A Fresh Perspective

During the summer of 1999, the Penn women's lacrosse team sat in a state of disrepair. The Quakers were coming off a dismal 1-12 season -- the worst in team history -- and missing a coach.

Enter Karin Brower.

Now in her third year, Brower took over the reins of a beleaguered Penn program, after serving as an assistant coach at national powerhouse Princeton from 1996-1998.

While lacrosse continues to maintain a prominent role in Brower's life, field hockey was once equally as important. She grew up playing both sports in Chatham, N.J.

Eventually, Brower enrolled at William and Mary, backed by a field hockey scholarship. Brower's love of lacrosse continued at William and Mary -- she walked onto the team and helped secure the Tribe a place in the top 20 by her senior year.

Brower coached both sports for a while, before choosing to pursue lacrosse.

"I enjoy coaching lacrosse more because you have more control over the game than you do in field hockey," she said.

Brower would need to remind herself of her love for coaching lacrosse, after taking over a feisty Penn squad.

During the previous season, the team had petitioned the athletic department for the removal of the only women's lacrosse coach in Penn history-- Anne Sage.

Brower implemented immediate change in the Penn program after being named coach. She wanted to put a new face on Penn lacrosse.

"These kids were not even close to the work they had to do to compete at the Division One level," she said. "They didn't understand the commitment and the hard work that was expected of them."

Not only did Brower plan on revamping Penn's work habit, but she also wanted her players to move on from the ousting of coach Sage.

"I wanted to start fresh," she said. "I came in with the mindset of making it my program and not trying to look at what it was."

Only two players -- senior captains and attackers Traci Marabella and Jenny Hartman -- remain from the 12 who were on the roster when Brower was named head coach.

Brower's positive support for her players, along with her new expectations, are what pointed the Penn women's lacrosse in the right direction.

"She really wanted us to work hard, which seems pretty simple, but was something we never had to do when we were freshman," Marabella said. "She expects a lot and wants to win. All of that is different from what we experienced before."

After only one season at the helm, Brower had guided her team to an improved record.

The Quakers finished the 2000 season 5-8, securing four more wins than they had the year before.

The 2001 season brought the most obvious change in the Quakers' performance. Penn finished off the year 8-8, including three Ivy League victories over Columbia, Brown and Harvard.

"One of my small rewarding moments at Penn was the Harvard win last year," she said. "Not only did we play well, but we took care of things we had been working on all year."

To Brower, the success of her team is not categorized by the number of wins they accumulate but by their improvement as lacrosse players and people.

"I want my kids to learn how to work really hard and feel proud of the time and commitment they give to the program," she said. "No matter how good we become, I do not want a cocky team. It is very important to me that we are good sports and people respect us because we are good."

One of coach Brower's long-term goals was to supplant Penn in the national rankings.

After snaring a surprising 9-8 quadruple overtime victory against then-No.9 James Madison earlier this year, the Quakers climbed into the top 20 for the first time under Brower's guidance.

While Penn could not hold onto its top 20 ranking after losing four straight games, the Quakers are now back on track.

Penn defeated both Delaware and Ivy League rival Harvard this past weekend.

Although Brower has guided the Quakers through a three-year period of improvement, she still has a few goals she would like to see come to fruition -- a birth in the NCAA tournament and an Ivy League championship.

Brower knows that the only way to attain these goals is through hard work and perseverance.

"I want tough kids, kids who are willing to step up and don't look for excuses," she said. "They have to love to compete."

The current Penn lacrosse players recognize Brower's desire to succeed.

"She never allows you to settle for anything less than you are capable of," Penn freshman midfielder Katie Spofford said. "She is always pushing you to become a better player."

While the Quakers have come a long way since Karin Brower's arrival in West Philadelphia three years ago, they are not satisfied yet.

"We are much better than we have been in the past," Marabella said. "And we are only going to continue to improve."

Brower's dedicated leadership will continue to foster success in the Penn women's lacrosse program.

"I want them to realize that they did this together as a close-knit group," Brower said. "I want them to realize that they can success and they will."

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