Philadelphia, Pa. - (9/18/2019) – It is with great sadness and empathy for all those affected, that Chestnut Hill College Athletics regretfully announces the passing of Head Women's Soccer Coach Sandy Dickson. "Today is a very sad day for the Chestnut Hill College community," said Chestnut Hill College Director of Athletics and Recreation Jesse Balcer. "Sandy Dickson was kind, hard-working, and a great colleague. She embodied what it is to be a Griffin. The athletic department will miss her dearly and we will always carry her in our hearts." Coach Dickson was diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer late in the spring of 2019 and tirelessly battled the disease over the past few months. She passed away with her family by her side on Monday, September 16. Relatives and friends are invited to gather from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 25, followed by a memorial service at 12:00 p.m. at Givnish Funeral Home in Cinnaminson, New Jersey, 1200 Route 130 North.
 
OBITUARY | CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE COUNSELING CENTER
 
Sandy Dickson was named Chestnut Hill College's first Director of Fitness and Recreation, as well as, the Head Women's Soccer Coach in July of 2011. The Scarlet and Gold enjoyed immediate success under her guidance, earning back-to-back Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Women's Soccer Championship Tournament appearances in 2011 and 2012 with matching 7-5 league records. With 41 points (18 goals, 5 assists), star forward Lauren Riiff '12 thrived under Coach Dickson and was named the 2011 CACC Women's Soccer Player of the Year. It was the second such award for Riiff, who joined Coach Dickson on the Chestnut Hill Collee sidelines as an assistant coach in the fall of 2014.
 
Coach Dickson was beloved by her student-athletes, who she affectionately referred to as her "little chicken nuggets". Under Coach Dickson, the Chestnut Hill College women's soccer team was consistently one of the College's highest academic achieving programs, earning United Soccer Coaches (USC) Academic Team Awards in each of the last three seasons, as well as in seven of the last nine seasons. Moreover, 10 members of the Chestnut Hill College women's soccer team have been inducted into Chi Alpha Sigma; the National College Athlete Honor Society, over the last two years. In that same time, a dozen have earned Division II Athletics Directors Association (D2ADA) Academic Achievement Awards. With Coach Dickson at the helm, the Chestnut Hill College women's soccer program has provided six of the College's last eight top female senior student-athlete grade point averages (GPA); Annalyse Culp '17, Victoria Fedora '16, Leanna Ashcom '15, Marykate McShane '14, Joan Quinn '13, Lauren Brown '12.
 
Prior to Chestnut Hill College, Coach Dickson was a 14-year fixture at Bloomsburg University. There, she led the Huskies to a 139-89-27 record, which included ten Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Championship Tournament appearances and eight NCAA DII Championship Tournaments. Under Dickson, the Huskies won PSAC Championships in 1998 and 2002 while finishing runner-up in 2000 and 2001. She was named the PSAC Coach of the Year for the first time in 1998 and earned the award ten years later, 2008, after leading the Huskies to a 13-6-1 overall record and a 8-3-1 league standing (2^nd in PSAC East Division). Dickson produced 13 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Americans and 52 All-PSAC student-athletes including three PSAC Athletes of the Year, two PSAC Rookies of the Year, and one Adidas NCAA Division II Player of the Year.
 
Dickson was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I student-athlete at Rutgers University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in exercise sciences and psychology in 1994. She also earned master's degree in exercise science, earned from Bloomsburg University in 2003.