The Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association has chosen three former coaches for induction into the organization’s 2019 Hall of Fame class. The class will be formally enshrined on Thursday, November 21 during the IWLCA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony held in conjunction with the IWLCA Annual Meetings at the Hilton West Palm Beach in West Palm Beach, Fla.
The 2019 class is comprised of Diane Geppi Aikens, Jane Miller, and Robin Sheppard. Princeton University head coach Chris Sailer chaired the IWLCA’s Hall of Fame committee that chose this year’s class.
“The Hall of Fame committee has the incredibly difficult task of choosing each induction class from among dozens of well-qualified nominees, and their diligence and commitment to selecting the right class cannot be overstated. I applaud both their efforts and their results,” said Kathy Taylor, President of the IWLCA and head coach at Colgate University. “The Hall of Fame class of 2019 represents not only a high level of achievement on the field, but an unparalleled level of service to the game and the profession off the field. Diane, Jane, and Robin are all icons in women’s collegiate lacrosse and their efforts to advance the game and support their coaching colleagues have left the sport immensely better than they found it.”
Tickets for the 2019 IWLCA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will go on sale October 1 and will remain available on the IWLCA website through November 14, 2019. The IWLCA Hall of Fame was established in May 2017 to recognize and honor outstanding career achievements by collegiate women's lacrosse coaches. The class of 2019 will be the third class of honorees to be inducted.
2019 Hall of Fame Inductee Bios
Diane Geppi-Aikens served as head coach at Loyola College (now Loyola University Maryland) from 1989-2003, compiling a .736 winning percentage to go with a record of 196-70 that includes 10 NCAA Tournament and seven Final Four appearances. Geppi-Aikens was a three-time IWLCA Division I Coach of the Year honoree (1996, 1997 and 2003) and coached 15 first-team All-American players during her tenure. She served as a member of the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse Committee from 1995-99 and was chairperson of the committee for two years. As a player, Geppi-Aikens was a collegiate standout in lacrosse and volleyball, earning second team IWLCA All-American status following her senior season in 1984. She was the recipient of the Tewaaraton Lifetime Recognition Award in 2001 and received both the NCAA’s Inspiration Award and the ECAC’s Award of Valor in 2003. Geppi-Aikens is a member of both the US Lacrosse Greater Baltimore Chapter and National Lacrosse Hall of Fame. The IWLCA renamed its lifetime achievement award in her honor in 2002. Geppi-Aikens passed away in 2003 and will be inducted posthumously.
Jane Miller coached at the University of Virginia from 1983 to 1995 and posted a 145-44 record during her 12 seasons guiding the Cavaliers. Miller’s teams made six NCAA semi-final appearances and claimed the Championship in both 1991 and 1993. Miller was named the Division I Coach of the Year in 1991 by the IWLCA, coached three IWLCA Players of the Year and was on the staff for Team USA at the 1986 IFWLA World Cup. As an administrator, Miller served on the NCAA Women’s Lacrosse committee for several years and was elected as the chair of the NCAA Division I Championship/Sports Management Cabinet in 2011. She was also the first Senior Women's Administrator appointed to the NCAA Division I Board of Directors, where she participated in the overall governance of NCAA Division I Athletics for three years. Miller began her lacrosse coaching career at Longwood, where she posted a 28-20-2 record over four seasons.
Robin Sheppard coached at Trinity College for 25 seasons, posting a 213-68-5 record and .753 winning percentage, while amassing four NIAC championship titles, seven ECAC tournament appearances, and three NCAA Division III Tournament appearances. She coached 11 first-team All-Americans and received the IWLCA’s Diane Geppi-Aikens award in 2005. After retiring as the coach of Trinity’s lacrosse and field hockey teams, Sheppard served as an associate athletic director at Trinity. She served as the NCAA New England region chair for lacrosse, and the women’s lacrosse and field hockey facility at Trinity is named in her honor.