Chelsea Gamble, who orchestrated one of the most productive offenses in NCAA women’s lacrosse for the last four seasons, has been named the new head coach at Oregon, the school announced Wednesday.
Gamble, the offensive coordinator at Stanford since 2015, replaces Katrina Dowd, who stepped down last month after two seasons as the Ducks’ head coach to pursue other professional opportunities. Dowd’s assistant, Michelle Tumolo, also left to take the top job at Wagner. Becca Block had served as the interim head coach.
“Chelsea is one of the brightest offensive minds in the game and she has been a huge part of Stanford's success over the last four years,” said Rob Mullens, Oregon’s director of athletics.
Gamble helped lead Stanford to a pair of conference championships, including the inaugural Pac-12 Tournament title in 2018, and three NCAA appearances. Last year, the Cardinal offense led the Pac-12 in points per game (21.25), goals per game (15.15) and assists per game (6.10), while also pacing the league in ground balls (21.55) and draw controls per game (15.00). Nationally, Stanford tied for 14th in goals per game and was 10th in scoring margin (5.75).
Gamble’s familiarity with the Pac-12 should help her hit the ground running. Oregon showed some promise during a 9-9 campaign in 2018, upsetting nationally ranked USC on April 8 in Eugene. Top scorer Shannon Williams, who broke her own single-season points record with 41 goals and 33 assists (74 points), returns as a senior.
“Growing the game of lacrosse, especially on the West Coast, is something I am extremely passionate about,” Gamble said. “There is no better conference to compete in and grow this amazing game than the Pac-12.”
So excited to start this journey with a great roster of young women!!#wintheday https://t.co/ZdKW8jDS8b
— Chelsea Gamble (@cgamble7) August 1, 2018
Gamble, who played collegiately for current Stanford coach Amy Bokker at George Mason, was an assistant at UConn for three seasons before moving west to reunite with her.
“I'm so happy for her to stay in the Pac-12 and help grow our conference into the best league in the nation," Bokker said.