Coach Carol Rappoli's role change from head coach to assistant for the field hockey team means good things for the women's lacrosse team.
"Of course it means a lot for lacrosse," Rappoli said. "It gives me more time to evaluate talent, I can go to more showcases, and all of our competitors just have coaches for one sport."
Rappoli, who came on in 1985 as head coach for both the field hockey and women's lacrosse, earlier this year stepped down from her head coaching position of the field hockey team. This fall would have marked her 20th as coach for field hockey.
When Rappoli was hired, the job of coaching women's field hockey and women's lacrosse was traditionally held by the same individual. However, within the last five years, all but two of the schools in the NESCAC had split up the position, and now Tufts is following the trend.
Although Rappoli is staying on as an assistant for the field hockey program, the program is still expected to be overhauled with the new leadership, instead of an extension of the years under Rappoli. The longtime coach had been the subject of ire from a few of the field hockey players last season, who met with athletic director Bill Gehling to voice their concerns.
Gehling said that Rappoli was kept as an assistant field hockey coach because of her 19 years of coaching experience.
"I anticipate that Carol, with her great knowledge of the sport and years of experience, will be a wonderful asset to the new coach and new program," he said.
"It means that the lacrosse team will have access to me in the fall, and the field hockey kids will have access to their coach in the spring," Rappoli continued. "That's important, whether you're fund raising or helping a player with her classes, because right now if I am head coach for field hockey the players want to meet with me but [because of lacrosse] I don't have any time."
The women's lacrosse team is currently at 6-4 and has just qualified for the playoffs.
Gehling refuted the notion that player complaints had any impact on the decision to split the women's field hockey and women's lacrosse position.
"Carol and I had discussed the possibility of her being head coach for just one sport, back over three years ago; the meeting had no bearing on this decision whatsoever," Gehling said. "The new job was in the making after an evaluation of our staffing assignments. Also, Carol expressed interest in just coaching lacrosse."
The new field hockey coach is expected to be named by May 10.
