Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 10/6/10
From Press Releases
Lehigh head women’s lacrosse coach Jill Redfern announced the addition of Drexel grad Lauren La Bella as an assistant coach on Tuesday.
La Bella, who concluded a standout lacrosse career at Drexel in 2009, will work primarily with the Mountain Hawk goalkeepers.
“We are very excited Lauren has joined our staff,” said Redfern (Ursinus College). “Her coaching style is a great fit for our two talented goalkeepers. She is a strong teacher, enthusiastic and passionate about the game of lacrosse. Lauren is an outstanding competitor and we are proud to welcome her to our program.”
La Bella comes to Lehigh with a USA W Level 1 Sport Performance Certification. She was a four-year standout goalkeeper for nearby Drexel, beginning in 2006 when she was a CAA All-Rookie Team honoree and concluding in 2009 when she broke the school record for most career wins and saves. Sandwiched in between, she was a second team All-CAA honoree as a sophomore and a first team honoree as a junior. She was also named a Regional All-American both seasons.
“Having played against Lehigh, I am well aware of the high caliber of players on the team,” said La Bella. “I am excited to join the team and bring my knowledge and experience to the very talented Mountain Hawk goalkeepers.
“Having also played on a Division I team, I understand the pressures of having to juggle both academics and athletics, and feel that I am in a unique position to offer guidance to the players both on and off the field,” she continued. “The girls have a superior work ethic. The team made a tremendous impact on the lacrosse world last year, and working with Coach Redfern and Coach Putnam, I believe these girls can take the Mountain Hawks all the way to the NCAA Championships.”
A 2010 Drexel graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management and minor in Legal Studies, La Bella has extensive experience in the sporting world. She was most recently an Administrative Assistant for the Drexel wrestling program where she handled compliance aspects, organized travel arrangements, handled accounting processes and much more.
La Bella was also Marketing and Promotions Assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles where she coordinated mascot appearances and supervised the gameday Interactive Zone, among many duties. She has also served as Office Assistant at Building Star Corp. with U.S. Tennis.
“I am extremely honored to be a part of a program that not only has been successful in the past, but also has a very bright future ahead,” said La Bella. “This program is such a dominant force in the Patriot League and I am excited to help the team continue its strong tradition of success. I would like to thank Coach Redfern, Coach [Kelly] Putnam and the Lehigh University Administration for giving me this tremendous opportunity to help guide the team to victory.”
The Mountain Hawks are deep into their fall schedule in preparation for the 2011 season. After a strong performance at Penn State, they now look ahead to home games on Oct. 15-16. On Friday, they host Rutgers (5:30 p.m.) and Drexel (7:30 p.m.) before playing Lafayette (11 a.m.) and Monmouth (1:30 p.m.) on Saturday.
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