Starting with her first season in 2000, Jen Benway laid the foundation for what she has developed into a regional softball power as head softball coach at Lesley University. Her teams have won over 25 games four years in a row from 2008-2012, five straight conference championships and a New England Collegiate Conference Coach of the Year award in 2011. Lesley has secured the automatic qualifying bid for the NCAA Tournament in the past three consecutive seasons.

A 1998 graduate of Bentley College in Waltham, MA, Benway was a four-year starter at shortstop and lead-off batter, collecting numerous offensive records. In 1999, Benway made the switch from player to coach. 

Since her inaugural season in 2000, the Lynx softball team has significantly increased their wins and each spring challenges the conference championship.  This past season the softball team won the inaugural NECC, their second consecutive conference title after winning the North Atlantic Conference Championship in 2008.  The NAC Championship earned Benway and the Lynx an automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament while 2010's NECC Championship earned Lesley a trip to ECAC Tournament.  Benway owes her team's latest accomplishments to successful recruiting classes and hard work and dedication from the team both in and out of the season. 

Benway's dedication to bringing in committed and hard-working recruits has resulted in numerous academic and athletic accolades.  Benway has developed two conference Players of the Year, four Pitchers of the Year, two Rookies of the Year, and 28 All-Conference players.  Academically, Benway has had ten players named to the conference All-Academic Teams, an honor given to student-athletes who in their season of competition maintain a 3.40 GPA or higher. 

In 2006, Coach Benway was selected as the Head Softball Coach for the Robur 58' Softball Series in Holland. The team, comprised of college players around the U.S, took home the bronze medal in the series.  In 2004, Coach Benway served as the Head Softball Coach for the Tuscany Series in Italy.  The team played Holland and other Italian teams and went undefeated 10-0, winning both tournaments in Arezzo and San Casciano.  Coach Benway was also selected as an assistant coach for Coast to Coast Athletics. The team traveled to Australia to compete against Olympic Development teams in Brisbane and Sydney in the winter of 2002. 

In May of 2003, Coach Benway earned her Masters Degree at Lesley University in Interdisciplinary studies and created a mentoring program for rookie collegiate softball coaches as part of her thesis. Benway is a member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) and completed the NFCA's Coaches College, becoming a 4 star Master Coach in July of 2007.