Michigan Women's Lacrosse Coach Jennifer Ulehla
Even if some observers were disappointed (understandably, though mistakenly in my opinion) in the selection of John Paul as the first Michigan varsity lacrosse head coach, the hire to lead the women’s program is a virtual home run. Jennifer Ulehla has a history of success as a head coach and an assistant, and should be an immediate asset to a team that doesn’t take on its first opponent until 2014.
Florida: Recruiting Power
Ulehla was on the inaugural coaching staff at Florida, which played its first year in 2010. The Gators’ recruiting classes prior to their first year were impressive, including a 2009 class consisting of 6 Under Armour All-Americans (more than any other school in the country).
In Ulehla’s only active year on the Florida staff, the Gators finished 10-8 (2-5 in the American Lacrosse Conference, of which Michigan will be a member). This spring, the Gators went 16-4 on the season with a roster composed entirely of recruits that Ulehla helped land.
It’s unfair to the rest of the University of Florida lacrosse program to give Ulehla too much credit for their successes, but she certainly played a role in their rapid ascendancy.
Temple
Ulehla was the head coach at Temple University in 2005 and 2006. It is time for us to go to a chart:
| Year | Record | Win% | LaxPower Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 11-8 | .579 | N/A |
| 2005 | 10-7 | .588 | 29 (of 82) |
| 2006 | 10-8 | .556 | 29 (of 82) |
| 2007 | 6-11 | .353 | 41 (of 81) |
| Since | 7.75-9.75 | .443 | 50.75 (of 88.75) |
As you can see, Temple’s two best seasons in this brief window happened when Ulehla was at the helm. Immediately after she left the team hit a bottoming-out point, which could speak to weak recruiting, but with contradictory (and more recent) evidence on that point, I think it’s safe to say that there’s no need to worry about her recruiting ability.
James Madison
Since LaxPower’s numbers only go as far back as the 2005 season, any insight I can draw comes from the James Madison paragraph of her introductory press release:
The bulk of Ulehla’s head coaching experience occurred at James Madison University (1994-2002), where she led the program to three Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) championships, six NCAA Tournament appearances and the program’s lone NCAA Final Four showing, in 2000. Ulehla produced 13 All-Americans, including five first-team honorees, one National Midfield Player of the Year, one Honda Broderick Award nominee and one Tewaaraton Trophy Award Top 5 finalist. She was named the CAA Coach of the Year in 1995 and 2000.
Nothing to complain about there. After she left James Madison, Kellie Young built upon the foundation of success Ulehla established, and now Shelley Kales-Bawcombe, one of Ulehla’s former players at JMU, is leading the program.
In Conclusion…
It’s hard to find a coach with a more solid resume, unless you can woo Kelly Amonte-Hiller away from Northwestern (hint: you can’t). Ulehla has years of experience as an assistant and head coach at the D-1 level, and has succeeded everywhere she has been.