Head Field Hockey Coach Leslie LaFronz named NJAC Coach of the Year
By Craig Epstein | Published Dec. 20, 2016
Kean University Head Field Hockey Coach Leslie LaFronz was named New Jersey Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. Only one other coach in Kean’s history has earned such an award, and that was Renee Clark back in 1994.
“I am honored to receive Coach of the Year honors as I believe this is a reflection of all of our hard work,” Coach LaFronz said. “I have an exceptional staff that assisted me daily in the development of our players and program and I could not be prouder of my team.”
Under LaFronz’s leadership, the Cougars went 16-2 in the regular season, winning a program record 14-straight games to start the season. The team’s only two losses came at the hands of The College of New Jersey in overtime and Montclair State University, both of which were ranked in the top 15 nationally.
LaFronz and the field hockey team also got a taste for international matches this past summer.
“We traveled to Amsterdam and Paris this past summer which allowed us to play international matches and get extra training,” she said, “and I really believe that this trip allowed our players to create strong personal bonds that manifested itself in our play this fall.”
Jordan Colna, a senior from Washington Township who plays on the team, said it was an “honor” for the program to have their coach recognized.
“Having Coach Lafronz win the NJAC Coach of the Year award was truly an honor for the program and helps us get the recognition we deserve as a winning program,” said Colna. “This season was one for the record books, although we did not finished the way we wanted too, we still broke records and had a winning season being 18-4. We worked so hard over the past year and it was great seeing it pay off.”
Kean outscored their opponents 55-22 in the regular season and recorded 7 shutouts in their 18 games. Field hockey players Krista LaMaina and Shauna LaMaina were First-Team All NJAC selection, a testament to how well LaFronz coached her team.
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