Longtime Lehigh Women's Lacrosse Coach Jill Redfern Steps Down

Jill Redfern has stepped down as the head coach of the Lehigh women’s lacrosse team, a university spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.

A National Lacrosse Hall of Fame player and four-time Patriot League Coach of the Year, Redfern recently completed her 17th season at the helm of the Mountain Hawks. They finished 6-10 and fell to Navy in the conference quarterfinals.

Redfern is the winningest coach in program history with a record of 158-121 at the school. She also went 11-5 in one season as the head coach at Lafayette in 2000, when she won her first Patriot League Coach of the Year honor. Her Lehigh teams advanced to conference championship games in 2010 and 2021, the closest the Mountain Hawks have come to the NCAA tournament since their lone appearance in 1984.

The team posted a graphic on social media that read, “Thank you Jill Redfern.” Asked if Redfern had retired or stepped down, the spokesperson confirmed the latter. Details about who will take the reins of the program are unavailable at this time. Redfern had promoted Emma Vinall to associate coach in July.

Redfern was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame as a truly great player in 2017. She was a two-time Division III All-American at Ursinus and MVP of the Bears’ 1986 NCAA championship team. Redfern went on to star for the U.S. Women’s National Team from 1987-1993, culminating in the 1993 world championship in Edinburgh, Scotland.