June 18, 2008

by Clare Lochary, Lacrosse Magazine Online Staff

California. Even the name is alluring.

It's fitting that the state has inspired so many movies, songs, gold rushes and other crazy dreams has such an evocative, mellifluous moniker.

Two East Coast natives recently heard the call of California, and are heading west to helm Division I women's lacrosse programs there. Sue Behme, formerly head coach at Division III Nazareth, is the inaugural coach at Fresno State. Amy Bokker, who spent 11 years at George Mason, takes over at Stanford.

Both inherit programs with slightly stormy recent histories, but they are hopeful about what they can grow out in the California sunshine.

"Everyone in this community really wants lacrosse to get going. There was just so much energy and enthusiasm about women's lacrosse in California," said Behme, who spent nine seasons with the Golden Flyers.

While the Northern California lacrosse community is healthy, Fresno State didn't add the women's lacrosse program in response to overwhelming grassroots growth. It was part of a five-year gender equity plan to get the Bulldogs in line with Title IX regulations. As LMO has previously explored, Fresno State has a bad track record with women's athletics, and slapping together a women's lacrosse team in just over 12 months seemed like another half-hearted attempt to correct the gender balance.

But Behme says she has the support to make Fresno State lacrosse work. Athletic director Thomas Boeh was clear about the desire to usher in a new era. The most tangible evidence is 12 lacrosse scholarships and a new women's lacrosse and soccer stadium.

Behme senses a philosophic shift, too.

"The past is the past, and I felt very much that if it wasn't going in the right direction, I wouldn't have taken the position. Because I didn't need to," said Behme. "I'm not the kind of person that you can tell me what I want to hear to lure me out there. I'm not as naïve as people may think."

Behme, a five-time Empire 8 Coach of the Year, has thrown herself into recruiting and scheduling. In addition to Mountain Pacific Sports Federation opponents, the Bulldogs will play Johns Hopkins, Marist, Cincinnati and Detroit Mercy in 2009. Fresno State expects the Bulldogs to be competitive in the MPSF within five years; Behme thinks she can do it in three.

"It's not going to be easy, but I don't like to take the easy route," said Behme.

Up the road at Stanford, Bokker will inherit a slightly older program, but one with much higher expectations.

"Certainly a national championship is where my vision's going. I'd love to be that team on the West Coast that can do that," said Bokker, who compiled a 86-94 career record at George Mason and led the Patriots' to a program-best 12-5 finish in 2008.

Bokker's optimism and ambition will be welcome at the Farm. The Cardinal had an unusual 2008, with the midseason departure of longtime head coach Michele Uhlfelder. Under the leadership of former assistant coaches Jen Kasper and Adam Norton, the team finished with a 12-8 record and a fourth straight conference title, but no NCAA tournament bid.

Bokker said the circumstances of Uhlfelder's departure from the program didn't concern her - she cared more about determining if she and Stanford were a good fit for each other. She concluded that they are.

"Being surrounded by so many great coaches, athletes and leaders, I think we can win," said Bokker.

Building such a team may be an intricate process, especially since the Cardinal was hit hard by graduation, including All-American goalie Laura Shane. Stanford will retain rising sophomore Karen Nesbitt, the MPSF tri-newcomer of the year. Luring blue chippers out west will be a priority, although Bokker hopes to recreate her Northern Virginia success with increasing the number of public high school programs.

Fresno and Palo Alto are separated by less than 200 miles. If Bokker and Behme agree to meet in the middle, they could create a Northern California lacrosse corridor that could feed both collegiate programs.

Meanwhile, Behme is fielding requests from players in the Midwest and Canada and even ones already on the Fresno State campus. After spending so much time on the East Coast, it's an unexpected pleasure to be a lacrosse Pied Piper.

"I've seen the evolution of the game come so far, and I forget that some people have never seen a lacrosse game," said Behme. "I'm a real educator of the game again, an advocate and a mentor."