The University of Denver’s alpine coach and women’s lacrosse coach have both been appointed to serve as members of NCAA Division I committees for their respective sports. Liza Kelly and Andy LeRoy will be filling in for committee members that have vacated their spots before their terms ran out.
Kelly and LeRoy think that serving on the committees will offer a unique opportunity that will benefit their teams.
“It’s good to have a voice,” LeRoy said. “I can work to keep the best interests of DU in mind,” she says.
Kelly said that serving on the women’s lacrosse committee will give her an insight to
the national lacrosse scene. “This committee will give us a better inside view and allow us to know exactly how we stand as a team throughout the year and where we need to improve.”
Both coaches will assume a variety of responsibilities as committee members, but their roles will differ slightly.
LeRoy will be responsible for determining the application of alpine skiing rules.
Rules of ski racing are governed by someone bigger than the NCAA,” said LeRoy. “The FIS, or Federation of International Skiing, creates the rules and we make sure that they are acting in the best interest of the schools and student athletes,” she says.
Kelly explained that women’s division I lacrosse has a rules committee, and she will be more concerned with seeding teams for the NCAA tournament. “I’ll watch teams progress throughout the year and help decide where they’ll be seeded in the tournament,” she said.
Both coaches agree that serving as committee members is an honor and a chance for DU to be represented on a national stage.
Among his goals, LeRoy wants to make sure that selection for the NCAA championship is fair, and that any athlete, regardless of the school they race for, has the opportunity to compete. LeRoy said that the current system does not necessarily ensure that the best athletes compete.
“We’re working on a system that is flexible,” he said.
Kelly sees her appointment as an opportunity to keep her finger on the pulse of women’s lacrosse. “I think it is very important as a coaching staff that we stay involved with the national and regional scene, the more you know the better your program will be,” she said.
LeRoy will be finishing the term for Tom Arnstein, former head alpine coach for the University of Nevada-Reno, and Kelly will be replacing Vanderbilt’s head women’s lacrosse coach, Cathy Swezey. Both will be up for reappointment within the next two years.
