Wofford College has named Ceri Miller as head coach of the women’s lacrosse team. The inaugural season of competition for the program will be in the spring of 2018.
Miller is currently in her third season as the head coach of the women’s lacrosse program at Goucher College in Maryland. She will complete the 2016 season with the Gophers before assuming duties at Wofford.
“We are extremely excited to have Ceri Miller joining our staff as head coach,” says Director of Athletics Richard Johnson. “We feel we have found the right person to build a strong women’s lacrosse program here at Wofford.”
Miller says she appreciates and is looking forward to the opportunity at Wofford. “I am honored to be chosen as the first coach in Wofford women’s lacrosse history and look forward to building upon my experiences and success from Goucher. With the support of Wofford and the vision they have created for this program, I am excited to create a strong tradition and culture of competitive lacrosse in Spartanburg.”
In 2015, Miller guided the Gophers to an 11-7 record for their first winning season since 2006. The team reached the semifinals of the conference tournament, the best finish since the 2004 season. Miller and assistant Kristen Bilney were named Landmark Conference Coaching Staff of the Year.
Prior to joining Goucher, Miller served as an assistant coach at Dickinson College in Pennsylvania from 2010-13. While with the Red Devils, she was involved with all aspects of the program, with a focus on the development and coordination of the defensive unit and goalkeepers. Miller coached seven all-conference and five all-region players during her time at Dickinson.
Miller was additionally responsible for the team’s weightlifting and conditioning programs, and she served as the team’s academic mentor. The Red Devils were recognized as an IWLCA Academic Honor Roll Squad in each of her three seasons, and the team also earned the 2011 IWLCA Community Service Award. Away from coaching, Miller served as a physical trainer and fitness instructor at the Harrisburg YMCA. She is a certified Spinning, TRX and PiYo instructor.
Miller spent one season as an assistant coach at Washington & Jefferson College. She played lacrosse collegiately as a defender at both C.W. Post Long Island University and McDaniel College. She was at McDaniel from 2007-09, where the team earned Centennial Conference Tournament appearances in each season and was crowned ECAC champions in 2007. Miller was a two-year captain for the Green Terror, and she was named the team’s MVP in 2009.
After earning a B.A. in exercise science and physical education from McDaniel in 2008, Miller received her M.S. in the same discipline in 2009. She is an active member of the IWLCA, where she has served on the Academic Awards Committee since 2012. Miller also has been a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association. In her free time, Miller is an avid runner. She has completed multiple marathons, including the NYC Marathon.
The addition of women’s lacrosse will give Wofford a total of 19 varsity intercollegiate sports — nine women’s programs, nine men’s programs and one co-ed program. Women’s lacrosse is played in the spring and games are expected to be played at Gibbs Stadium, while locker room facilities will be in the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The first incoming class of recruits will enroll in the fall of 2016, with the second recruiting class entering in the fall of 2017. The first season of NCAA competition will be in the spring of 2018 and Wofford will compete as an associate member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.
by Brent Williamson, associate athletics director for media relations
Spring 2016