Experience: 12th Season at Vanderbilt
Alma Mater: Trenton State, 1993 (currently TCNJ)
E-mail: cathy.swezey@vanderbilt.edu

2007-08: Successful Swezey. The alliteration is convincing. And so are the results of the 11th-year Head Coach of the Vanderbilt women's lacrosse team.

The New Jersey native has transplanted a sport traditionally concentrated in the northeast to one of the South's most dynamic cities.

In 2007, Nashville played host to a first-round game in the NCAA Division I Women's Lacrosse Tournament for the first time in history. And it was Swezey that brought the first team from the central time zone to the NCAA Final Four in 2004.

Swezey began building prior to the 1998 season. Her first team went 7-9, but a mere two years later, Swezey's 2000 squad defeated a Top 10 team, Boston University, for the first time in the history of the program and ended the year ranked 13th in the nation -- one spot from reaching the NCAA Tournament. Swezey was nominated as Coach of the Year by the IWLCA.

In 2002, Vanderbilt became a charter member of the ALC. For guiding her team to its highest ranking ever, No. 8, and its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2002, Swezey earned Coach of the Year honors from the American Lacrosse Conference and InsideLacrosse.com.

The Commodores' success has produced a snowball effect. Swezey moved her team into the newly renovated Vanderbilt Lacrosse Complex, a beautiful, state-of-the-art facility, in 2003. The team also has created quite a buzz for the sport of lacrosse in and around Nashville, now regularly hosting clinics and workshops to help young Tennesseans improve their game.

Swezey's coaching career began at her alma mater, Trenton State College (now the College of New Jersey). She was a graduate assistant coach for both the field hockey and lacrosse teams from 1994-1996. During that time, the lacrosse team earned two NCAA championship titles, and the field hockey team earned the title in 1995. While coaching, Swezey was able to earn her master's degree in teaching with a health education specialization.

The three-time All-American had a rare two-sport career at Trenton State, earning stardom in both field hockey and lacrosse.

Swezey started for Trenton State's national championship lacrosse teams in 1991, 1992 and 1994, and for the 1990 national runner-up squad. Swezey missed her 1993 season with a knee injury, but returned to the field the following year.

Not only was she an All-American in 1992, she received the honor again in 1994. Swezey captured Regional All-America honors in 1992 and 1994, was named to the NCAA Final Four All-Tournament team in 1992 and 1994, and earned the Attack Player of the Year award from the South Jersey Lacrosse Club her senior season. She became a member of the United States lacrosse squad upon graduation in 1994-95.

Swezey is married to Scooter Gross, and they have two children, Jack and McKenna.

The Swezey File

HIGH SCHOOL
Moorestown (N.J.)

COLLEGE
Trenton State (now known as the
College of New Jersey), 1993
Bachelor of Arts in psychology
Masters in teaching
College of New Jersey, 1996

PLAYING EXPERIENCE
Attack/Center
• Moorestown H.S.
• Trenton State (Captain, `94 squad) • U.S. National Team (`94-95)

PLAYING HONORS
All-American (1992, 1994), Attack Player of the Year (1994), NCAA Final Four All-Tournament Team (1992, 1994), NCAA Division III National Champion (1991, 1992, 1994), NCAA Division III Runner-Up (1990).

COACHING EXPERIENCE
• Member of the United States Women's Lacrosse Association
• Graduate Assistant, Trenton State College (1994-96);
• Assistant Coach, JMU (`96-97)
• Head Coach, Vanderbilt (1997-present)

COACHING HONORS
ALC Coach of the Year (2002), InsideLacrosse.com National Coach of the Year (2002), 2004 NCAA Final Four