Longwood head coach Kathy Riley is taking a leave of absence from the program that will stretch through the remainder of the 2020 season.
Assistant coaches Kayla Miller, Emily Murphy, and Carly Adams will assume joint leadership of the team in Riley’s absence.
“As coach Riley takes the time she needs to address a private matter,” Longwood athletic director Michelle Meadows said, “our program will be in excellent hands with coach Miller, coach Murphy and coach Adams leading our student-athletes through the remainder of this season.”
Riley is in her 23rd season as the Lancers’ head coach, and owns more than 800 career wins, more than 720 of them coming during her tenure at Longwood. The Lancers have never finished below .500 under Riley’s leadership, and have reached the NCAA Regional round five times in the last decade.
Shepherding the program through the reclassification process from Division II to Division I in the mid-2000s, Riley was named the Division I Independent Coach of the Year in 2005. She owns three Big South Coach of the Year honors, earning the award in 2015, ’16, and ’19.
The Lancers were picked to win the Big South in the preseason conference poll, and own a 3-6 record to begin the regular season.
