The University of Indianapolis took another step toward establishing Indiana’s first NCAA Division II lacrosse program by naming the head coaches for its men’s and women’s teams. Married just a few weeks ago, Greg Stocks and Jillian Howley will be UIndy’s first lacrosse coaches, Stocks for the men, Howley for the women. They hail from Lake Erie College in suburban Cleveland, where they have led programs. The newlyweds will have a year to recruit and build a staff before beginning competition in the spring of 2016. “We are extremely excited to welcome Jillian and Greg as our lacrosse coaches, not only because of their successful coaching backgrounds but also because they are a great fit for the university,” said Sue Willey, UIndy’s vice president for intercollegiate athletics. “Their passion for their sport, team-player attitude and desire to establish a positive experience for our student-athletes makes them a perfect fit.” A native of Long Island, N.Y., Howley became a first-time head coach in August 2011, guiding Lake Erie to a 30-23 record in three seasons. She led the team to back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference regular season and consecutive league tournament semifinal appearances. After being a four-year starter on the lacrosse and field hockey teams at D-I Robert Morris University in Pennsylvania, Howley had stints as an assistant on D-II staffs at Bloomburg (Pa.) and Mercyhurst (Pa.) universities and a number of club teams. Stocks, a native of British Columbia, built a men’s lacrosse program from scratch at Lake Erie, starting in 2007 and molding it into a program that was ranked as high as No. 9 in the Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll. In 2013 he was named the Eastern College Athletic Conference Coach of the Year and “Lacrosse Magazine’s” Division II National Coach of the Year for guiding his team to the quarterfinals of the D-II tournament. This past spring Stocks led Lake Erie to the conference tournament championship. “I’ve started a program from the ground up before, but I’m really looking forward to the challenge of doing it again at UIndy,” he said. “I was impressed with their leadership and facilities. I believe men’s lacrosse will soon contribute to the school’s winning culture. I can't wait to get started." Before his time at Lake Erie, Stocks was an assistant at D-II Wingate University (N.C.) and D-III Lycoming College (Pa.). He played at Mercyhurst before earning a bachelor’s degree in 2006. “We are honored and excited to be selected to start the lacrosse programs and are thrilled to be a part of the Greyhound family,” he said. |
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