PHILADELPHIA – Melissa Lehman, a 2008 graduate from the University of Pennsylvania women's lacrosse program and 10 year veteran on the coaching staff for the Quakers, has been named head coach at Rutgers University, announced Monday afternoon by the Scarlet Knights.
 
As a player, Lehman was an All-America midfielder at Penn from 2005-08, captaining the Quakers' 2008 team that advanced to the NCAA national final. While a student-athlete in University City, Lehman was part of the group which helped guide the Red and Blue to elite status in collegiate women's lacrosse as the Quakers won back-to-back outright Ivy championships in 2007-08 and twice advanced to the NCAA Championship Weekend. Lehman was twice named All-Ivy, earning first-team honors in 2008 and honorable mention distinction in 2007.
 
Since taking over as an assistant coach prior to the 2010 season and ascending to the role of associate head coach the last four years, Lehman has been a part of eight Ivy League regular season championships with the Quakers, three Ivy League Tournament titles, 10 trips to the NCAA Tournament and six NCAA Tournament victories, including a trip to the quarterfinals in 2016. In all, Lehman has played a role in 11 of Penn's 13 all-time Ivy League championships.
 
"I want to thank Karin for everything she has done for me over the last fifteen years and for preparing me for this next step in my career as a head coach," said Lehman. "I am so grateful to have been able to work alongside such an incredible mentor, but more importantly, I am so thankful that she took a chance on me, as a player and a coach, bringing me to Philadelphia and Penn, the place I've called home for nearly half my life."
 
"I have learned so much from Karin through the years, starting with how to get a group of women to buy into a vision and truly believe in something. Every day I coach I strive to emulate Karin's tireless drive, passion, and pursuit of excellence. She taught me to never stop learning, and to challenge yourself and strive to become better every day. Most importantly, she showed me that coaching is really about helping others become the best version of themselves. I will be forever grateful that Karin helped me fall in love with the game of lacrosse and the coaching profession, and for her continuous support and coaching throughout my career so far. Although I am sad to leave the incredible staff and the amazing Penn community, as an alum I will always be cheering on the Red & Blue from afar."
 
"It is with bittersweet emotion for both me and the entire Penn Women's Lacrosse program that Melissa leaves for the next chapter in her coaching life," said head coach Karin Corbett. "We are all so genuinely excited for her to lead her own team at Rutgers and know she will do a fantastic job to build that program into a national contender. I coached Melissa for four years and had the great privilege to work alongside her for the last 10. She is a true player's coach who challenges them to be their best, while doing so in a supportive and caring way. She has touched so many young lives here at Penn and has been a tremendous role model for all of them. Rutgers is very lucky to get such a great coach, but more importantly, a tremendous person to lead their lacrosse program."
 
Lehman worked extensively with the Red and Blue's midfield and defense units on schemes and strategy. During her tenure, five midfielders and two defenders have earned All-American honors -- including Meg Markham who earned back-to-back All-America selections on defense, Alex Condon who earned two All-America nods at midfield, and Erin Barry who was named All-American at midfield each of the last two seasons. In addition, midfielders and defenders have earned 22 All-Region honors.
 
At the league level, 35 Penn middies and defenders earned All-Ivy honors with Erin Barry (Ivy League Midfielder of the Year, 2019) Alex Condon (Ivy League Midfielder of the Year, 2017), Shannon Mangini (Ivy League Midfielder of the Year, 2013), Meg Markham (Ivy League Defender of the Year, 2014 and 2015) and Natalie Stefan (Ivy League Defender of the Year, 2018) receiving the conference's top honor. In addition to her work with the back end, she was an experienced source of information for Penn's offensive unit with 102 career points as a collegian.

Lehman is no stranger to leadership roles within the landscape of collegiate women's lacrosse, most recently elected as the newest IWLCA Treasurer, while also having spent time as a Division I representative to the Board of Directors, a member of the Division I All-American committee, and as the chair of the Mid-Atlantic region.