Courtesy of Greg Gornick, Chestnut Hill SID

PHILADELPHIA, PA (October 13, 2009) - Director of Athletics and Recreation, Lynn Tubman, announced the selection of Lesley Graham as the next head coach for the Chestnut Hill College women's lacrosse program. A former Division I assistant coach at Canisius College, Graham also carries experience from high levels of competition as a student-athlete at Ithaca College. Graham holds a master's degree in sports administration from Canisius College and a bachelor's degree in journalism with a minor in history from Ithaca College.

At Canisius College, Graham also assisted the women's volleyball coaching staff; however her passion has always been rooted in women's lacrosse. During her time with the Golden Griffins, she was responsible for conducting practice, supervising student-athletes academic progress, arranging travel, fundraising, and recruitment.

The Canisius women's lacrosse team went 9-9 in 2008 after opening with contests against two nationally ranked schools, Notre Dame and Syracuse. The Golden Griffins made an appearance in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships and had four women receive first team all-conference honors at season's end. In 2009, Canisius made a second straight MAAC tournament, this time as a number two seed. Graham also coached internationally, serving as an assistant coach for the Scottish Junior National Under-19 Team during the 2005-2006 scholastic year.

As a student-athlete at Ithaca College, Graham served as a team captain for a program that was a two-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament Qualifier (2003 & 2004) and an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Champion (2002). As a senior in 2005, Graham was an all-conference selection and earned the Empire 8 Defensive Player of the Year Award.