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Jill Redfern
A National Lacrosse Hall of Famer, the reigning Patriot League Coach of the Year and candidate for IWLCA Regional Coach of the Year, Jill Redfern enters her 14th year as head coach of the Lehigh women’s lacrosse program in 2022. In her tenure, Redfern has led the Mountain Hawks to 10 Patriot League Tournaments in 12 seasons (the 13th was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020). The Mountain Hawks have qualified for the league tourney in each of the last seven seasons (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 2018, 2019 and 2021), which includes a trip to the championship game in 2021. In her time, the Mountain Hawks own a 123-87 record, including seasons of 11, 14, 10, 13, 12 and 13 victories, as Redfern continues to take the Lehigh program to new heights.
Redfern was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in September of 2018. During her playing days, Redfern was a two time Division III All-American at Ursinus College and was named Most Outstanding Player of the 1986 NCAA Tournament as she helped lead the Bears to a national championship. Following her collegiate playing experience, Redfern was a member of the US National Lacrosse Team from 1987-1993, and capped off her international play as a member of the winning United States World Cup Team in 1993, in Edinburgh Scotland.
As a coach, Redfern has led Lehigh to sustained success. In 2020, the Mountain Hawks were going strong, recording a 6-2 record when the COVID-19 pandemic cancelled the rest of the season. Lehigh was averaging 14.50 goals per game, led by senior Sondra Dickey and freshman Gabby Schneider. Dickey was sixth nationally goals (32) and 12th in points (42), while Schneider was seventh in assists (21) and 14th in points (41). Dickey became Lehigh women’s lacrosse’s second student-athlete ever named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List.
The success continued in 2021 as Lehigh advanced to the Patriot League Championship Game for the first time since 2010, finishing the season 9-4 (6-1 in the league). The Mountain Hawks ended the regular season winning seven of their last eight games (which extended to nine of 10 with a pair of postseason wins). Lehigh defeated a ranked Navy team in the regular season (12-7), then beat the Mids again in the Patriot League Quarterfinals (13-12 in overtime) to advance to the semifinals where the Mountain Hawks beat Army West Point for a second time (10-8, after a 14-7 regular-season victory). Individually, Dickey was named a third team IWLCA All-American, Lehigh’s first All-American since Lauren Dykstra in 2011. She was named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List once again, and was named the Patriot League Midfielder of the Year (also Lehigh’s first since Dykstra in 2011). Dickey finished the season leading the nation in caused turnovers per game (3.15) and ended her career as the only player in program history in the top 10 in goals, assists, points, groundballs, caused turnovers and draw controls. Redfern received Patriot League Coach of the Year honors for the third time in her career. Six Mountain Hawks were named All-League, Lehigh’s most since the Patriot League expanded with the additions of Boston University and Loyola in 2014. Along with Dickey, Schneider received first team All-League and joined Dickey on the All-Region squad.
In 2019, Lehigh won its final four regular season games for its sixth straight Patriot League Tournament, a program record. Dickey was named IWLCA second team All-Region for a second straight year – only the Mountain Hawks’ second two-time honoree since the turn of the century.
The Mountain Hawks posted a 38-17 record from 2016-18, among the most wins in the nation over that three-year stretch. Lehigh tallied a 13-6 record in 2018, including a school-record seven Patriot League wins (compared to just two losses). For the second straight season, the Mountain Hawks earned the No. 3 seed in the league tournament, hosting a Patriot League Quarterfinal for a third straight year. Despite losing multiple key players to season-ending injuries, Lehigh won seven straight games spanning the end of the regular season and beginning of the postseason. The Mountain Hawks dominated Boston University in the Patriot League opener 15-8, handing the Terriers their largest-ever Patriot League defeat. Individually, Dickey emerged in leading the team in goals (54) and points (76). Dickey and Kayleen Kelly each broke the previous school record for draw controls in a season. Kelly broke Lehigh’s single-game (10), season (86) and career (169) records for draw controls (which Cecily Redfern and Dickey have since broken), while Dickey added 81, each shattering the previous school record of 47. Both Kelly and Kierstyn Voiro were named All-Patriot League and Academic All-League, impressing on and off the field.
The Mountain Hawks went 12-6 in 2017, including a 6-3 mark in Patriot League play to earn the No. 3 seed in the league tournament where they defeated Bucknell 15-5 in the quarterfinals. It marked the first time in school history Lehigh won a Patriot League tournament game in back-to-back seasons. Allison LaBeau highlighted the victory, setting a Patriot League Tournament single-game record with 11 points, which included a record-tying six assists. LaBeau finished the year with a school-record 46 assists along with 91 points - second in school history. The Mountain Hawks went on to play a hard-fought game against Navy in the league semifinals, dropping a slim one-goal final against a Mids’ team that went on to beat Penn, UMass and North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament to advance the Final Four.
Lehigh finished the 2016 season with a strong 13-5 record, including a 6-3 record in the Patriot League. The six league victories marked a school record while the Mountain Hawks hosted a league tournament game, and won a postseason contest, for the first time since 2010. Lehigh beat Colgate in the Patriot League quarterfinals to reach the semifinals for the first time since 2011. LaBeau was named the league’s Attacker of the Year while Julianne D’Orazio and Kendall Garden were also named first team All-League, and Lauren Beausoleil garnered second team laurels. The Mountain Hawks earned a big road victory at Boston University while taking Loyola into overtime during the regular season.
The Mountain Hawks advanced to their second straight Patriot League Tournament in 2015, finishing the season 9-8 highlighted by several quality victories. Included was a thrilling, last-second win at Bryant, a team that went on to win the NEC and advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Mountain Hawks also topped Big Ten foe Rutgers on the road in front of a nationally-televised audience on the Big Ten Network. As a team, the Mountain Hawks finished 2015 with the league’s third-best goals against average (8.06) while leading the Patriot League in caused turnovers per game (9.71). Sukonik’s 42 goals were firth in the league while LaBeau’s 48 points stood eighth. Garden led the league with 31 caused turnovers.
Lehigh enjoyed a resurgent season in 2014, finishing 4-4 in league play to advance to the Patriot League Tournament for the first time since 2011. Included was a dramatic 12-11 double overtime win at Boston University to hand the eventual league finalist Terriers their first-ever Patriot League defeat. LaBeau scored both goals of overtime as she was named the league’s Rookie of the Year. LaBeau was one of five Mountain Hawks to earn All-Patriot League honors as she, Alexandra Fitzpatrick and Willcox were all named to the first team while Garden and Sukonik earned second team laurels. After the season, LaBeau was invited to try out for the U.S. National Team.
Sukonik’s All-League honor was her third in as many years as she has posted 98 goals and 14 assists in that span, finishing her storied career with 140 goals and 18 assists. Three Mountain Hawks were named All-Patriot League in both 2012 and 2013: Sukonik (twice), Julie McBrien (twice), Leigh Ann Torcivia and Willcox. Fitzpatrick was named first team All-League as both a freshman (2011) and senior (2014) as one of the nation’s elite goalies both seasons. As a graduate student, Fitzpatrick went on to lead the Maryland Terrapins to the National Championship as their starting goalkeeper in 2015.
Torcivia and McBrien played in the IWLCA North-South Game in 2012 and 2013, respectively, following Dykstra, who was named the Game’s MVP in 2011. In the summer of 2013, Dykstra became the first Lehigh alum to play in the World Cup as she suited up for Israel. Dykstra finished the tournament with 20 goals (second on the team). She helped propel Israel to the World Cup Quarterfinals in the country’s first appearance.
In 2011, the Mountain Hawks advanced to their fifth straight Patriot League Tournament, joining Colgate as the only teams to qualify in each of the previous five seasons. Lehigh also posted an impressive win at Navy in front of a national television audience on CBS Sports Network, joining eventual National Champion Northwestern as the only two teams to defeat the Midshipmen in Annapolis. The Mountain Hawks hung tough on the road against nationally-ranked ALC squads Florida and Penn State, taking an early second-half lead against the Gators, a team which rose as high as No. 2 in the national rankings. Lehigh finished among the national leaders in a number of statistical categories, ranking ninth in scoring margin (4.65), 11th in scoring defense (8.94), 12th in draw controls (13.94) and 13th in scoring offense (13.59).
Redfern helped lead Dykstra, who garnered three postseason All-America honors, which included becoming Lehigh’s first IWLCA All-American since 1996. The multi-dimensional Dykstra finished 2011 as the nation’s leader in goals per game, winning Patriot League Midfield Player of the Year to complete the cycle of league major awards; Dykstra previously won Rookie of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Redfern also coached Dykstra to a Lehigh and Patriot League record in career goals as Dykstra stands sixth in NCAA history with 257.
During her inaugural season as Lehigh head coach, Redfern led the Mountain Hawks to the fourth most victories in a single season in school annals, the most home wins in program history and the program’s third consecutive Patriot League Tournament berth as Lehigh tied the school mark for the most Patriot League victories in a single season (four). That would be one-upped as Lehigh went 5-1 in league play both in 2010 and ’11. Redfern’s success continued in 2010 as the Mountain Hawks jumped out to an 8-0 start before winning the Patriot League Regular Season Title and advancing all the way to the Championship Game.
Redfern was named the head women’s lacrosse coach at Lehigh on June 23, 2008. Prior to that, she served as the associate head coach of the program. During that time, she helped lead the Mountain Hawks to a pair of Patriot League Tournament appearances and helped mentor 13 All-Patriot League selections, three consecutive Rookie of the Year honorees and a pair of Patriot League Scholar-Athlete of the Year award winners.
In 2008, Redfern brought on assistant coach Kelley Putnam. The two went on to mentor a program record eight All-Patriot League selections, including freshman Kelly Draper who earned the program’s fourth consecutive Patriot League Rookie of the Year Award - a first for all programs among all sports in Patriot League history. Redfern was also instrumental in the development of Dykstra who was named Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year, first team All-Region and was selected to the final tryout for the United States Women’s Developmental Team.
Redfern’s coaching career includes a previous stint at Lafayette College where she garnered Patriot League Coach of the Year honors in 2000 after leading the Leopards to the league title. Redfern also served as an assistant in both the field hockey and lacrosse programs at Lafayette for 10 years before assuming the head coaching position. Including her time at Lafayette, Redfern’s career record as head coach is 125-87.
Redfern is a 1988 graduate of Ursinus College, and later earned her master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Lehigh in 1991. She was inducted into the Ursinus Hall of Fame in 1998 for her exceptional contributions to women’s athletics.
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