Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 8/19/11
From Press Releases
Mia (Gambino) Hall, a Pottsgrove High alum who later starred for Millersville, has been named head women’s lacrosse coach at her alma mater.
Hall spent the past two years as head coach at Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference rival Shippensburg. She succeeds her former mentor Barb Waltman, who retired in July as the longest-tenured coach in Division II history.
“We could not be more excited to have Mia leading the women’s lacrosse program,” said director of athletics Peg Kauffman. “She was a model student-athlete during her time at Millersville, and has proven herself as a promising, energetic head coach in the PSAC and Division II level. It is clear that she has a passion for Millersville, and we expect her to take the program to the next level.”
Hall, who also earned a master’s degree from Millersville in 2009, is just the third coach in Marauder lacrosse’s illustrious 44-year history. Beginning in 1967, Marge Trout coached the team until Waltman took over in 1979. Now it’s Hall’s turn to build upon the tradition.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be back here,” said Hall. “This is a dream come true. When I started on this journey in college coaching, it was always my dream to be back at my alma mater as the head coach, so I’m thrilled. There’s a lot of pride and tradition with this program.”
Hall quickly moved through the coaching ranks, and just one year removed from graduation, she was hired as the head coach at Shippensburg. As a first-year head coach, Hall led the Lady Raiders to an 8-9 overall record and a solid 5-5 PSAC mark. The following season, Hall’s team went 8-8 with a 4-7 league record. In two seasons, Hall produced seven All-PSAC selections, including three first team picks.
After graduating from Millersville with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and minor in coaching, Hall spent a year as an assistant to Anne Phillips at Franklin & Marshall. That season, she helped the Diplomats to a 19-2 record and a return trip to the NCAA Division III Championship.
With two years of coaching and four years as a player, Hall boasts an intimate knowledge of the PSAC. Also, as a native of Pottstown and current resident of Mount Joy, Hall is familiar with Millersville’s prime recruiting territory.
“Right from the very beginning I want to get back into bringing in a pretty large recruiting class for the 2012 year,” said Hall. “It’s really going to help us tremendously. The roster size right now is a little small so I definitely want to bring in some more depth. I’m so comfortable with this school because I was here for my undergrad and for my master’s. I understand the type of student-athlete that would work well here at Millersville.
“With the team that I’ve inherited, I just want to make sure that Coach Waltman’s presence is still there—the pride and tradition that she instilled in us that past 33 years.
As a player under Waltman, Hall was an All-PSAC First Team selection in her final two seasons and was a Division II Academic All-American. She served as team captain for two seasons and was named IWLCA All-Region as a junior. She led Millersville in groundballs during all four of her competitive seasons, totaling 156, and she consistently ranking amongst the team leaders in caused turnovers. In 2006, Hall ranked second in the PSAC for groundballs and caused turnovers. She graduated cum laude in 2007 and earned a master’s of education degree from Millersville in 2009.
She also competed at the international level. Hall was chosen to represent the United States of America in the American International Sports Team in Prague, Czech Republic, earning MVP of the Prague Cup.
A 2002 graduate of Pottsgrove High School, Hall was an All-PAC-10 defender.
