Aug. 16, 1999

Jill Johnson-Redfern has been named the full-time head coach of the Lafayette College women's lacrosse team and assistant field hockey coach, as announced by Dr. Eve Atkinson, director of athletics.

Johnson-Redfern, a part-time assistant coach on the field hockey and women's lacrosse team for eight years, takes over for Ann Gold, who stepped down after 18 years to concentrate her efforts as the head coach of the field hockey team.

"I feel confident that Jill can step in and make a smooth transition to head coach," said Atkinson. "She brings excellent experience to our coaching staff, both as a player and as a coach."

The full-time position was made possible through the Athletics Enhancement Fund (AEF) which is currently supplementing the department of athletics' operating budget. As part of Lafayette's renewed commitment to Division I athletics and the subsequent creation of the AEF, three new full-time head coaching positions have been added to the athletics coaching staff in the sports of women's soccer, women's lacrosse and softball.

"I'm very excited because this allows me to concentrate on being the head coach of one team," said Johnson-Redfern. "I feel we can be more competitive in the Patriot League with individual head coaches for the field hockey and women's lacrosse teams."

Johnson-Redfern is a 1988 graduate of Ursinus College, and she received her Master of Education degree from Lehigh University in 1991. After short assistant coaching stints at Drexel University and Lehigh University, Johnson-Redfern came to Lafayette.

"Jill is an excellent coach," Gold said. "She knows Lafayette, the players and the way the program is run. This will better the program, helping with the recruiting load and team training in the off-season."

Johnson-Redfern was an All-American in both field hockey and lacrosse at Ursinus, as well as winning a Division III national championship in lacrosse. She was also a member of the United States National Lacrosse Team from 1987-93, winning the 1993 World Cup Championship in Scotland.