Bowling Green State University Athletics
Lesley Irvine Named Associate Athletics Director/SWA
June 10, 2010 | General
“Lesley stood out through our search process,” said Christopher. “She articulated a passion for working with our student-athletes and coaches. Lesley brings a distinctive skill set that will make our team stronger. Her experiences in the trenches as a Division 1 head coach and her abilities to relate and connect with peers and student-athletes will be assets to our department.”
Irvine comes to BGSU after spending the last seven years as Head Field Hockey Coach at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif. She guided Stanford to three straight NorPac Tournament championships over her final three seasons, while her recent efforts on the recruiting trail paid dividends in the form of All-America talent.
“I am thrilled to be joining the BGSU staff and beginning the next chapter in my professional career,” Irvine said. “I would like to thank Greg Christopher and the university for providing me this tremendous opportunity. I learned very quickly through the hiring process that BGSU is a special place. There is a clear commitment to the student-athletes, sports programs, University and community. I am proud and honored to become a part of the Falcon family and am excited to start putting my experiences to work.”
In 2009, Irvine directed Stanford to its best season in program history, establishing a school record with 17 victories. In addition to capturing the NorPac's regular season and tournament titles after racing out to an unprecedented 8-0 start, Stanford remained a fixture in the national poll for more than two months and climbed to a school-record No. 12 ranking.
Stanford's 3-2 overtime win over Boston University was its second NCAA Play-In game victory in three seasons and resulted in the school's ninth NCAA Tournament appearance. Stanford's record-setting season was due in large part to a high-powered offense, as the Cardinal established single-season school records in goals (87), assists (60), points (234) and shots (410).
Irvine earned her second NorPac Coach of the Year honor in three seasons, one of her players (Xanthe Travlos) was tabbed as the program's first All-American since 1998 and Stanford was honored with a league-best nine all-conference selections.
Stanford's 2008 season included its second straight appearance in an NCAA play-in game to follow up another NorPac Tournament title. Irvine's squad won seven of its last nine games and was crowned NorPac Tournament champions with a 2-1 victory over California.
The 2007 campaign turned out to be a breakthrough season for Stanford under Irvine's tutelage, as the Cardinal (13-8) recorded its first winning season since 2001 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2000. Stanford also asserted itself as the premier team in the NorPac conference, capturing its first tournament championship since 2000 with a 3-1 win over California. Meanwhile, Irvine was honored as the NorPac Coach of the Year after the Cardinal earned a share of the regular-season conference title and cracked the national rankings for the first time since 2001.
Further evidence of Irvine's recruiting success is Stanford's stranglehold on the NorPac Rookie of the Year award. The 2009 season marked the seventh in a row that a Cardinal player won the award.
Irvine, 69-73 in seven seasons on The Farm, officially took over the reins of the Cardinal in December 2002 after serving the previous two seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the team.
During her head coaching tenure at Stanford, Irvine mentored three Under-21 National Team participants, seven Regional All-Americans, the seven NorPac Rookie of the Year honorees, 37 all-conference team choices, 23 all-conference tournament selections and 80 NFHCA Academic All-Americans.
Stanford teams have excelled in the classroom under Irvine's leadership, winning the 2003 NFHCA Division I National Academic Team Award, placing second in 2004 and taking fifth in 2005. The national academic accolades have become a yearly tradition, with at least 10 players being honored by the NFHCA for the last eight consecutive seasons.
Irvine has also become active in the collegiate field hockey community outside the coaching arena. During the summer of 2009, she was named a member of the NCAA West Region All-America committee. From 2004-08, she served a four-year term on the NCAA Division I National Field Hockey Committee and took over as the NCAA West Regional Committee Chair. She also served as the NorPac's NFHCA representative in 2006 and was a member of the NFHCA North/South All-Star Game Selection Committee for the West Region in 2001 and 2002.
In addition, Irvine was the USA Field Hockey Futures program Regional Coaching Director from 2003-06. This role made her responsible for the implementation of the national program curriculum within the West Region, as well as coach education and evaluation. Irvine served as a head coach in the program from 2001-03 before being promoted to her current position. She has also spearheaded the Stanford Field Hockey Camps since 2002.
Irvine arrived at Stanford from Iowa City, Iowa, where she spent the 2000 season as a volunteer assistant coach for the University of Iowa.
Irvine's first collegiate coaching job at Iowa followed one season as a player for the Hawkeyes in her first year as a graduate student during the fall of 1999. In her only season of collegiate field hockey, Irvine led Iowa to a Final Four appearance and Big Ten championship by pacing the team with 47 points (17 goals, 13 assists). She was named to the Final Four and Big Ten All-Tournament squads, while also earning Second Team Regional All-American and regular season All-Big Ten honors.
A 1999 Academic All-American, Irvine received her master's degree in health, leisure and sports studies from Iowa in 2001.
The England native played three years of field hockey for Loughborough University in her home country, graduating from the school in 1998 with a degree in physical education, sports science and recreational management. While at Loughborough, Irvine won a total of five national field hockey championships (three outdoor, two indoor) and was named to the British Universities All-Star squad. She was also selected to England Under-18 and Under-21 National Teams during her playing career overseas.
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