Lesley

Stephanie Smyrl was promoted to Director of Athletics in January of 2019 after a short stint as the Interim Director of Athletics from June of 2018 to January of 2019.  Smyrl joined the Lesley University Athletic Department as the Associate Athletic Director in November of 2017.  Smyrl came to the Lynx staff after serving eleven years in former New England Collegiate Conference member Wheelock's Athletic Department.  In her tenure at Wheelock she served as the Associate Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator for the past nine years, and previously as the Assistant Athletic Director from 2008-09.

During her first four years at the institution, Smyrl simultaneously worked in an administrative role while serving as the women's soccer head coach. By guiding the program for four years, between 2007 and 2010, she is the most tenured coach in the program's eight-year history. Additionally, Smyrl finished out the fall of 2010 as the interim men's soccer head coach. Under Smyrl, Wheelock won NECC Sportsmanship Awards in 2008 and 2010 and the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) Sportsmanship Award in 2007. Her 2010 men's team also corralled a league sportsmanship nod.

Before arriving at Wheelock, Smyrl spent two years as the girls' soccer head coach at Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School. In her first year, she guided the team to the Division III North championship title, a first for the program. In the same season, the team advanced to the state championship game, a tremendous turnaround after going 3-9-4 the prior fall.

Smyrl began her coaching career at Endicott College, where she served as a women's soccer assistant coach for two years, in 2003 and 2004. The team won The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Tournament titles and earned an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament both years, combining to go 34-8-2 overall and 23-1 in the league. She completed her master's degree in business administration at Endicott while working full time as both a coach and the sports information intern.

Smyrl graduated in 2003 from Stony Brook (NY) University, where she majored in English. A four-year member of the women’s soccer team, the Pittsburgh native was named co-captain her senior year. She was an active member of the Dean's Student Life Advisory Council and served as the female president for the institution's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). During her senior year, Smyrl was selected for the University’s Annual Undergraduate Recognition Award in Leadership, and she also received an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Merit Award.