To Contact Coach Cowperthwait:
scowpert@monmouth.edu
Entering her fifth season at the helm of the Monmouth University women's lacrosse program, head coach Sue Cowperthwait has already taken the Hawks to heights never seen before in the brief history of the program.
In her inaugural season, Cowperthwait led Monmouth to its first-ever Northeast Conference title and a berth to the NCAA Tournament where the Hawks had Maryland on the ropes in their first round game before losing to the eventual national champion. Cowperthwait earned Northeast Conference Coach of the Year honors for her efforts. The highly successful season included defeating bitter-rival Maryland-Baltimore County for the first time ever during the regular season. Monmouth, who had been 0-6 vs. the Retrievers entering the campaign, repeated the feat in the NEC Championship game, as the Hawks toppled the three-time defending league champion.
For the second straight season, Cowperthwait has led the team to a 7-1 record in conference play. The lone loss came at the hands of rival Mount St. Mary's. The Hawks started off the season with an 8-12 loss in a nailbiter against Boston University, but followed up with a solid 20-7 win over Marist in St. Petersburg, Florda. The squad then avenged last season's loss to Villanova by beating them handidly, 12-7. The team went on to a 9-8 record for the season, losing in the Northeast Conference championship game to Mount St. Mary's for the second time that year.
Cowperthwait began her coaching career as an assistant coach under Shari Krasnoo at Monmouth and was promoted to fill the vacancy left when Krasnoo took a job as head coach at Boston College during the summer of 2001.
During the 2000 season, Cowperthwait, a defensive specialist, helped guide the Hawks to the nation's seventh-best defensive effort, allowing just 7.19 goals per game.
Cowperthwait arrived in West Long Branch after building a successful playing resume at Virginia Tech. A four-year starter on defense for the Hokies, she earned All-Atlantic 10, Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year and Virginia Tech's Most Valuable Player honors as a senior in 1999. That year, Cowperthwait also led Virginia Tech to an Atlantic 10 conference championship and the Hokies finished the season ranked No. 20 in the nation. As a freshman in 1996, she earned Tech's Unsung Hero Award.
A native of Media, Pa., Cowperthwait earned a bachelor's degree in business management from Virginia Tech in 1999. Cowperthwait is completed her master's degree in business administration at Monmouth in December of 2003.
scowpert@monmouth.edu
732-263-5556
