University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA 19104

Pennsylvania Northeast

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Karin Brower Corbett

Through 23 seasons as head coach at the University of Pennsylvania, Karin Corbett has established Penn as one of the nation's elite women's lacrosse programs. With 11 Ivy League championships in the past 16 years, 13-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament prior to the pandemic, including three trips to the national semifinals, Corbett's teams have established themselves as perennial NCAA powers. The pinnacle of Corbett's tenure was the 2008 season where the Quakers were NCAA Finalists and spent a number of weeks ranked No. 1 in the country after defeating Northwestern in the regular season.

Corbett, who took over a team in 2000 that won only one game the previous year, has led her teams to 240 wins -- averaging 10.4 wins per season.

The Quakers were back to full competition in 2022 following two years of sidelined seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic. The team won six games including a one-goal victory over No. 24 Drexel. The Quakers earned six All-Ivy honors led by Ellen O'Callaghan, who garnered first team accolades before being named to IWLCA All-Region and an Inside Lacrosse Media All-American.

The 2020 season was unchartered territory for the entire college sports world, as all Spring sports were cut short due to the worldwide outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19. On March 11, 2020, the Ivy League canceled all spring sports across the conference, bringing the Quakers' season to a close with a 4-1 record. In the top-10 for most of the season, they concluded the final rankings at No. 10 in the IWLCA poll. Corbett had a strong squad through the first five games, including two Tewaaraton Award watch list honorees in seniors Gabby Rosenzweig and Erin Barry. Rosenzweig, who already had a decorated career for Penn, became the program's career points record holder in the second game of the season against Johns Hopkins University.

The pandemic carried over into the 2021 season, limiting the Quakers to one game in which they defeated La Salle, 16-11. The final goal of the game solidified senior captain Zoe Belodeau's 100th career finish to solidify a six-point performance.

Penn earned its 13th-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament in 2019, the fifth longest active streak in the country, amassing 12 wins and a runner-up showing in the Ivy League Tournament. Junior All-American Gabby Rosenzweig paced a Penn offense that finished with 224 goals, setting the program record with 98 points on the year, including a single-season record 63 assists. Erin Barry, the Ivy League Midfielder of the Year, joined Rosenzweig with All-American honors, as each were named unanimous first-team All-Ivy, in addition to six other Quakers. Penn defeated four top-25 teams, while boasting six one-goal victories.

The Quakers won their 11th Ivy League title in 2018, advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a dramatic overtime victory over Penn State. Corbett’s team set a program record for goal in a season with 261, besting the previous mark by 38 goals. A balanced group of senior leaders and underclass catalysts made the Red and Blue a dynamic attack as four players had more than 35 goals – led by sophomore All-American Gabby Rosenzweig who tied the program record for points in a season with 85. Fellow All-American Erin Barry became just the third player in program history to score 50 goals in a season, finishing with 51. Rookie Zoe Belodeau set the Penn single season record – and established a new Ivy League rookie record with 103 draw controls. In addition, she set new Penn records for goals (45), assists (35) and points (80) by a rookie. Corbett’s team held true to its defensive roots, with senior Natalie Stefan earning Ivy League Defender of the Year honors to lead nine All-Ivy selections.

In 2017, Corbett coached her 10th Ivy League championship team, and guided her squad to the NCAA Tournament for the 11th consecutive season. Her team defeated four Top-20 opponents, including a 17-12 defeat of No. 6 Princeton at Franklin Field. Corbett coached five All-Ivy selections in 2017, including Alex Condon who earned Ivy League Midfielder of the Year honors. Condon would also earn second-team All-American honors, joined by Katy Junior who was a third-team All-American.

The 2016 season saw Corbett and the Quakers return to the NCAA Quarterfinals -- playing a program record 20 games and compiling a 15-5 record. Corbett won her ninth Ivy League title with a 6-1 record inside the Ancient Eight, and her team defeated four Top-20 teams. Corbett has redefined the Red and Blue, building a team that can score and defend, At the conclusion of the 2016 season, Corbett saw attacker Nina Corcoran named Ivy League Attacker of the Year following a season where she set both Penn and Ivy League records in assists for a season and a career. Three of Penn's attackers were named first-team All-Ivy, while the Quakers continued to be among the Top-15 in terms of scoring defense.

In 2015, Corbett guided the Quakers to a 14-5 overall record and a ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Quakers won a game in the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in those nine years, defeating Albany in overtime, 11-10.

The Red and Blue had one of their finest offensive seasons in program history in 2015, scoring 199 goals which ranked fourth all-time at Penn at the end of the season. Tory Bensen became the program’s first Ivy League Attacker of the Year, scoring 58 goals which tied the single-season Penn record. Bensen was named second-team All-American, one of three Penn players named All-American -- the second-most in a single season under Corbett.

Defensively, Meg Markham repeated as a first-team All-American and as Ivy League Defender of the Year -- just the second Quaker in program history to repeat as a first-team All-American and the first to repeat as an Ivy League yearly award winner. Lucy Ferguson was named first-team All-Ivy at goalkeeper for the third consecutive season and earned her first career All-American honor with a second team selection.

The 2014 season saw Corbett's Quakers do something no Ivy League women's lacrosse program had ever done -- win an eighth consecutive Ivy League championship. The Quakers went 6-1 in Ancient Eight play, never allowing more than nine goals in a game, to share the League crown and set a new record for conference supremacy in the process. Corbett placed seven of her players on the All-Ivy team, including her first Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year in Meg Markham. The Quakers would play in 18 games during 2014 -- the third most by any Penn team -- and win 13 of them -- fifth-most in school history. In early May, the Quakers made some more history, winning their third Ivy League Tournament championship and first away from Philadelphia with a win over host Princeton in the championship game. That win secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, making it eight consecutive years with a national tournament appearance for the Quakers.

In 2013, Corbett guided her team to a seventh consecutive Ivy League championship with her fifth undefeated Ivy League slate since 2007. The seven consecutive conference championships was the current longest streak of regular season championships in NCAA Division I and are the most ever by any Penn women's program. Success in clutch situations was the hallmark of Corbett's Quakers in 2013, the Red and Blue setting a program record with a 4-0 mark in overtime games. Three Penn players were named unanimous first-team All-Ivy, including Shannon Mangini who earned the first-ever Ivy League Midfielder of the Year award.

2012 saw Corbett add her sixth Ivy title in dramatic fashion with a win at Princeton to claim outright possession of the Ancient Eight crown negate any thoughts of a five-way share. Corbett graduated the program's second-leading all-time scorer, Erin Brennan, who totaled 213 points over her four seasons. The Red and Blue were an at-large selection to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history.

In 2010, Corbett made history when Penn won the first Ivy League Tournament. In the process, the Red and Blue earned their fourth automatic berth to the NCAA Championships in a row. In the NCAAs, Corbett's team won its first round game once again before falling in the quarterfinals to eventual champion Maryland. During the 2010 season, Penn set a record for goals scored in a season with 223. In fact, from 2007-10, Corbett helped Penn shatter virtually every program record on the books, including wins in a season (17), consecutive wins (15), highest national ranking (1) and goals in a season (223).

The 2010 campaign saw one of Corbett's players re-write the record books as Ali DeLuca became Penn's first Tewaaraton Award finalist. DeLuca became Penn's all-time leading goal scorer with 148 career tallies and set a season-record for points with 76. DeLuca was named unanimous Ivy Player of the Year, the third in Corbett's tenure in West Philadelphia.

From 2007-09, Corbett and the Quakers announced their presence on the national stage with three consecutive appearances in the national semifinals. Named the 2007 National Coach of the Year by multiple organizations, Corbett led the Quakers to an unforgettable '07 season that saw Penn win its first Ivy League title since 1982 -- and the program's first-ever outright crown. The Red and Blue would win two games in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to play in the NCAA semifinals for the first time ever -- a game held at Franklin Field.

Corbett followed 2007 with another outright Ivy title and trip to the NCAA tournament in 2008, this time advancing to the program's first championship game where Penn was edged by Northwestern, 10-6. During the 2008 season, the Quakers won a program-best 15 consecutive games, including a win over No. 1 Northwestern at Franklin Field which vaulted the Red and Blue to No. 1 for the first time.

In 2009, Corbett again had her team in the national semifinals, where the Red and Blue came one goal short in a double-overtime classic against top-seeded Northwestern after rallying from four goals down in the final seven minutes. The Quakers won their first 13 games of the season, extending their regular-season win streak to 25 before a loss to the Wildcats in Evanston.

The 2006 season was a precursor to success as she led the Quakers to a 10-6 record, the program's first 10-win season since 1982. Penn beat three teams ranked in the national top-20 and finished the season ranked 20th in the IWLCA poll for the first time since 1996. Five members of her team were named All-Ivy while four were tabbed as All-Region.

The 2004-05 seasons saw Corbett's team post back-to-back winning records, the first time Penn accomplished that feat since 1984-85. The 9-7 mark for the 2004 squad was the first winning season for Penn since 1994, and the 4-3 mark in Ivy play put Penn above .500 in Ancient Eight competition for the first time since 1988.

Prior to coming to Penn, Corbett was an assistant coach at Princeton University from 1996-98 where she was instrumental in all aspects of the Tigers' nationally-ranked lacrosse program, with a particular emphasis on recruiting. She organized clinics for high schoolers and was the assistant director of both the Princeton Tiger Camp and the Princeton Elite Camp.

Corbett began her coaching career as an assistant at Rutgers University, before serving as an assistant at Villanova University for a year. She then moved on to her alma mater, where she was an assistant field hockey coach. After a successful year at William & Mary, Corbett took the head lacrosse job at Drew University. She led Drew to a pair of conference championships in her two years, and was active in organizing clinics and winter leagues.

As an undergraduate at William & Mary, Corbett captained both the field hockey and lacrosse teams as a senior in 1992. She earned first-team All-America honors and was named Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Year in lacrosse as a senior, and was a Regional All-American in field hockey in the fall of 1991.

In the summer of 1991, Corbett was a member of the Under-23 National Lacrosse team which faced Great Britain. Following her college career, Corbett was a member of the United States Women's Lacrosse team from 1993-96.

Corbett was the IWLCA All-America committee chair from 2006-08 and has served as a board member of the Philadelphia Lacrosse Association. She was also the director for the Lawrenceville Girls Lacrosse Camp, the USA Lacrosse Camp and the "Shoot to Score" Lacrosse Camp. In 2004, she was inducted into the US Lacrosse New Jersey Chapter Hall of Fame, and in 2005 she was inducted into the William & Mary Athletics Hall of Fame.

Corbett married William Corbett in December 2009; the couple resides in West Chester, Pa., with their son, Dylan.

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Kerri Whitaker

Kerri Whitaker enters her fourth season on the sideline as the associate head coach for Penn Women's Lacrosse, after spending the previous nine seasons as an assistant. Since joining the coaching staff, Whitaker has been a part of seven Ivy League championship teams, two Ivy League Tournament championship teams and nine NCAA Tournament appearances.

Working primarily with the attack, Whitaker has guided Penn players to 14 of the top 23 single-season goal-scoring marks in program history since arriving at Penn in 2011.

The Quakers have posted the top-two goal-scoring marks in program history as a team in 2018 and 2019, including a record 261 in 2018. Offensively, Gabby Rosenzweig set the single-season Penn record in both points (98) and assists (63) in 2019, while she was joined by midfielder Erin Barry as an IWLCA All-American. Rosenzweig followed up in 2020 as the program's career-points record holder (247).

The Quakers were back to full competition in 2022 following two years of sidelined seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic. The team won six games including a one-goal victory over No. 24 Drexel. The Quakers earned six All-Ivy honors led by Ellen O'Callaghan, who garnered first team accolades before being named to IWLCA All-Region and an Inside Lacrosse Media All-American.

The 2020 season was unchartered territory for the entire college sports world, as all Spring sports were cut short due to the worldwide outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19. On March 11, 2020, the Ivy League canceled all spring sports across the conference, bringing the Quakers' season to a close with a 4-1 record. Through those five games, the offensive produced 69 goals and 30 assists.

The pandemic carried into the 2021 season, limiting the Quakers to just one game in which they defeated La Salle, 16-11.

In 2018, All-American Gabby Rosenzweig tied the program record with 85 points, while freshman Zoe Belodeau set a new program record for goals (45), assists (35) and points (80) in a season by a rookie. 2018 produced three of the top goal-scoring seasons in program history, led by All-American Erin Barry whose 51 goals were third-most ever in a season by a Quaker. Five of Penn’s nine All-Ivy selections in 2018 played key roles in the attacking unit.

In 2017, Whitaker worked with a pair of All-Ivy attackers in first-team All-Ivy selection Emily Rogers-Healion and second-team All-Ivy choice Caroline Cummings.

The 2016 season saw the Quakers post one of the most dangerous attack groups in the nation led by Nina Corcoran - who set Penn and Ivy League records for assists (58) in a season while also setting a new Penn record for points in a single season with 85 en route to a Tewaaraton Award nomination, second-team All-American honors, and an Ivy League Attacker of the Year selection.

In 2015, Whitaker worked with Penn's dynamic duo of Tory Bensen (64 points) and Nina Corcoran (61 points) who posted the fifth and sixth highest single-season point totals in program history. Bensen's 58 goals in 2015 tied Penn's single-season record while Corcoran's 40 assists at the time set a new program record.

Whitaker coached her first Ivy League Attacker of the Year during 2015 in Tory Bensen. Bensen also became the second offensive player to earn All-American honors under Whitaker with her second team selection, joining Erin Brennan (2011).

Whitaker has had four members of her attacking group named IWLCA All-American, 11 members of Penn's attacking unit named All-Region and 26 named All-Ivy.

Prior to her time at Penn, Whitaker most recently served as head coach at Columbia University from 2002-10, where she led the Lions to a 52-68 record including the program's first-ever winning season in 2009. While leading the Lions, Whitaker coached 21 All-Ivy players and all nine All-Region performers in Columbia history. A glance at Columbia's 100+ point list shows ten players - all of whom played under Whitaker in the Big Apple.

Whitaker is familiar with the Ivy League, graduating from Brown in 1996 after an All-America campaign with the Bears in '96. She was twice named All-Ivy and achieved Academic All-Ivy honors in her senior season.

Upon graduation, Whitaker began her coaching career at Syracuse University where she served as an assistant from 1996-2001. While at Syracuse, Whitaker helped take a new program and turn it into a national contender. The Orange won the 1999 ECAC Championship in its second year of play in the league and twice reached the NCAA Tournament during Whitaker's tenure.

In addition to collegiate coaching experience, Whitaker has helped guide Team USA as well. From 2006-09, she was an assistant coach with the United States National Development Team. In addition to planning training sessions and coordinating offensive schemes, Whitaker was part of the selection process, evaluating the best players in the nation.

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Nicole Spencer

Nicole Spencer enters her fourth season as an assistant coach for the University of Pennsylvania women's lacrosse program in 2023.

Her first season in 2020 was unchartered territory for the entire college sports world, as all Spring sports were cut short due to the worldwide outbreak of coronavirus COVID-19. On March 11, 2020, the Ivy League canceled all spring sports across the conference, bringing the Quakers' season to a close with a 4-1 record.

The pandemic carried into the 2021 season, limiting the Quakers to just one game in which they defeated La Salle, 16-11.

The Quakers were back to full competition in 2022 following two years of sidelined seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic. The team won six games including a one-goal victory over No. 24 Drexel. The Quakers earned six All-Ivy honors led by Ellen O'Callaghan, who garnered first team accolades before being named to IWLCA All-Region and an Inside Lacrosse Media All-American.

Spencer, formerly Troost, came to the Quakers after spending three years as an assistant at Marist, a coaching stop she made after a successful collegiate career with UMass.

"She was an outstanding player on the field at UMass, but what stood out even more was her leadership ability as a student-athlete," said Head Coach Karin Corbett. "It's clear she's taken those skills and applied them as a coach the past three years at Marist, developing a positive, competitive and winning culture. I know she's built tremendous relationships with those she has coached, and motivated them to excel both on and off the field. I can't say enough good things about Nicole, and we are all excited about the future of Penn Lacrosse!"

As the offensive coordinator and draw control specialist with the Red Foxes, Spencer led two players to record-breaking seasons in 2019, guiding Hailey Wagner to the NCAA's single-season draw control record with 224 on the year, while Samantha Mehalick broke both the school and MAAC single-season scoring record with 79 goals, including 11 in a single game vs. Manhattan. Spencer oversaw 16 all-conference players while at Marist, while helping lead the Red Foxes to double-digit wins in back-to-back years for the first time since 2010.

"One of Nicole's areas of expertise on the field is teaching the draw and all of the strategy that goes into that. With it being such an important part of our game, we can't wait for her to work with our draw team. We know she is a coach our players will be drawn to," added Corbett.

"It is truly an honor to be named the assistant women's lacrosse coach at the University of Pennsylvania," said Spencer. "I am extremely humbled to work alongside Karin Corbett, Kerri Whitaker and the rest of the staff at Penn. They have worked hard to set the foundation for this program and I look forward to developing young women while competing among the best at the national level."

As a player, Spencer was part of four Atlantic 10 conference championships and four trips to the NCAA Championship for the Minutewomen, helping UMass to the NCAA Quarterfinals as a senior. She shined in her final season as a player, earning first-team All-A-10 accolades and tying the team lead with 42 goals.

Originally from Medford, N.J., she was a three-time All-American, All-State, All-South Jersey and All-County recipient at Shawnee High School, owning the program's record with 220 career goals.

Nicole married Austin Spencer in December 2021. Austin played college lacrosse at UMass and Johns Hopkins.

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Mike Murphy

The winningest head coach in Penn men’s lacrosse history, Mike Murphy has been the James H. Greene Head Coach of Men’s Lacrosse since 2010.

Penn found success in 2023, finishing the year 7-6 and earning the second seed in the Ivy League Tournament. During the campaign, the Quakers won games against four nationally-ranked opponents—#8 Georgetown, #17 Saint Joseph's, #18 Princeton and #20 Yale—while being ranked as high as eighth in the February 20 iteration of the USILA Coaches Poll. The wins against the Hawks and Tigers came in overtime while going 4-2 in Ivy play with three straight victories to end the regular season. Murphy earned the 90th victory of his tenure with the Red and Blue in the season opener at Georgetown.

At the conclusion of the campaign, senior middie Sam Handley became a three-time consensus first-team All-American after garnering honors from the USILA, Inside Lacrosse and USA Lacrosse Magazine. He also became a unanimous First-team All-Ivy selection for the third time. Handley was one of two players to earn USILA honors, joined by SSDM Piper Bond and LSM BJ Farrare. D Brendan Lavelle earned honorable mention All-America honors from USA Lax Mag. Handley and Lavelle's unanimous first-team All-Ivy laurels highlighted a group of seven for the Quakers including Bond, Farrare, D Peter Blake, GK Emmet Carroll and M James Shipley.

The next two full seasons were special ones for the Quakers. In 2022, Penn went 10-4 during the regular season, the four losses coming by a combined six goals. The Red and Blue were the fourth seed in the Ivy League Tournament but rolled to the title, defeating top seed and host Brown 14-9 in the semifinals and Yale 16-9 in the championship game. That gave Penn the Ivy's automatic bid into the NCAA Championship, where the third-seeded Quakers defeated Richmond in the first round before they fell to sixth-seeded Rutgers in the quarterfinal round. Among Penn's wins during the regular season was a 15-11 decision over eventual NCAA finalist Cornell.

Following the season, senior Sam Handley was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award and became just the second Penn player to earn the Donald MacLaughlin Jr. Award as the USILA's Division I Midfielder of the Year. Handley also was Ivy League Player of the Year, Penn's first since 1991, and was one of six Quakers to earn USILA All-America with his first-team honors. Classmate Piper Bond was a third-team selection at short stick defensive middie, while GK Patrick Burkinshaw, LSM BJ Farrare, A Dylan Gergar and D Brendan Lavelle received honorable mention recognition. Additionally, for the second time a record nine Penn players earned All-Ivy honors.

Murphy and the Quakers completed one of the greatest seasons in program history in 2019. The Red and Blue tied the program record with 12 wins, achieved the highest national ranking in program history, won the Ivy League’s regular season and tournament championships for the first time in the same season, and reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship for the first time since 1988.

After losing their first three games of 2019 – each to a Top-5 opponent – the Quakers won 12 in a row to tie the program record for most consecutive wins. Along the way, the Quakers defeated the defending national champions for just the second time in program history with an epic 13-12 win in 3 OTs over Yale at Franklin Field. That win was part of a perfect 6-0 Ivy League slate which earned Murphy his first Ivy League title as a head coach and gave the Quakers their first outright and undefeated Ivy League title since 1984.

At the end of the season, Murphy was a unanimous selection as the Ivy League Coach of the Year by his coaching peers and received the F. Morris Touchstone Award as the USILA's Division I Coach of the Year. Additionally, a program-record nine players were named All-Ivy. Freshman Sam Handley led the way, earning unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors and earning a spot among a program-high four first-team All-Ivy selections.

Handley also made history by becoming the first Quaker named the Inside Lacrosse National Freshman of the Year and the first freshman in program history to earn USILA first-team All-America honors. He was joined by six teammates to give Penn a school-record seven USILA All-Americans.

Under Murphy, Penn has had 25 first-team All-Ivy players in the last ten seasons, after just four during the entire decade of the 2000s (prior to Murphy's arrival). Handley was the third Quaker to earn Ivy League Rookie of the Year honors under Murphy, joining Simon Mathias and Reed Junkin who shared the award in 2016. Mathias, meanwhile, made history in 2019 by becoming the first Penn men’s lacrosse player to earn All-Ivy honors in each of his four seasons and graduated as the program's all-time scoring leader.

Murphy has had seven of his players drafted by Major League Lacrosse in the last five years -- Zack Losco (Charlotte Hounds) in 2014, Joe McCallion (Denver Outlaws) and Matt McMahon (Ohio Machine) in 2015, and Nick Doktor (Charlotte Hounds) in 2016, Connor Keating (Denver Outlaws) and Kevin McGeary (Boston Cannons) in 2018, and Tyler Dunn (Florida Machine) in 2019. Dunn also was drafted No. 8 overall (Redwoods LC) in the inaugural Premier Lacrosse League Draft in 2019.

A strong schedule has been one of Murphy's points of emphasis at Penn. During his time as head coach, the Quakers have ranked No. 1 (2012), No. 2 (2013, 2018), No. 4 (2019) and No. 6 (2014) in overall Strength of Schedule.

After its first season under Murphy in 2010, the program made a leap forward in 2011. Penn went 8-7 overall, and earned its first NCAA Championship appearance since 2006 before falling in the first round to fourth-seeded Notre Dame. The Red and Blue also placed second in the Ivy League standings, its best finish since 1989. The 2011 season was highlighted by wins over defending NCAA champion Duke (Penn held the Blue Devils to three goals, their fewest in a game since 1986), a Bucknell team that finished the year ranked in the Top 10 nationally, and Princeton (Penn's first over the Tigers since 1989). Penn ranked as high as ninth in the USILA national coaches poll, and at the end of the season the Quakers had five players earn first or second-team All-Ivy, their best representation since 1999.

The 2012 season was one filled with hard luck. Playing the most difficult schedule in the country, the Quakers were done in by several one-goal losses -- many of those coming in the game's final seconds -- and were unable to gain a second straight postseason berth.

2013 saw a reversal of those 2012 fortunes. Penn went 8-5 overall, advanced to the Ivy League Tournament for the second time in three seasons, and led the nation in goals-against average despite playing a schedule that ranked second nationally in terms of strength. At the end of the season, three players earned first-team All-Ivy, the first time that had happened since 1984, and six players received All-Ivy recognition of some kind (the most since 1986).

A senior-laden 2014 squad added another chapter to its legacy, going 11-4 overall which was one win shy of the program mark. That included an eight-game win streak leading into NCAA play. Brian Feeney, Zack Losco and Maxx Meyer all received third-team USILA All-America honors, the first time Penn had three All-Americans in the same season since 1984 (and just the fourth time in history, the others being 1977 and 1928). Those three also received All-Ivy recognition along with teammates Alex Blonsky and Matt McMahon, with Feeney and Losco becoming the program's first two-time first-team All-Ivy picks since 1993.

After a slow start to the 2015 season, especially in Ivy play, Penn charged back with three straight Ivy wins including a victory at then-No. 10 Brown. Unfortunately it wasn't enough as the Quakers finished just out of the Ivy Tournament field and went 6-7 overall.

A youthful Penn squad went 8-7 during the 2016 season, with six of the losses coming to teams ranked in the USILA Top 20 at the end of the season including No. 1 Maryland, No. 3 Yale (twice, both by a goal), and No. 4 Brown. (The seventh, to Virginia, came when the Cavs were ranked 11th nationally.)

2017 marked a season which included another trip back to the Ivy League Tournament, where the Quakers faced No. 1 seed and host Yale in the semifinals. The contest marked the second-longest game in Penn history, a dramatic quadruple overtime affair that saw the Red and Blue fall to the Bulldogs, 13-12. Penn posted two wins over Virginia during the course of the season which ended with a 7-6 overall record and saw their ranking climb as high as No. 8 in the USILA poll.

The 2018 campaign was highlighted by a victory over #1 Duke at Franklin Field in February and a second consecutive trip to the Ivy League Tournament. Connor Keating was named an All-American for the third time, the first three-time awardee since 1985.

Murphy also was an assistant coach with the Quakers in 2001 (as defensive coordinator) and 2002 (as offensive coordinator). Penn’s 2002 squad went 9-4 overall, at the time the program’s best record in 13 seasons.

Prior to his return to Penn, Murphy spent seven years at Haverford College where he took the program to unprecedented heights. The Fords steadily improved every year under his leadership, and Murphy departed Haverford with a 64-41 record and matched the school record for wins originally set by program founder Dana Swan.

Haverford’s year-by-year improvement under Murphy culminated with two historic seasons in 2008 and 2009. In ’08, Murphy led the Black Squirrels to the program’s first-ever NCAA Championship berth after a school-record 11-win season and a No. 6 national ranking. The next year, Haverford again set a school record in wins (13) and would go one step further in the NCAA Championship with a second round home game after winning the school’s first Centennial Conference regular season title.

Prior to his assistant coaching stint at Penn, Murphy was an assistant coach at the University of Virginia from 1993-97, coaching in the 1994 and 1996 national championship games and three semifinals. He also spent the 1992 season at Brown University, coaching a team that held a top-10 national ranking and was an NCAA quarterfinalist.

Murphy was a member of the Division III NCAA Championships Committee from 2005-09. He is also a board member of the Intercollegiate Men’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IMLCA), and coached the South Team at the 2005 Division III North/South All-Star Game.

Murphy attended Duke University, where he was a three-year starter (one as a long stick middie, two at closed defense) for the nationally ranked Blue Devils and captain of the 1991 team. He graduated with a degree in history and political science. Murphy also holds a master’s degree in higher education management from Penn, earned in May 2004.