Lehigh Athletics has announced the hiring of Eric Lambinus as its new head women’s soccer coach.  Lambinus arrives at Lehigh from nearby Moravian College where he enjoyed a great deal of success as the head women’s and men’s soccer coach during an 11-year span.  He replaces Manny Oudin, who left Lehigh in mid-January to become the Athletic Director at Moravian Academy.  “I would like to thank (Lehigh Dean of Athletics) Joe Sterrett and the athletic staff for welcoming me to the Lehigh community,” Lambinus explained.  “It needed to be the perfect fit for me to consider leaving Moravian College and it became very clear through the search process that Lehigh is that place for me and my family.”

Lehigh placed 15 student-athletes on the Patriot League’s Academic Honor Roll for women’s soccer, which was announced Thursday afternoon. Senior Natalie Hojnacki led the Mountain Hawks with a 3.79 grade point average in the fall semester. The finance major narrowly edged four of her teammates who also eclipsed a 3.75 last fall. To be eligible for the honor roll, a student-athlete must obtain a 3.2 GPA. Lehigh’s 15 selections ranked fourth among Patriot League schools, as American led the league with 22 selections.

Lehigh University Athletics has announced that head women’s soccer coach Manny Oudin will leave the department on January 8 and has accepted the position of Director of Athletics at nearby Moravian Academy.  Oudin, who is the all-time wins leader in Lehigh women’s soccer history and a three time Patriot League Coach of the Year, originally came to Lehigh from Moravian Academy where he served as head boys and girls soccer coach, director of financial aid, and teacher of health and physical education for six years.

The Lehigh women’s soccer program has once again been recognized for the work of its student-athletes in the classroom, as the Mountain Hawks were recognized with the 2008-09 Academic Team Award from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). The Mountain Hawks earned Academic Honors for the eighth time overall and the seventh straight season under head coach Manny Oudin with a 3.19 grade point average in the 2008-09 academic year.

Anndrea Yetter graduated from Lehigh in 2008 after playing defense for the Mountain Hawks women’s soccer team. Yetter’s team role helped provide defensive support.  Yetter’s post-graduation life path differs from many recent college graduates.  Shortly after graduating, Yetter began preparing for a journey that she says would later change her life. Yetter decided to live in South Africa for nine months as a member of an organization called Grassroots Soccer.