MEADVILLE, Pa. -- Allegheny Director of Athletics and Recreation Bill Ross has announced the hiring of Patty Pehnke as the Gators' next women's lacrosse head coach following a national search.

Pehnke arrives in Meadville with a decade of playing and coaching experience at the NCAA Division III level, most recently spending the last two years as an assistant at Rochester (N.Y.). At UR, Pehnke assisted in all aspects of the Yellowjackets program and served as the team's offensive coordinator, while also coaching goalies and draw specialists. During her time in New York, UR posted three All-Liberty League performers, an all-region player and three Liberty League weekly award winners.

"I am thrilled we were able to attract Patty, given her breadth of experience at high-level liberal arts colleges," said Ross. "She has a proven track record of success and knows what a championship caliber program looks like."

Prior to arriving at UR, Pehnke spent one season as the assistant women's lacrosse coach at Albright (Pa.), where she was the defensive coordinator and goalie coach in a year when the team set a program record with 12 wins, and also saw four players earn all-conference honors. From 2016-18 Pehnke served as a graduate assistant at McDaniel (Md.), where she also served as defensive coordinator and goalie coach, while helping mentor four All-Centennial Conference selections and the CC Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She broke into coaching as an assistant at Alma (Mich.) in 2015-16.

"I am proud and honored to become the next Women's Lacrosse Head Coach at Allegheny College and would like to extend my appreciation and gratitude to Bill Ross, Mandy Prusia, and the search committee for this tremendous opportunity.

A big thank you to all of those that have supported me and have mentored me in the last six years as I prepare to take this next step in my career. I look forward to arriving on campus and start working diligently with the team to elevate every aspect of the program as the women's lacrosse program strives to new successes."

A four-year member of the women's lacrosse program at Catholic (D.C.), Pehnke earned all-region honors as a senior in 2015 and was chosen to play in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) North-South All-Star game. She earned a pair of All-Landmark Conference honors as a student-athlete and helped the Cardinals win three conference titles and earn three trips to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship.

Pehnke holds a bachelor's degree in History from Catholic and earned a master's degree in Kinesiology from McDaniel. She is very involved in the IWLCA, regularly attending the organization's convention, hosting professional development seminars, serving as a national poll voter and chairing the IWLCA's Clinic Planning Committee.