Danielle Spencer Named Dartmouth Women’s Lacrosse Coach.

While the issue of former Dartmouth head coach Amy Patton’s resignation is still a contentious one within the Dartmouth women’s lacrosse community, the university took a major step in the right direction yesterday and hired former Northwestern BALLER & assistant coach Danielle Spencer.

This is only the 4th coach in the program’s 44 year history. In the press release yesterday, Director of Athletics & Recreation, Harry Sheehy stated that BOSS Spencer was the right person for Dartmouth:

“I could not be more pleased to welcome Danielle to our athletics department and the Dartmouth community at large. Her philosophy, competitive spirit and work ethic will make her transition to the Hanover plain seamless. I know she will be a wonderful role model for the women of Dartmouth lacrosse.”

BOSS Spencer was excited to get started and was effusive in her praise of her former coaches & colleagues at Northwestern:

“I would like to thank Athletics Director Harry Sheehy, Wendy Bordeau, and the entire athletic department at Dartmouth for making this incredible opportunity possible. I would also like to thank President Morty Schapiro, Dr. Jim Phillips, Janna Blais and Kelly Amonte Hiller of Northwestern for their support and guidance. I am prepared for this opportunity because of the mentorship I received from Kelly as a player and coach at Northwestern. I look forward to meeting the current team as well as former players and getting to work!”

Spencer was a no joke when she played at Northwestern. She won 3 titles (2007, 2008, 2009) and was runner-up once (2010) during her playing career. Spencer was also a two-time All-American & a three-time All-ALC player. As an assistant coach & recruiting coordinator at Northwestern she helped the Wildcats four Big BBQ appearances and a two trips to the Final Four (2013, 2014).

This is a wonderful grab by Dartmouth. Moreover, getting someone of Spencer’s caliber is a great way to start to heal the wounds from the Patton saga. Hopefully the Dartmouth lacrosse community can now rally around Spencer & the program.