Winning has a way of changing expectations.
Lehigh University’s women’s basketball team has posted seven consecutive winning seasons, and its softball team has recorded 23 winning seasons over the past 26 years. That’s proof that Lehigh’s women’s teams can compete at the highest levels of the Patriot League.
The question now is how far that momentum can carry across the athletics department.
Lehigh is focused on strengthening all of its women’s teams by recruiting top student-athletes and coaches and providing them with the resources needed to succeed.
Brazel Marquez, head coach of Mountain Hawks women’s wrestling, has her sales pitch for recruits down: excellent academics, the chance to help build a new program, and a competitive schedule.
She also has a “closer” in the Murray H. Goodman Dean of Athletics, Jeremy Gibson, whose hands-on approach has become a difference maker.
“He’ll come in on a Saturday at 8 a.m. and spend an hour talking with the families and letting them know the vision of the program,” Marquez says. “He’s not afraid to do the hard work to help our program out. Meeting face-to-face is a nice touch in our recruiting visits.”
“We land about 90% of them.”
Across women’s athletics, newly hired head coaches share a belief in their athletes and an ambitious vision for what their programs can become.
Sophia Geier
Women’s Tennis
When she arrived in 2024, Geier recognized a team ready to take the next step. The Mountain Hawks had tied a program record with 14 wins the previous season and reached the Patriot League semifinals for the first time since 2018. In her first year, Geier led them back to the semifinals and now expects them to embrace that result as the standard.
A two-time Mid-American Conference Player of the Year at the University of Akron, Geier then coached Kenyon College to a regular season and tournament conference titles and the NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen. She then spent a season at Brown University before joining Lehigh.
Throughout her career, she’s been looking for an opportunity like the one Lehigh provides.
“I really enjoy [Lehigh] students ... They’re very curious, very nice, very motivated, and very genuine,” Geier says. “Growing up, they always wanted to do well in everything they do, which is helpful on the court.”
Her success as both a player and coach makes new heights seem attainable for the Mountain Hawks.
Always looking for an edge, Geier emphasizes holistic support for her student-athletes, including nutrition, sleep science, mental skills training, and strength and conditioning.
Steph Lazo
Women’s Lacrosse
Lazo wasted no time getting started at Lehigh. Offered the job on a Friday night, she began the following Monday.
“I was just so eager and excited to get going and to meet the girls and get this program developed and ready to go,” she says.
Lazo knows the Mountain Hawks well, having competed against them as a player at Penn State and coaching against them during five seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Delaware. Lehigh’s grit and competitiveness always impressed her.
To push the program forward, Lazo is embracing sports science technology, including GPS units to track her student-athletes during practices. These create an optimal recovery plan between practices and help players return from injuries quicker.
She also installing an uptempo, attack-focused style of play— fitting for a former Penn State attacker who scored 122 career goals and reached two NCAA Tournament semifinals.
“You’re going to see a lot of goals,” Lazo says. “I think you’re also going to see a lot of celebration. I’m really excited just to see them be creative and have fun on the field and do it together. I have chills thinking about it.”
Brazel Marquez
Women’s Wrestling
For Marquez, the past two years have been intense.
“A lot of sleepless nights,” she says.
Hired in 2023 as head coach of the women’s wrestling club team, Marquez has guided it to varsity status this season, making Lehigh one of just six Division I institutions with varsity women’s wrestling. This reflects Lehigh’s commitment to growth in women’s athletics under Dean Gibson’s leadership, demonstrating a willingness to invest in growth and opportunity at a time when many other university athletics programs are scaling back.
A three-time California state champion, four-time All-American youth wrestler, and two-time collegiate All-American, Marquez coached at Wyoming Seminary, one of the top women’s wrestling prep schools in the country, and at several colleges before arriving at Lehigh.
From an early age, she knew she wanted to coach one of the nation’s first Division I women’s wrestling teams. She can’t wait to extend the momentum she’s created by recruiting several nationally ranked high school wrestlers.
With another 10 wrestlers and a top-ranked recruiting class arriving for the 2026–27 season, Marquez is building a championship culture.
“We’ve got high expectations,” she says. “Our goal is to put people on the podiums [at championship events] and make world and Olympic teams and achieve a high-level education, all at the same time.”
Shawn McLaughlin
Volleyball
McLaughlin sees a bright future for his team.
“We have a very large group of starters coming back [next season],” he says.
“The hope is that we’ve learned the lessons this season, gotten a little bit better, and then in the next couple seasons, you’re going to see us bust out and really grow.”
That timeline would match what he’s done in previous roles.
After struggling for several seasons, the University of Delaware went 61–23 during his three years as an assistant coach, winning one conference championship and finishing as runner-up twice. Before that, he helped the University of South Alabama win its first regular-season and tournament conference championships and make its first NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Mountain Hawks have had just one winning season since 2018 — something McLaughlin is eager to change. He is focused on providing a student-athlete experience rooted in care, support, and competitive excellence.
“We’re in a new world of sports where we’re competing to make the athletes feel special,” he says. “Lehigh, because of its education alone, makes the athletes feel special. But I would love to create a sports experience where the athlete feels special and loved and taken care of in all of the ways.”
The success of Lehigh’s women’s basketball and softball teams offers a blueprint. Years of alumni support have helped those teams build stability, invest in student-athletes, and compete consistently at the top of the Patriot League. With new leadership in place for the women’s tennis, lacrosse, wrestling, and volleyball teams, Lehigh has a clear opportunity to extend that momentum.
