2008 Woodie Awards
Lawrence welcomes new coaches
Kyle Nodarse
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: Sports
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Lawrence University is a constantly changing environment, from the buildings to the professors to the students. Overlooked in the midst of all the change are the coaches that sacrifice their time and energy to make Lawrence's athletes better competitors and people.
This winter, three new coaches take the helms of three very successful programs with new ideas on ways to improve, continue tradition and improve the Lawrence athletic experience.
Swimming as well as both men's and women's basketball programs all have new coaches this year, though not all of the faces are unfamiliar. Joel DePagter, the head golf coach and assistant basketball coach of the men's basketball team is stepping into the head coach role for the men's basketball team.
A Lawrence '98 graduate, he began coaching at Hillsdale College in Michigan, where his predecessor, Coach Tharp, is now the head coach. He came back to Lawrence four years ago to be Tharp's assistant and began coaching basketball as well as golf.
He is especially grateful to Lawrence's Athletic Director, Bob Beeman, for this opportunity, and is looking forward to leading this team into a new era. He is excited about working with not only great talent, but people of great character, and he says he is ready for the challenges of the upcoming season.
He returns seven of the men's basketball team's eight leading scorers from last year as well as many players with on-court experience. Coach DePagter is looking to bring home the fourth conference title in five years for this team. His biggest goal, besides the conference title, is emphasizing his beliefs in morals and refusing to quit in the face of adversity.
The new women's basketball coach is Michelle Walsh. She graduated from Swarthmore College in 1998 and has held the position of assistant coach at both Smith College and Hobart and William Smith College.
She is taking over a successful program as well but is looking to continue growing as a program, now and in the future. She is getting to know her team, which will return with experience, and is looking to focus on the fundamentals of the game and the necessity for conditioning.
This winter, three new coaches take the helms of three very successful programs with new ideas on ways to improve, continue tradition and improve the Lawrence athletic experience.
Swimming as well as both men's and women's basketball programs all have new coaches this year, though not all of the faces are unfamiliar. Joel DePagter, the head golf coach and assistant basketball coach of the men's basketball team is stepping into the head coach role for the men's basketball team.
A Lawrence '98 graduate, he began coaching at Hillsdale College in Michigan, where his predecessor, Coach Tharp, is now the head coach. He came back to Lawrence four years ago to be Tharp's assistant and began coaching basketball as well as golf.
He is especially grateful to Lawrence's Athletic Director, Bob Beeman, for this opportunity, and is looking forward to leading this team into a new era. He is excited about working with not only great talent, but people of great character, and he says he is ready for the challenges of the upcoming season.
He returns seven of the men's basketball team's eight leading scorers from last year as well as many players with on-court experience. Coach DePagter is looking to bring home the fourth conference title in five years for this team. His biggest goal, besides the conference title, is emphasizing his beliefs in morals and refusing to quit in the face of adversity.
The new women's basketball coach is Michelle Walsh. She graduated from Swarthmore College in 1998 and has held the position of assistant coach at both Smith College and Hobart and William Smith College.
She is taking over a successful program as well but is looking to continue growing as a program, now and in the future. She is getting to know her team, which will return with experience, and is looking to focus on the fundamentals of the game and the necessity for conditioning.
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