December 5, 2008
Lister Named Head Volleyball & Softball Coach
Eastern Shore Native was Four-Time All-American

CHESTERTOWN, MD - Washington College Athletic Director Dr. Bryan Matthews has announced the hiring of Lacey Lister as the school's new head volleyball and softball coach. A four-time Division III All-American, Lister is no stranger to the Eastern Shore as she hails from nearby Denton and attended North Caroline High School before traveling down the shore to play and coach at Salisbury University.

"We are excited to have Lacey join our coaching staff," remarked Dr. Matthews. "Her background in volleyball and softball make her an outstanding selection and her strong motivation to join the Washington College community is a bonus. A native of the Eastern Shore, Lacey is a natural fit for this position and we look forward to working with her."

A stand-out two-sport athlete at North Caroline, Lister excelled in both volleyball and softball. At Salisbury, she chose to focus on softball and turned in one of the most outstanding pitching careers in Division III history. Lister was a four-time All-American, including a first-team selection her senior year. She was also a four-time first-team All-Region and four-time first-team All-Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) selection, a three-time CAC Player of the Year, and a three-time team Most Valuable Player. She recorded 1,096 career strikeouts and 108 career victories - both of those stand as the fourth-highest totals in NCAA Division III history. During her player career, the Sea Gulls played in four NCAA Division III Tournaments and won four CAC Championships.

Between two games of a Salisbury double-header on April 25th, 2007, Lister's jersey was retired, making her just the fifth person in the history of her university to be so honored. Coincidentally, the Sea Gulls' opponent that day was Washington College.

Following her playing career, Lister remained at Salisbury for two years as an assistant softball coach to head coach Margie Knight, who also serves as Salisbury's head volleyball coach. Her duties included managing fall practices, developing pitching workouts and supervising pitchers, and recruiting. Since 2002, Lister has also worked as a private pitching instructor, teaching proper pitching techniques through individualized lessons in one-on-one and small-group settings. In September 2008, she also began working as an assistant coach for the Severna Park Hornets travel softball team.

Throughout her days playing for and working under Coach Knight, Lister maintained close contact with the sport of volleyball and aided the Salisbury volleyball program in an unofficial capacity. She is currently planning to attend top-notch volleyball clinics to further enhance her knowledge of the sport.

Lister received a B.S. in Elementary Education from Salisbury University in December 2006 and also completed a minor is Psychology as an undergraduate. She is expected to receive an M.Ed. in Post-Secondary Education from Salisbury this month.

Lister will officially take over the reigns of both programs at the beginning of January. She replaces Louie Richardson, who has accepted a position with an indoor and outdoor sports facility in Salisbury, MD. Richardson spent four a one-half years as a head coach at Washington College following three years as an assistant.

Both of Lister's new teams have a significant amount of young talent. The Washington College softball team currently features 13 freshmen on a roster of 17 players, while the volleyball team went 11-18 this past fall with seven freshmen on its roster.