Swezey Named American Lacrosse Conference Coach of the Year 5/7/02

The American Lacrosse Conference released their inaugural postseason honor roll Tuesday, and Vanderbilt head coach Cathy Swezey was named Coach of the Year. The announcement came two days before the Commodores play their first-ever match in the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Championships.

In her fifth year at Vanderbilt, Swezey led the Commodores to an undefeated league season and an NCAA Tournament berth. Vanderbilt posted an overall record of 10-5, reaching all the way to eighth in the Brine/Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Division I national poll, the highest ranking in the history of the program. The Commodores finished the season ranked tenth by the IWLCA and earned the ninth seed in the sixteen team tournament.

Vanderbilt, picked to finish third in preseason ALC polls, won the ALC regular season with three weeks to go in the year. The Commodores opened their season with upsets of conference foes Johns Hopkins and Penn State, propelling Vanderbilt from 19th in the nation to 11th. The Commodores spent the remainder of the season in the ranked in the nation top-12.

Swezey, a 1993 graduate of Trenton State, came to Vanderbilt in 1997 after assisting at James Madison. Prior to that post, she worked as a graduate assistant at her alma mater and earned a Master's degree from the College of New Jersey. As a player, Swezey was twice named an All-American and once earned Attack Player of the Year honors. After graduation, she was a member of the U. S. National team from 1994-95.

The ALC's other individual awards went to Ohio State players Megan Mirick and Regina Oliver. Mirick was named Player of the Year while Oliver earned Rookie of the Year honors. The pair led Ohio State to its first-ever berth in the NCAA Championships.

Click here for the ALC's release, in pdf format.