July 22, 2002
Notre Dame, Ind. – University of Notre Dame women’s lacrosse coach Tracy Coyne announced today that Brooke Crawford has been named assistant coach for the 2002-03 season. She replaces Danielle Gallagher who left the program at the end of June.
Crawford, a three-time all-American at the University of North Carolina (1997, 1998, 1999), joins Coyne’s staff after spending the 2001-02 season at James Madison University where she guided the team’s defense. Prior to her one season at James Madison, Crawford served two seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Connecticut.
In making the announcement, Coyne said, “I’m very pleased to have Brooke join our staff. She is very enthusiastic and brings positive energy to the program. Brooke is a well-round coach who will make significant contributions to both our offensive and defensive game plans. She will be an asset to our program in the coming season.”
“People I talked to told me that Brooke has a great mind for the game. I’m also impressed with what she has done recruiting-wise. She knows the players that are out there and has a proven ability to assess talent,” added Coyne.
A native of Malvern, Pa., Crawford was the top assistant to head coach Jennifer Ulehla at James Madison where she assisted in all aspects of the program and was responsible for the team’s defense including player development and defensive strategies. During the 2002 season, the Dukes ranked 22nd in the nation with a 9.16 goals against average while finishing in third place (5-3) in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) and 8-10 overall. James Madison recorded upset wins over two ranked teams – #15 Yale and #9 Maryland – while also suffering one-goal losses to #2 Georgetown (10-9) and #4 North Carolina (5-4).
Crawford went right from the playing field at North Carolina to the coaching ranks as she joined the University of Connecticut staff in 1999 and remained there for two seasons. With the Huskies, Crawford was responsible for the team’s defense and was involved in all aspects of coaching the Division I program. While at Connecticut, Crawford was also a member of the Department of Kinesiology where she taught undergraduate health, fitness and nutrition at the Storrs campus.
A member of the U.S. National Team’s Developmental Squad since 1998, Crawford graduated from North Carolina with degrees in Psychology and Exercise and Sports Science. As a player, Crawford holds North Carolina records for games played (67), games started (67) and minutes played. A four-year starter, she was a member of the Tar Heels’ 1997 and 1998 NCAA semifinalist teams. The team MVP in 1999, Crawford was a four-time South Region All-American and was named all-ACC in 1997 and 1999.
Crawford will take over the coaching duties with the Notre Dame defense that ranked fifth in the nation in 2002 helping the Irish to their best season ever (13-5) and the program’s highest ranking (7th) in its six-year history.