To view complete release, click here.
Northern Colorado’s Lyndsey Benson was named the 2009 Big Sky Coach of the Year after leading her team to it’s first-ever conference title last Saturday. The honors are the first for Benson, who was selected in a vote by her fellow conference coaches.
The Bears entered this year’s tournament as the No. 3-seed. They knocked off No. 2 Eastern Washington in the semifinals and No. 1 Portland State in the championship to claim the title. The weekend was a historical one as the women’s volleyball team became the first Northern Colorado team to win a Big Sky Championship since joining the league in 2006.
Benson coached four of her players to all-conference honors in 2009. Senior Allison Raguse was named to the first team, while senior Kenzie Shreeve and freshman Marissa Hughes were named to the second team. Taylor Smith received honorable mention accolades. Shreeve was this year’s tournament MVP, and Raguse and Hughes earned all-tournament honors.
Benson took over the volleyball program on August 8, 2005, just three days prior to the start of camp. She first joined the Bears as a graduate assistant in 2003 and was promoted to full-time assistant in December of 2004. Just eight months later she began her journey as head coach.
Northern Colorado notched 14 wins in 2005. It was the Bears’ inaugural season at the NCAA Division I level and Benson’s first at the head of the program. They took fourth-place at the NCAA Division I Independent Championship that year.
She continued that momentum in 2006, leading Northern Colorado to a 13-16 overall and 7-9 league record. The Bears advanced to the Big Sky Championship in their first season of eligibility and earned a quarterfinal win over Montana. Northern Colorado has made it to the postseason tournament every year since.
The native of Eaton, Colo. spent the 2002 season as an assistant coach at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala., She was raised in Colorado and was a standout at Eaton High, where she earned all-state honors three times and set the state record for career kills with 981.
Benson played Division I volleyball at Louisiana State and was a three-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection. She earned a degree in mass communications in 2002, before completing her master’s degree in athletic administration at Northern Colorado in December 2004.
Northern Colorado earned it’s first-ever berth to the NCAA Tournament by virtue of winning the conference title. Benson and the Bears will face Washington in the first round on Thursday, Dec. 3 in Fort Collins, Colo.