Alex Frank Named Head Coach of Dartmouth Women's Lacrosse

HANOVER, N.H. – Dartmouth Director of Athletics & Recreation Harry Sheehy has announced the hiring of Alex Frank as new head coach of the Dartmouth women's lacrosse team.

Frank becomes just the fifth head coach in the program's 48-year history and comes to Hanover after spending the last four seasons as a member of the coaching staff at Colorado. After her second season on the Buffaloes' sideline, Frank was promoted to associate head coach under Ann Elliott Whidden.

"I am honored and privileged to be the next head women's lacrosse coach at Dartmouth," Frank said. "I want to thank Athletics Director Harry Sheehy and Senior Associate Athletics Director Dr. Kristene Kelly for giving me the opportunity to begin my head coaching career with the Big Green.

"I am fortunate to have worked alongside and been mentored by some of the best coaches. I want to thank Colorado head coach Ann Elliott Whidden and Boston College head coach, Acacia Walker Weinstein for their continuing support over the last seven years," Frank continued. "I want to thank Colorado Athletics Director Rick George for his guidance over the last four years and will forever be grateful to have been a part of the Colorado women's lacrosse family."

This past season, Frank and the Buffaloes finished as the Pac-12 Tournament runner-up and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, narrowly defeating the Big Green in a first-round contest. Under Frank's guidance, Colorado reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three years, winning in the first round in both 2018 and 2019.

Frank has also been a member of the coaching staff for US Lacrosse and the Women's National Team.

In 2018, Alex was named the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Assistant Coach of the Year.

Prior to her time in Boulder, Frank spent three seasons as an assistant with Boston College from 2013 to 2015. The Eagles posted a 42-18 mark in her three years on the Heights, reaching the national tournament three times, including a 2013 first-round game against Dartmouth in Syracuse.

At both Colorado and BC, Frank served as the recruiting coordinator, responsible for bringing in some of the nation's best players at both schools that have turned each program into a power on the national stage. She has experience coaching in each area of the field as she was the Buffs' offensive coordinator after working with the midfield and defense at Boston College.

Her coaching career followed a stellar playing career with Northwestern where she won three national titles (2009, 2011, 2012), was named an All-America player three times (2010, 2011, 2012) and was voted team captain as both a junior and senior. She graduated from Northwestern's School of Communications in 2012 with a degree in radio, television and film and a minor in business institutions.

Frank was named to the Academic All-Big Ten Team three times (2010-12) and, as a senior, she was honored as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and nominated for NCAA Woman of the Year.

Frank played two seasons with outgoing head coach Danielle Spencer as members of the Wildcats, winning the 2009 national title together.

"The Dartmouth women's lacrosse program is rich in tradition. Previous coaches have created an incredible foundation for success, and I am excited to carry on the tradition of excellence. Dartmouth provides the student-athlete with an unparalleled college experience," Frank said. "With the support of the athletic department, academic advisers and the passionate Dartmouth alumni, I will honor these traditions as well as bring new innovations to the Dartmouth women's lacrosse program."

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING:
"I am thrilled to welcome Alex to the Dartmouth community. Her passion for the game, competitive spirit and work ethic makes her a perfect fit here at Dartmouth. She is more than ready to continue the great trajectory of the women's lacrosse program and I look forward to working with her." – Harry Sheehy, Dartmouth Director of Athletics and Recreation

"I want to thank Alex for all she has given to our program over the last four years. She has been an incredible mentor to our players and dedicated so many hours to helping me build our program into a consistent top-20 program in the nation. Alex will be greatly missed here at Colorado, but we wish her nothing but success at Dartmouth. This is such an exciting and well-deserved step for Alex in her career. I have no doubt Dartmouth is getting an incredible head coach and leader in Alex Frank. She is going to continue to build on the program's success and compete for many championships there. This is the start of something very special for Alex and the Dartmouth program!" – Ann Elliott Whidden, Head Coach University of Colorado

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