John Battaglino Honored as Lacrosse Magazine's Best Women's Coach of 2011 - UAlbany Sports 2012

Albany, N.Y. - After a tremendous, record-breaking 2011 women's lacrosse season for the Great Danes, head coach John Battaglino garnered numerous coaching awards after his first season in the reigns; including the recently announced Lacrosse Magazine Best Women's Coach of 2011.

Battaglino took the team 18-1 during his first season to set a program record for wins. Amongst those 18 wins was an America East Conference Championship title, the first for UAlbany, followed by the first NCAA Tournament game and first NCAA Tournament win. Topping that off, the Great Danes was the only Division I team to go undefeated in the regular season.

Lacrosse Magazine chose Battaglino for both his outstanding first season at the helm and working with a miniscule, injury-plagued roster. Battaglino told LM, "I've always been a big proponent of getting kids to make reads. I'm looking for five, six, seven kids on the scoreboard. They're all looking to score, to pounce on lanes and opportunities. It's a lot more fun to play, and it's a lot more fun to coach, especially when they start getting it. As soon as they start to see that, it's very rewarding."

The Great Danes 2012 campaign will begin at John Fallon Field on February 18th as they host Niagara.