POULTNEY—Green Mountain College Director of Athletics Kip Shipley announced Aug. 10 that David Morris has been selected as the new women’s head coach for the Eagles’ soccer and lacrosse teams. Morris becomes the twelfth head coach of the soccer program and the fourth in the history of the lacrosse program.
“We are excited for Dave to begin to establish his blueprint for the soccer and lacrosse programs and begin his coaching career here at Green Mountain,” said Shipley. “He brings over 17 years of experience including a great deal of success building programs which attract student-athletes who are great fits for the school, succeed academically and are upstanding community members. Dave will be a tremendous addition to a staff that is very supportive of our sustainability mission.”
Morris joins Green Mountain after a successful two-year stint as the head women’s soccer coach at Oxford College of Emory University, in Oxford, Ga.; with NCAA Division II Oakland City University from 2011-2013, earning Independent Collegiate Athletic Association (ICAA) Coach of the Year in 2013. Prior to stints rebuilding programs at small private colleges, Morris took a Colorado State-Pueblo program coming off consecutive sub-.500 seasons to its best campaign in school history, reaching the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) Championship game in 2007 as well as capturing both RMAC Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards while achieving the program’s best-ever overall academic performance.
A consistent theme across all teams he has coached has been recognition not only for on-field performance but also for community service and academic achievement. He also has enjoyed success transitioning between sports. During his time at University of Wisconsin-Stout, Morris founded the West Wisconsin Dynamo soccer club, leading them to two state championships and a spot in the United States Youth Soccer Association Region II Championship in 2004.
Although this will be Morris’ first foray into leading a women’s lacrosse program as a head coach, he most recently taught lacrosse while a professor at Oxford College of Emory University.
“It is really inspiring to have the opportunity to be a part of the Green Mountain College community and be tasked with building programs that are a seamless part of the overall educational experience for our student-athletes and a great vehicle for building awareness of what a student can accomplish here at GMC,” said Morris. “I want to thank Kip Shipley, James Thivierge, Dr. Mauhs-Pugh, and President Allen for all their efforts in taking time with me and my family. I’m truly grateful that they considered me a good fit for GMC and now want to prove worthy of that trust.”