HAVERFORD, Pa. – Haverford College women's lacrosse head coach Lauren Wray has announced her resignation in order to accept the assistant athletic director and women's lacrosse coaching position at the Agnes Irwin School in Bryn Mawr. Wray recently completed her sixth season as head coach, compiling a 56-46 record during that time with three trips to the Centennial Conference Tournament.
"I want to thank everyone at Haverford for all they have done for me over the past six years," said Wray. "I have enjoyed working here very much, which makes this move even more difficult for me. I really value the friendships I have made during my time at Haverford. Our family will still be in the area, so I will be back on campus often to cheer for the Fords!"
Wray accepted the Haverford head coaching job prior to the 2012 season. She twice led Haverford to the Centennial Conference semifinals with her first appearance coming after a 13 win season in 2013 to mark the Fords' highest win total since 1986 and second highest total in school history. Her squad consistently showed it could compete with the nation's best and owned three nationally-ranked victories during her tenure with none being more impressive than Haverford's double overtime victory in 2015 over then-No. 4 Gettysburg, 11-10.
"While I am certainly disappointed to lose a coach of Lauren's caliber, this is a great opportunity for her and her family. I wish Lauren nothing but the best in this new position," said Haverford College Director of Athletics Wendy Smith '87. "Lauren managed the academic/athletic balance at Haverford extremely well and was always supportive of her players' accomplishments both in the classroom and on on the field. I am extremely grateful for all Lauren has done for Haverford women's lacrosse and our athletic department as a whole and look forward to building upon the strong foundation she has created."
Wray's program excelled in the classroom with the 2016 team being recognized by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) as having the highest grade-point-average among all Division III programs. Her players combined for 54 Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll selections, improving that total in each season and culminating with a program-record 14 honorees this past spring. Five times her team was recognized as an IWLCA Academic Honor Squad with 27 student-athletes garnering recognition on the IWLCA Academic Honor Roll.
On the playing field, Haverford players combined for 18 All-Centennial Conference and eight IWLCA All-Metro Region selections. Three of her players were selected to play in the North/South Regional Division III All-Star Game. Her student-athletes also stood out among the entire athletic department as two were each selected for the Gregory Kannerstein '63 Award (Diana Perry '15, Sarina Manetta '17) and A.W. Haddleton Award (Maggie Perkoff '15, Averi Gaines '17). Josie Ferri '12 was additionally recognized as a Stephen G. Cary '37 Award recipient.
A national search for Wray's replacement will begin immediately.