Chestnut Hill College Director of Athletics Jesse Balcer is pleased to introduce Patrice Coleman as the institution's new Head Women's Lacrosse Coach.   Coleman becomes the 17th head coach in the 62-year history of the program that started back in 1960-61.

"Patrice Coleman is an up-and-coming head coach in women's lacrosse and I feel very fortunate to have her on our staff at Chestnut Hill College, "said Balcer.   "Throughout the interview process, what stood out to us was her ability to relate to people, recruit good student-athletes, and lead. I am looking forward to watching her implement these qualities and grow with the women's lacrosse program."

Coleman joins Chestnut Hill after a successful four-year stint as the Assistant Women's Lacrosse coach at Washington College, an NCAA Division III school located in Chestertown, Maryland. Washington College went 27-22 during Coleman's four years as an assistant, qualifying for the Centennial Conference Tournament twice.

"I am extremely excited to be back within Division II Women's Lacrosse and grateful to Director of Athletics Jesse Balcer for giving me this opportunity to join the Chestnut Hill Athletics community as the Head Women's Lacrosse Coach!," said Coleman  "I am eager to get started with the team and am looking forward to building strong connections with the student-athletes, fellow staff members and community. I appreciate all of the guidance and support from my mentors, family, and friends in this transition into the next chapter of my career. I can't wait to continue to share my passion for the game of lacrosse and help provide a positive student-athlete experience here at Chestnut Hill!"

Prior to Washington College, Coleman spent one season as an assistant coach at Widener University where she helped the Pride reach the MAC Commonwealth Tournament for the first time in six years, achieve their first-ever postseason victory and advance to the semifinal round of the conference Tournament.

Coleman was a four-year player at Division II Bloomsburg where she was a part of the 2012 team that won the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Championship (PSAC) and reached the PSAC Tournament every year. In her four seasons with the Huskies (2012-15), she played in 66 games where she totaled 39 goals, 20 assists for 59 points.

Following her playing career for Bloomsburg, she served as both a volunteer assistant and an assistant intern while completing her undergraduate studies in 2016 and then served for two years as a graduate assistant for the Huskies. In charge of the offense, Bloomsburg improved on offense in all three seasons she was on the coaching staff, going from 9.33 goals per game in 2016 to 10.5 goals per contest in 2017 to 12.11 scores per outing in 2018. 

She also assisted in organizing and planning of the 2017 NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse Championship as the semifinals and championship game were hosted by Bloomsburg.

Coleman earned a B.A. in Communication Studies from Bloomsburg in 2016 and her M.Ed in Educational Leadership from Bloomsburg in 2018.