Jan. 15, 2002

LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - Athletic Director John D'Argenio announced Tuesday that Siena College has named Suzanne Bette its new women's lacrosse coach. Bette will take over the program immediately and start practice when the spring semester begins next week.

Bette, a Clifton Park native, comes to Siena from St. Michael's College in Colchester, Vermont. While at St. Michael's, she was a three-time Northeast-10 All-Conference selection and was named the conference Defensive Player of the Year in 1999. The four-year starter was also named a captain her senior season. Prior to attending St. Michael's, Bette graduated from Shenendehowa High School.

"Suzanne will bring a lot of stability to our program. I was impressed with many of the her ideas about what she wanted the women's lacrosse program to become," said D'Argenio. "She was the best-suited candidate to build our program into one of the best in the MAAC."

Bette (prounounced "betty") graduated from St. Michael's this past May with a degree in History. She maintained a 3.5 GPA while making the Dean's List all four years.

"I'm really excited for the opportunity to coach at Siena. I think the women's lacrosse program has a lot of talent and potential, and I am looking forward to working with the team and building a successful program," said Bette.

Bette takes over a team that finished winless in 2001. However, the Saints return 11 of their top 12 scorers from a year ago as well as their starting goalie. Siena opens the 2002 spring season on March 13th against Villanova.