STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's College Athletics Director Brian Curtin has announced that Rupert Lewis will return to his role as the head coach of the Monks' women's lacrosse program.
Lewis, the first head coach in Saint Joseph's women's lacrosse history, played a significant role in lifting the former club program to NCAA DIII varsity status, as the Monks played under his watch during the squad's inaugural season (2008). In two seasons at the helm for the fledgling program, Lewis posted an 11-16 record, including a 5-6 mark in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, with conference tournament appearances both years.
Lewis will continue to serve as the head coach of the Saint Joseph's field hockey program and returns for his 10th season this fall.
Although he left the women's lacrosse program following the 2009 campaign, Coach Lewis has never strayed far from the team. With a strong connection to many of the Monks' players, he has attended countless games over the past five seasons and, in a twist of fate, was even at the helm for program's first-ever postseason victory – a 17-9 GNAC Tournament quarterfinal triumph over Emmanuel College on April 24th, 2013.
Lewis fills the void vacated by Amanda Cahoon, who recorded a 23-15 record in two seasons as the head coach of the women's lacrosse program. Last spring, Cahoon led a senior-laden team that went 12-8 overall – 8-2 in GNAC play – and advanced all the way to the conference championship game.
In his new – yet familiar – role heading up the women's lacrosse team, Coach Lewis figures to employ a similar blueprint in which he utilized to assemble one of the top field hockey programs in the region. The most successful skipper in SJC field hockey history, Lewis owns a 100-64 (.610) career record and led the Monks to four North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Championship appearances along with a 39-8 (.830) in-conference mark over the last five seasons.
After playing in the NAC since 2008, the 2014 Monks look to begin play in the GNAC, which will sponsor NCAA DIII field hockey for this first time this fall.
"Coach Lewis' professionalism, recruiting ability and true passion for coaching will all be of great benefit to the women's lacrosse program," adds Curtin. "We will be fortunate to have a coach of his caliber heading up two of our teams for the foreseeable future at Saint Joseph's."
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
