Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 7/2/21
Brooke Fritz is returning to the Central League after being named head girls’ lacrosse coach at Harriton.
Fritz was coach at nearby Radnor for 9 seasons and guided the Raiders to the 2017 PIAA Class AA championship and shares of three Central League titles before stepping down in 2019 season. She served as an assistant at Haverford College the past two years.
At Harriton, Fritz takes over a program that was a dominant force in the Central League and the state for a decade under George Dick, who led the Rams to the 2019 PIAA AAA championship before resigning (they also won the 2013 PIAA crown) as Phillylacrosse.com Co-Coach of the Year. After the lost 2020 pandemic season, the Rams struggled in 2021 and went 4-13. Fritz replaces Rebecca Cartee-Haring.
“They have a great tradition, obviously,” said Fritz of why she accepted the position at Harriton. “They won the state championship in 2019 and graduated the entire team except for three girls. They were starting from scratch and the pandemic didn’t allow them to build.
“I think there is a lot of potential – they have three (rising) seniors from that state championship team that all got time. They know what it takes and I think there’s some younger girls who are playing club. I want to help them realize they can get back to that level with a little help.”
Fritz also took Radnor into the state finals two other times in her stint there, posting a record of 167-52, which included seven trips to the state tournament. Fritz also was the assistant at Radnor when it won the 2008 District 1 Class AAA title and the 2009 and 2010 PIAA championships under legendary coach Phyllis Kilgour.
“I missed being in the Central League – I am really close with the other coaches,” Fritz said. ” They never took me off their group texts. I just missed the competition because we’re such good friends yet fierce competitors.
Fritz said coaching at Haverford College – a team that typically gets mention in the Division III rankings – was a great experience , even though her team had a shortened 2020 season and only played one game in 2021 due to COVID restrictions,.
“I loved the Haverford program and the girls were awesome and the coaching staff was a ton of fun,” said Fritz. “I just missed running a program. Obviously I missed the competition because we didn’t get to play (a full season) this year. It’s a very strong program.”
Fritz believes Harriton can again be a league contender.
“I just want to get back in that top five,” she said. “I just think we need to get more kids playing outside of school and more kids to believe in themselves.”
Fritz coached 25 US Lacrosse High School All-Americans at Radnor and helped over 100 student-athletes continue their playing careers at the college level.
“I like that process of helping kids in the recruiting process,” she said. “That was part of my push to get back to high school coaching. It’s more fun to watch kids reach their end goal.”
Fritz has remained involved in the scholastic scene by continuing to coach for Philly in the USA lacrosse National Tournament. This year she coached Philly Team 3; she has coached in the National tourney for over 20 years.
Fritz also was the head coach at Springside School (now Springside Chestnut Hill Academy) for 9 years and came to Radnor in 2008 as the assistant under US Lacrosse Hall of Fame coach Kilgour. She also coached at Baldwin School for one year.
Fritz was a two-sport athlete (lacrosse, soccer) at Bates College where she was a First Team Brine All-American in lacrosse. She was a three-sport standout at Shipley School.
