July 18, 2007
BERKELEY -
Theresa Sherry, a former Princeton All-American who served as an assistant coach for the Golden Bears this past year, has been named head women's lacrosse coach at the University of California, Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour announced Wednesday.
"I am extremely excited about this decision," Barbour said. "I have no doubt that we have hired one of the brightest rising stars in the women's game. Theresa has been mentored by some of the most successful and talented coaches in women's lacrosse, but it is her potent combination of competitive passion, superior technical knowledge, experience at the highest level of collegiate women's lacrosse, and clear sense of directed vision for Cal women's lacrosse's future that convinces me she will lead the program to unprecedented success.
"As impressed as I was with our competitive future under Theresa's leadership, it was her ability to articulate a vision for athletic success in tandem with a high degree of academic success and total student development that most fully captured my attention. I believe we have found a great fit for Cal."
Prior to joining the Cal program last season, Sherry's previous coaching experience was as an assistant at Amherst College for the 2006 season, when she also worked as a television commentator for ESPNU for multiple women's lacrosse matches.
"I'm very excited about this opportunity, especially the opportunity to build on the foundation that was laid down by Jill Malko in the last nine years," Sherry said. "This Cal program has a great future. We already have a lot of great players on the team, and there's a lot of good talent interested in the program. It's a team that's about to burst onto the national scene. I'm excited to be a part of that."
"I like the environment here, where kids want to be the best in the classroom and on the field," added Sherry, who earned her bachelor's degree in anthropology from Princeton in 2004. "That's the kind of student-athlete I want to coach, and I'm excited about attracting more players of that caliber. As our team continues to break into the national scene, we will send a message to the East Coast and the whole country that this program is serious and has a lot of potential."
In addition to being named a first-team All-American as a player in 2002, '03 and '04, Sherry was a finalist for the Tewaaraton Award as the nation's top women's lacrosse player as a senior in 2004. She helped Princeton to NCAA championships in both 2002 and 2003. Her Princeton teams also reached the NCAA final four in 2001 and 2004, finishing as the national runner-up in '04. The Tigers captured Ivy League championships in each of her four seasons at the school. A four-time All-Ivy League selection, Sherry was the conference's Player of the Year in 2004.
In addition to lacrosse, Sherry was a four-year letterwinner for the Princeton women's soccer team, serving as a team captain and helping the program to three Ivy League titles.
The Baltimore, Md., product has international lacrosse experience as she competed with the U.S. Developmental team in 2004 and 2005 and was a member the U.S. Under-19 squad that captured the world championship in 1999, earning player of the game honors in the final game.
The Bears completed the 2007 season with a 7-10 record and compiled a 92-68 record in nine seasons under Malko, who retired from coaching after the campaign.
Last year, Malko put Sherry in charge of the midfielders in particular and in charge of improving the fundamental skills of the team as a whole. She credits Sherry with helping to improve the games of graduated seniors Laura Cavallo, who left as Cal's all-time leading scorer, and Liz Reifsnyder, who left ranked No. 2 on Cal's all-time assist list.
"You don't usually see that much growth in senior players like that," Malko said. "There were a lot of players that used Theresa's coaching to improve, and you saw that in our play last season."
Terms of Sherry's contract have not been finalized.
What They're Saying about Theresa Sherry
"I'm thrilled that Theresa is going to be the next head coach at the University of California. I think she has a phenomenal amount of lacrosse knowledge that she will no doubt share with the team. I know that after a year working with her that I, personally, learned from her. She will bring this program to the next level."
- Jill Malko, former Cal head coach
"I'm just very excited for Theresa. She was an outstanding player for us at Princeton, an incredible leader on the field for us, and she will be a fantastic coach. I know she loves Berkeley. She's going to bring her passion for the game and a lot of experience as a player and will be a great role model for the players she coaches. She will have an outstanding career as a college coach. Cal is lucky is have a person of her background, her experience and her integrity leading."
- Chris Sailer, Princeton head coach
"She's been the type of athlete that always expected the most out of herself and demanded that. I would imagine she would bring that to her coaching role. She's determined, and she's driven. When she wants something, she goes for it. If she can inspire her athletes to have those qualities, I think she's going to have a great future in coaching."
- Wendy Kridel, U.S. Under-19 National team head coach
"I'm thrilled. I know how much she wanted this. I think her knowledge combined with her passion for teaching should prove to be a winning combination for Cal lacrosse. Theresa is very passionate about the sport and coaching college women and helping them grow as players and people. She'll be great as Cal's next head coach. I'm so excited for her and for Cal also."
- Christine Paradis, Amherst College head coach
"Theresa is one of the next up and coming coaches. She had a great career as a player and even in a short time has emerged as one of the upcoming talented coaches. It's really exciting for her and the University. Theresa is one of the most competitive, hard-working players that I coached. Her competitiveness alone drove her to excel."
- Missy Doherty, Towson University head coach
"She was a tremendous athlete, and she has an intensity beyond her years. She will bring the same intensity and drive to that Cal program. She's young but very mature, and she knows the game a lot better than a lot of other head coaches out there. She's awesome."
- Keely McDonald, Brown University head coach
