Cathy Swezey Position: Head Coach Experience: 12th Season

Experience: 12th Season at Vanderbilt
Alma Mater: Trenton State, 1993 (currently TCNJ)
Coaches Emails: cathy.swezey@vanderbilt.edu, susan.ellis@vanderbilt.edu, amber.n.falcone@vanderbilt.edu

2008-09: Successful Swezey. The alliteration is convincing. And so are the results of the 12th-year Head Coach of the Vanderbilt women's lacrosse team.

The New Jersey native has transplanted a sport traditionally concentrated in the northeast to one of the South's most dynamic cities.

In 2008, Swezey received recognition for her work with the Commodores, being named the ALC Coach of the Year. The University also honored the coach's efforts, awarding her Vanderbilt Coach of the Year for women's athletics.

In 2007, Nashville played host to a first round game in the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Tournament for the first time in history. And it was Swezey that brought the first team from the central time zone to the NCAA Final Four in 2004.

Swezey began building her powerful program prior to the 1998 season. Her first team went 7-9, but a mere two years later and Swezey's 2000 squad would defeat a Top-10 team, Boston University, for the first time in the history of the program. Vanderbilt ended the year ranked 13th in the nation -- one spot from reaching the NCAA Tournament. Swezey was nominated as Coach of the Year by the IWLCA.

In 2002, Vanderbilt became a charter member of the American Lacrosse Conference. For guiding her team to its highest ranking ever, No. 8, and its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament, Swezey earned Coach of the Year honors from the ALC and InsideLacrosse.com.

The Commodores' success has produced a snowball effect. Swezey moved her team into a state-of-the-art facility, the Vanderbilt Lacrosse Complex, in 2003. The team also has created quite a buzz for the sport of lacrosse in and around Nashville, now regularly hosting clinics and workshops to help young Tennesseans improve their game.

Swezey's coaching career began at her alma mater, Trenton State College (now the College of New Jersey). She was a graduate assistant coach for both the field hockey and lacrosse teams from 1994-1996. During that time, the lacrosse team earned two NCAA championship titles, and the field hockey team earned the title in 1995. While coaching, Swezey was able to earn her master's degree in teaching with a health education specialization.

The three-time All-American had an impressive two-sport career at Trenton State in both field hockey and lacrosse. Swezey started for Trenton State's national championship lacrosse teams in 1991, 1992 and 1994, and for the 1990 national runner-up squad. Swezey missed her 1993 season with a knee injury, but returned to the field the following year.

Not only was she an All-American in 1992, she received the honor again in 1994. Swezey captured Regional All-America honors in 1992 and 1994, was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team in 1992 and 1994, and earned the Attack Player of the Year award from the South Jersey Lacrosse Club her senior season. She became a member of the U.S. lacrosse squad upon graduation in 1994.

Swezey is married to Scooter Gross, and the couple have two children.


The Swezey File

HIGH SCHOOL
Moorestown (N.J.)

COLLEGE
Trenton State (now known as the
College of New Jersey), 1993
Bachelor of Arts in psychology
Masters in teaching
College of New Jersey, 1996

PLAYING EXPERIENCE
Attack/Center
• Moorestown H.S.
• Trenton State (Captain, `94 squad) • U.S. National Team (`94-95)

PLAYING HONORS
All-American (1992, 1994), Attack Player of the Year (1994), NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team (1992, 1994), NCAA Division III National Champion (1991, 1992, 1994), NCAA Division III Runner-Up (1990).

COACHING EXPERIENCE
• Member of the United States Women's Lacrosse Association
• Graduate Assistant, Trenton State College (1994-96);
• Assistant Coach, JMU (`96-97)
• Head Coach, Vanderbilt (1997-present)

COACHING HONORS
ALC Coach of the Year (2002), InsideLacrosse.com National Coach of the Year (2002), 2004 NCAA Final Four

VANDERBILT COACHING RECORD: