (N.J.) High School in 2003, leading
the team to a state title and No. 2 national high school
rankings.
She joined the college coaching ranks at the???University of
Virginia in 2003-04 where she served for two seasons as a volunteer
assistant for the national power Cavaliers under head coach Julie
Myers while earning her master’s degree. During her two years
on the staff at Virginia, the Cavaliers claimed an ACC and NCAA
Championship in 2004 and returned to the national title game in
2005.
“Kateri is such a class act and I’m so happy and proud
to see her have the opportunity to become a head coach,” said
Myers. “She is conscientious, a great communicator, and a
great coach. I???know she has an amazing passion for
the???University of Delaware and that, combined with her
experiences at Virginia and Notre Dame, make her an outstanding
choice to lead their program.”
In addition to her role at Notre Dame, Linville assumed the
position of assistant coach for the Canadian Lacrosse Association
Under 19 National Team in 2009 and will lead the squad into the
2011 Federation of International Lacrosse in Hanover, Germany.
While at Delaware, Linville was noted as a tireless worker and
intelligent player who was a three-year letter winner at midfield
for head coach Denise Wescott. She was a freshman in 2000 when the
Hens advanced to the NCAA Tournament and was a member of squads
that finished as the America East Conference runners-up in both
2000 and 2001.
She played in 46 career games, served as the team’s
co-captain as a senior in 2003, and was honored on the
Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association national
Academic Honor Roll.
Linville becomes the seventh current University of Delaware alumnus
to serve as a Blue Hen head coach, joining K.C. Keeler (football),
Carol Miller (field hockey), Laura Travis (men’s and
women’s tennis), Scott Grzenda (women’s soccer), Mike
Keogh???(golf), and Jim Sherman (baseball).
