It’s the end of an era for women’s lacrosse, as the team’s most successful head coach of all time has announced her departure to take the head coaching job at Ohio State University this year.
After 11 seasons with the Cardinal, Amy Bokker leads the women’s lacrosse program in games won, with a record of 151-59. She led Stanford to 12 or more wins in all but one of her seasons as head coach, including a record-setting 16 wins in 2011.
With Bokker at the helm, Stanford earned its first-ever victory in an NCAA Tournament game in 2013. And in 2018, Stanford won the inaugural Pac-12 Tournament title.
But Bokker’s accolades don’t stop there — not even close.
She has coached eight All-Americans, 40 all-conference athletes, five conference Player of the Year recipients, six conference tournament MVPs and three conference Newcomers of the Year at Stanford. In 2015, the Cardinal led the nation in goals per game, averaging 16.
Before Bokker’s arrival in 2009, the Cardinal had only appeared in one NCAA Tournament. She led the program to six conference titles and eight NCAA tournament appearances.
She broke the news of her departure in an email to the team on Tuesday.
“While this change will offer some great opportunities for my family and a new challenge for me professionally, there is part of me that is sad to leave this Stanford community … I leave knowing that this program has a strong foundation and that you all are poised for greatness,” Bokker wrote. “I will be cheering for you from the Midwest.”
Bokker did not respond to The Daily’s request for comment, though she Tweeted that she is “so excited to begin a new era with @ohiostatewlax & compete in the @bigten!”
Many longtime Stanford coaches have left or announced their departures this year for a variety of reasons. Bokker was just the sixth head coach in Stanford women’s lacrosse’s 25-year history.
“We want to thank Amy for all of her contributions to the Stanford women’s lacrosse program over the last 11 years, and wish her the best,” wrote Stanford Athletics Director Bernard Muir in a statement. “We look forward to building upon our tradition of academic and athletic excellence, and have begun a national search to find our next head coach.”
Bokker brings to Ohio State a 245-161 (.603) record as a Division I head coach. Prior to her time at Stanford, Bokker coached one season with American University (8-8) and 11 seasons with George Mason University (86-94).
While Stanford is left to search for Bokker’s replacement, Ohio State has received high praise for onboarding her.
“Amy is one of the top professional coaches in the country,” wrote three-time U.S. Lacrosse coach and Georgetown head coach Ricky Fried in a statement. “She is an excellent recruiter, motivator and tactician, a rare combination … Ohio State has hit a home run selecting Amy Bokker to lead their program.”
Contact Holden Foreman at hs4man21 ‘at’ stanford.edu.