FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 31, 2013
Courtesy of Saint Anselm Athletics Communications
MANCHESTER, N.H. – Saint Anselm College Director of Athletics Dr. Kelly Higgins announced Tuesday that Andrea Cofrin has been hired as the seventh women's lacrosse head coach in the history of the program. She will begin her work on the Hilltop on August 8.
"I am very excited that Andrea Cofrin has joined Saint Anselm College and will lead our women's lacrosse program," Higgins said. "With her wealth of collegiate head coaching experience across all three NCAA Divisions, as well as her considerable involvement in the club ranks, there is no doubt that Andrea is the right person to bring our women's lacrosse team to the next level. She will make a fine addition to our athletic department, as well as the Saint Anselm and Greater Manchester communities, and we are excited to begin working with her."
Cofrin arrives at Saint Anselm with 10 years of collegiate coaching experience under her belt in Divisions I, II and III, including eight as a head coach. She most recently led the Siena College women's lacrosse program for five seasons.
"I'm very excited to be given the opportunity to become the next women's lacrosse coach at Saint Anselm College," Cofrin said. "Saint Anselm has a great academic reputation, as well as a strong athletic department, giving student-athletes the ability to be successful both on the field and in the classroom. I know [former head coach] Holly [Drown] has done an amazing job with the women's lacrosse program over the last few years and I am looking forward to continuing to build the program and consistently become a top contender in the Northeast-10 and Division II. I want to thank Dr. Kelly Higgins, Dr. Joe Horton, and the entire search committee for giving me this unique opportunity."
The winningest coach in program history and 2010 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Coach of the Year, Cofrin guided the Saints to four straight MAAC Tournament appearances before her departure.
Last season, Cofrin developed a young squad which peaked at the end of the year to qualify for the conference tournament. The highlight of the season came Mach 30 when Cofrin led the Saints to an 8-5 upset of five-time defending MAAC Regular Season Champion Fairfield, snapping the Stags' record 30-game conference regular season winning streak.
In 2012, the Saints boasted their first-ever MAAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, set a program record with five All-MAAC selections and tied a school record with eight MAAC All-Academic Team honorees.
Cofrin led Siena to an 8-8 overall record in 2011, including a 3-3 mark in the MAAC that was good for third place. The eight wins and third-place finish were both personal bests for Cofrin during her head coaching tenure in Loudonville.
In 2010, Cofrin steered the Saints to a 7-9 record and a 3-3 conference mark, which led to the program's first MAAC Tournament Appearance since 2005.
In Cofrin's first season in 2009, she posted a 6-10 overall record, doubling the program's win total from the previous season. As with Cofrin's teams in the past, Siena enjoyed academic success in her first year. The team had a collective GPA of 3.11 and was one of 49 Division I programs to earn Academic Squad honors from the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA).
Prior to Siena, Cofrin spent two years as head coach at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, N.C. In 2008, she led the Bobcats to an increase of 72 goals-for and a decrease of 33 goals-against from the previous season. She coached four players to the Conference Carolinas All-Academic Team with a team GPA of 3.21. She also recruited and coached the NCAA Division II leading scorer and the first Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year for Lees-McRae.
In 2005-06, Cofrin served as head women's lacrosse coach, head women's soccer coach and the senior women's administrator at the University of Dallas. She oversaw all aspects of the programs, leading women's lacrosse to a 4-9 record and women's soccer to a 13-3 mark – both were the best in school history. Additionally, the women's soccer team earned a bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
In Cofrin's first stint at Siena as an assistant during the 2005 campaign, she helped guide the Saints to a share of the Regular-Season MAAC Championship with an 11-7 overall record – the best record in school history.
In 2004, Cofrin began her collegiate coaching career as an assistant at SUNY Oneonta. She helped lead the Red Dragons to a 10-6 overall record while working primarily with the offense and goalies.
Cofrin enjoyed a successful playing career at Frostburg State University (Md.) in both lacrosse and soccer. In lacrosse, she started 55 games during her four-year career and served as team captain her senior season. As a junior she led the team with 15 assists and was second in scoring with 31 goals. As a senior she was fourth in scoring with 20 goals. Cofrin also played in consecutive ECAC Tournaments (2000-01).
Cofrin earned her bachelor's degree in sociology from Frostburg State in 2003. She is a member of US Lacrosse and the IWLCA Membership Committee where she is a Division I representative, who educates coaches on the IWLCA and future events and meetings.
