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Former UCSB Coach Diana Garcia to Coach at SBCC

Oct. 3, 2008

Santa Barbara , CA – Former UCSB head coach Diana Garcia will take the reigns for the young Santa Barbara City College women’s lacrosse club. Garcia coached at UCSB during the 2004 through 2007 seasons. Her UCSB teams qualified for the WDIA National Championship Tournament all four years she guided them. Garcia's impact was immediate. The Gauchos had been unranked the year before Garcia started coaching but qualified for the post-season her first year.

UCSB vaulted into the rankings and then stayed in the Top 10 of the WDIA Coaches Poll all four years Garcia coached. Overall, the Gauchos were a combined 64-19 (.771) under Garcia and she was voted WWLL Coach of the Year by her peers in 2007. UCSB losses in that time span only came at the hands of nationally ranked opponents.

Garcia Coached Teams at UCSB:
2004: 14-4
2005: 19-2
2006: 13-6
2007: 18-7

Garcia attended Thacher School in Ojai and played defense for NCAA DIII Colorado College. Garcia, a Santa Barbara native, played on the Tiger’s NCAA post-season tournament team her senior year. She resigned from UCSB at the end of the 2007 season due to the daytime commitment there and her full-time work schedule.

Coach Garcia is thrilled to see the growth of lacrosse continuing in Santa Barbara.

“I feel incredibly fortunate to be a part of this effort. Before I started coaching at UCSB I underestimated the potential of a non-varsity program. My hat is off to all the dedicated athletes and coaches who have turned club lacrosse, into the experience of a lifetime for hundreds of young women,” says Garcia.

Continued Garcia, “It's exciting to see there is enough energy behind the sport, and enthusiasm among the SBCC students to start up their own program. I can't wait to see what's next!"

The SBCC program started to take shape last year when seven SBCC students played on the UCSB C Team, under UCSB Recreational Sports administration. It was a development effort spearheaded by the UCSB women’s lacrosse program. Westmont students also played on that team and the result is a fifteen member Westmont women’s lacrosse club starting this year as well. The UCSB C Team was 6-5 playing a mix of A and B teams in 2008.

UCSB head coach Paul Ramsey can’t believe how lucky the SBCC women are to land a coach like Garcia.

“Everyone who knows Diana will think this is a great situation for lacrosse players at SBCC,” said Ramsey. He continued, “Anyone who was wondering whether to play at SBCC now should be certain it’s going to be a good place to play lacrosse.”

Garcia lives in Montecito with her husband Tyler and works in Summerland.