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IWLCA Names 2021 Division II Coaches of the Year

By IWLCA Admin, 07/26/21, 1:00PM EDT

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IWLCA Names 2021 Coaches of the Year in Division II

 

The IWLCA has named the 2021 National and Regional Coaches of the Year in Division II. All winners will be honored at the IWLCA Convention scheduled for November 17-19, 2021 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas.

 

Division II National Coach of the Year

Jack Cribbin, Lindenwood University

In 2021, Cribbin led Lindenwood to the first NCAA Division II National Championship in school history. Cribbin was named the 2021 GLVC Coach of the Year, as the Lions garnered 11 all-GLVC selections. Lindenwood landed eight on the IWLCA all-region list in the Midwest Region. Lexi Biller, Hailey Dobbins, Erin McGuire, and Carly Federowski earned All-American recognition by the IWLCA. While preparing for the semifinal game, Paige Sutton received the Elite 90 Award for her academic and athletic achievements. The Lions went 17-1 on the season, including a 7-0 mark inside the GLVC. Off the field, the Lions registered a team GPA of 3.59 with 24 players earning GLVC academic all-conference honors. Lindenwood saw eight players post a 4.0 GPA during the 2020-21 academic year.

Division II Regional Coaches of the Year

Atlantic Region

Xeni Barakos-Yoder, East Stroudsburg University

During her sixth season as head coach of the Warriors, Xeni Barakos-Yoder continued to raise East Stroudsburg women’s lacrosse to unprecedented heights. The Warriors posted a 12-4 record and an 8-2 PSAC conference record. As the three-seed in the region, Barakos-Yoder led the Warriors to its second-ever Atlantic Region title, taking down previously undefeated West Chester, 13-9, in the Atlantic Region Championship game. She guided midfielder Hana Cicerelle to become the program’s all-time points leader and goalkeeper Tatyana Petteway to become program’s all-time saves leader during the 2021 campaign. All four of ESU’s losses in 2021 came against top-five nationally ranked competition in West Chester and NCAA runner-up Queens. ESU finished a program-best No. 4 in the final IWLCA Coaches Poll. Overall, the Warriors earned three all-America selections, six all-region honorees and seven earned all-conference recognition. In just six seasons, Barakos-Yoder has led ESU to a 75-23 record with four NCAA tournament appearances. Prior to Barakos-Yoder taking the reins of the program, ESU had never earned a bid to the NCAA tournament.


East Region

Kristin Paolini, Roberts Wesleyan College

Paolini led the Redhawks to a 14-2 record that ended with a loss to eventual National Champion Lindenwood University in the NCAA Semifinal match. Roberts Wesleyan finished the 2021 campaign ranked #7 in the final IWLCA Coaches Poll and had two players recognized as second-team All-Americans. Under Paolini’s leadership, the Redhawks claimed their first ECC Championship and the NCAA’s East Region Championship.


Midwest Region

Jack Cribbin, Lindenwood University

See bio above.


South Region

Clare Short, Queens University

Clare Short and the Royals rode a 12-game winning streak to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA DII Women’s Lacrosse National Championship game during the 2021 season. Queens repeated as South Region Champions to reach the Final Four for the second straight time and defeated East Stroudsburg for their first-ever NCAA Championship semifinal win. Prior to receiving their fourth program bid to the Championships, the Queens women’s lacrosse all-time winningest coach led the Royals to their sixth SAC Regular Season Championship and their seventh consecutive SAC Tournament Championship. Three Royals earned IWLCA All-American honors at the close of the season while five earned All-Region honors and nine earned SAC All-Conference recognition. The Royals finished the season ranked No. 2 nationally with a 14-2 record.