DETROIT (7/25/2016) -- Laurie Merian, who spent the last two seasons as the assistant coach with the University of Detroit Mercy women's lacrosse program, has been named the new head coach, announced today by Director of Athletics
Robert C. Vowels, Jr.
Merian becomes the third head coach in the nine-year history of Detroit Mercy women's lacrosse.
"Laurie has demonstrated great character since she arrived at Detroit Mercy and I believe she is the right fit to lead our program," Vowels said. "She has a great rapport with our student-athletes, staff, and the University and has helped our program reach new heights in her time here. She brings not only the experience of coaching at Detroit Mercy but experience as a head coach at Alma College, where she helped build a first-year program into a title contender in just three years."
The Titans saw plenty of success in Merian's first two years on campus as an assistant coach with the Titans notching their first two winning seasons in school history while also breaking the program record for wins in two straight seasons. Detroit Mercy notched 10 wins in Merian's first year with the Titans in 2015 before recording a school-record 12 victories in 2016. Detroit Mercy advanced to the Atlantic Sun Championship game in both seasons marking its third and fourth straight appearance in the A-Sun title game.
Merian coached an offense attack that was 28th in the NCAA in scoring offense last season at 11.75 goals per game. The Titans tied the school record with 235 total goals, while setting new program marks for assists and points. Detroit Mercy also set new records for draw controls and free-position goals in 2016. In her first season as assistant coach in 2015, Detroit Mercy was 26th in the country in scoring offense and second all-time in Titan history posting 12.19 goals per contest.
"I am very honored for the opportunity to continue coaching at the University of Detroit Mercy," Merian said. "I would like to thank Robert Vowels Jr., Teri Kromrei and
Mike Miller for believing in me to be the next head coach.
"In my two years as the assistant, we have been successful and I am ready to excel above and beyond what we have already accomplished. We have grown as a team, and I am excited to get back in action with these girls in the fall and continue recruiting top players to our program."
The Titans also recorded the two lowest goals against averages in school history in the past two seasons with the help of Merian's tutelage. Freshman
Kaitlyn Wandelt was selected as the Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year this past season, while three freshmen were named to the A-Sun All-Freshmen Team. Six Titans were named All-Conference in Merian's two seasons with the red, white and blue, including
Kylie Birney, who was also selected as the IWLCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year in Division I and a two-time Atlantic Sun Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Detroit Mercy recorded upsets of higher seeds in the Atlantic Sun Championship tournament in both seasons, defeating No. 2 Old Dominion in the Atlantic Sun semifinals in 2015 and beating top-seeded Jacksonville, 9-8, in the A-Sun semifinals this past year. It was Jacksonville's first loss in Atlantic Sun history in any contest and was voted the top moment of the academic year by the University of Detroit Mercy Athletics Department.
The former Belmont Abbey standout began her coaching career as head coach at Alma College, where she built the Division III program from the ground up. In just her second season as head coach in 2013, Merian led the Scots to a 15-3 record and 5-1 mark in conference play, advancing to the MIAA championship game. Alma went 13-6 and 5-1 in league action in 2014 with another appearance in the conference title game. In three seasons at the helm at Alma, she led the Scots to 34 victories and a .653 winning percentage.
Merian was a four-year letter winner in lacrosse and a two-year letter winner in soccer while at Belmont Abbey and was recognized as All-Region three times. She was All-Conference in all four seasons and was the Coastal Carolina Conference's Freshman of the Year while also being selected Belmont Abbey's Freshman of the Year. She was a Team MVP and a two-time co-captain during her playing career.
She graduated in 2010 from Belmont Abbey with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business management with a marketing concentration. Merian and her husband Dan have a son, Kaiden.
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